It’s a happy time for the Folk Federation and three lucky Folk Grant recipients.
At its August meeting, the Folk Federation Committee assessed the applications we had received for the 2021 Folk Grant. We found three strong applications that we really liked.
Our Treasurer reports that the Folk Federation’s finances are doing well at the moment due to more people taking out memberships than did last financial year. Therefore, since we could afford to this year, we decided to award the $500 grant to multiple applicants.
We are therefore happy to report that the Folk Grant 2021 has been awarded three times!
- ● Louise Conroy, who is running a bush dance at Deloraine Little Theatre at 7:30pm on 2nd October 2021 and three workshops that afternoon in dance calling, dance tunes and Ceili band accompaniment and rhythm. Lou wants to encourage the development of folk events and folk skills in the north of the state, and workshop participants will get the chance to try the skills they learned in the afternoon at the bush dance in the evening.
- The Stranded Wailers, a sea shanty singing group who will perform at the Verandah Music Festival in Evandale on 27th and 28th November 2021. They will use the grant to fund songbooks to get the crowd singing and to subsidise accommodation so that as many of their members as possible can attend.
- Ross Smithard, who is recording a dual CD album: one CD of original tunes he has written, and one of old time blues songs and tunes. Ross will use the grant to help pay for recording, CD production and to pay local musicians who will play with Ross on the recording.
We would like to give a huge thanks to all the applicants and to you, our Folk Federation members, who enabled this to happen.