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TMSA Virtual festival
MUSIC: FESTIVAL
Barbara Dickson Launches Virtual Keith Festival
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Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic the Keith Traditional Music & Song Association (TMSA) Festival have taken the difficult decision to cancel their in-person festival for the second year running.
However, as the saying goes “the show must go on” and on it will go! The festival will, once again, be going virtual building on the success of the 2020 Virtual Festival. The Keith TMSA Virtual
Festival 2021 will take place over the weekend of Friday 11th - Sunday 13th
June 2021 on Facebook and YouTube.
The announcement of the virtual festival was made by Olivier award-winning actress and TMSA patron Barbara Dickson in a video on the Festival’s Facebook page. In the video the chart-topping singer said that this year there would be concerts, a virtual dance, sessions and sing--arounds as well as a suite of virtual competitions for the first time. Amongst some of the guest artists appearing over the course of the weekend include 7-time bothy ballad champion of champions Joe Aitken, BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year finalists Iona Fyfe, Calum McIlroy and Ellie Beaton, champion accordionist Leonard Brown and singing duo Jim and Susie Malcolm.
For the virtual dance there will be 14 Scottish dance band leaders providing a programme of old time dances that folk can join in with at home.
Barbara Dickson
Iona Fyfe
Ellie Beaton
Leonard Brown
There is also an array of competitions being held with the deadline for entries being 9pm on Sunday 16th May. The entries will be released on the Festival’s YouTube channel on the Saturday morning with the results being revealed at the virtual Prize-winners Concert in the evening.
Commenting on the launch of the virtual festival Chairman of the committee, Kathleen Anderson, said: “We are so disappointed that once again we’ve had to cancel our in-person festival. However, we are determined that the show will go on so we are trying to build on last year’s successful virtual festival and provide audiences with even more opportunities to enjoy the very best of traditional music and song. Lifestyle MAG
“As usual we have managed to attract a fantastic line up of guest artists to perform with more yet to be confirmed and we are particularly delighted that we are able to run some of the competitions this year. We hope that we will be overrun with entries!
“There really will be something for everyone and we can’t wait to share with everybody.”
More information can be found at www.keithfestival.com and the festival will be broadcast on facebook.com/keithfestival and
