Folk Nations is an exciting programme aiming to bring together musicians, creative producers and practitioners from the UK and the South Asia region.

Through the 3 year programme, we aim to create a stronger engagement with the UK by connecting musicians and practitioners to create a dialogue and provide the space to learn from each other’s culture and musical traditions, foster collaborative working and hopefully inspire the creation of new projects.

The folk sector in the UK has seen a successful re-emergence and diversification, with practitioners and artists conserving traditional music forms and styles while developing new dimensions that reflect a more contemporary sensibility and sound. South Asia is renowned for its traditional folk music forms many of which have regional particularities and identity, such as Manganiyar, Gazals and Baul music.

As part of Folk Nations, UK folk artist, song-collector and promoter, Sam Lee (pictured left-bottom) will travel to Bangladesh with Francesca Ter-Berg, a leading klezmer cellist, Camilo Tirado, a London-based percussionist, and Jonah Brody, an international award-winning composer and multi-instrumentalist, in early January. They will work in a week-long residency with a group of Bangladesh’s finest folk musicians to share and explore music traditions and present a performance in Dhaka.

Also, in partnership with The English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) and Banglanatak dot com, we have developed a week long music residency. UK musicians selected to participate in this project are: English banjo player Dan Walsh, Scottish fiddler Patsy Reid, Welsh harpist and chanteuse Georgia Ruth Williams, singer and English clog dancer Hannah James. They will meet and work with two musicians from India, including sarangi player Suhail Yusuf Khan; two musicians from Pakistan Shahid Hamid, a vocalist and Turab Ali Hashmi, a sitar player and two musicians from Bangladesh in a week long exploration of each others music and traditions. This residency project will be concluded by a work in progress style performance for a select audience in Kolkata.

Programme of Activities

Here are some of the forthcoming events and projects we are supporting within the programme so far:

• 10 – 16 January 2013: Sam Lee to Bangladesh – hosting workshops with Bangladesh musicians and performance in Dhaka
• 24 January: Arieb Azhar and Martin Simpson support Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, as part of Celtic Connections (pictured left-top)
• 30 January – 3 February: Showcase Scotland delegation at Celtic Connections
• February: Kala Ghoda Folk Festival
• 12 – 20 February: Folk residency in Kolkata, India
• April: Alchemy Festival at Southbank Centre
• 17 April: Martin Simpson & Arieb Azhar at Southbank Centre (Alchemy) - click here for tickets
• October: Womex 13 hosted in Cardiff
• January 2014: India Focus at Celtic Connections
• April: Alchemy Festival at South Bank Centre

We'll be adding further activities as we develop projects and partnerships. We're keen to talk to key organisations and practitioners working in the sector about their interest in the programme.

For further information, please contact Joel Mills (joel.mills@britishcouncil.org), Senior Music Adviser.