“Apologies for the belated thank you for giving me the opportunity to hear and experience the wonderful music and songs at last Saturdays showcase concert for Mike Silverwood Memorial Song Writing Award.  And to contribute my little bit.

Some great songs and lovely performances. Congratulations to the winners, John and Floyd, and to the winner of the ‘tunes’ prize (whose name I didn’t quite catch).

Over-all a fantastic night with a beautifully supportive audience. Thank you to the David’s, Peter, Roger, “Elizabeth” (?) and all who contributed to making it happen. May it go from strength to strength.”

— Ian Paulin

The Folk Federation’s annual Song and Tune Writing Awards for 2018 are over.  The awards were announced at a wonderful concert on October 20th at Wesley Hall, with a wide range of acts and tunes and songs in a variety of styles and covering many and varied topics, including some important issues such as Nauru, gambling, race relations in Tasmania, social justice and the rights of working people. The concert included seasoned performers and composers as well as “newcomers” stepping up and producing high quality performances.  We hope they are all encouraged in their future endeavours.

The results for 2018 are:

• Mike Silverwood Songwriting Award – John Hughes – “Only Weeds”
• Tune Award – CC Thornley – “Sentimental Rag”
• U-19 Award – Equal 1st – Floyd Taylor – “Wonder”
• U-19 Award – Equal 1st – Eve Cooper and Rupert Bullard – “Glow”
• People’s Choice Award – Floyd Taylor

Well done to all those who submitted entries and thank you for supporting this competition. Congratulations to the winners and thank you very much to those who make it all happen, particularly our Competition Co-ordinator, Peter Hicks, this year’s judges, Anna Graham and David Beniuk, Cathy Hutchinson, David Wanless and their team of helpers who organised and set up the hall for the concert and Roger Joseph for sound engineering and lights on the night.

The Folk Federation’s annual Song and Tune Writing Awards for 2017 have concluded with a fine concert on October 21st at Wesley Hall, with a great range of acts and standard of performance. This included seasoned performers and composers as well as “newcomers” to the genre stepping up and producing high quality performances.  We hope they are all encouraged in their future endeavours.

The results for 2017 are:

• Tune Award – CC Thornley – “Doin’ Stuff”
• Song Award – Jackie Gregory – “Hammett”
• U-19 Award – Callum Roberts – “Out of Time”
• People’s Choice Award equal 1st – Callum Roberts and Jane Palfreyman

Well done to all those who submitted entries and thank you for supporting this competition. Congratulations to the winners and thank you very much to those who make it all happen, particularly our Competition Co-ordinator, Peter Hicks, this year’s judges, Anna Graham and David Beniuk, Cathy Hutchinson and her team of helpers who organised and set up the hall for the concert and Graeme Beer for sound engineering on the night.

2017 FolkTas Grant Award

The 2017 FolkTas grant was awarded to Rachel Meyers for her project “A Jew in Tasmania: diaspora to home” which is a deeply personal musical project considering the experience of diaspora, emigration and Jewish culture as the basis for Rachel’s own musical practice.

Rachel is an accomplished musician herself and performs as an experimental Klezmer duo with Dave McNamara as “Meyers & McNamara” who are currently working towards their debut album. They have performed with several bands, such as The Tinderbox Collective, The Counterfeit Gypsies and Duo Swango. Rachel has also completed a postgraduate research degree in musicology and worked on various other research projects.

The Folk Federation of Tasmania’s committee wishes Rachel well with her ambitious CD and performance project and looks forward to the full lecture/ recital and accompanying album launch at Hobart’s historic Synagogue in 2018.  Benefits will flow to the folk community and beyond with Rachel’s themes and musical collaborations, beginning with an early presentation at the Cygnet Folk Festival 2018.

The 2016 FolkTas grant was awarded to Theresa Young for her series of three bushdances, to be held at the Orford Town Hall (later changed to Buckland).  The purpose of this proposal, Theresa wrote, was to give some more community dancing opportunities to those living on the South East Coast of Tasmania. It would be an opportunity for everyone to meet new people, be active and be joyful!

After the events, Theresa wrote in Drumbeat, the Folk Federation’s regular magazine:

The town of Buckland played host to three sweet and lively bushdances in the months of August, September and October. People of all ages filled the dance-floor of the charming Buckland Hall at each dance, travelling from all over the South-Eastcoast, Midlands, and
Hobart areas.  

We were privileged to have stages full of musos playing and singing celtic, Tasmanian and American tunes on banjos, mandolins, accordians, guitars and fiddles. The first dance was played and called by Moonshine Whiskers and the Ragged Pony; the second, by Tasmania’s Devil’s Own; and the third was played by the enormous and delightful Hobart Old Time String Band, called by David Wanless and sound engineered by Glenn Warland.

We danced traditional dances like the beloved heel-and-toe, and were thrown into some wild and beautiful newer ones too. On the final night,  we even learnt some lovely dances
of David Wanless’ own creation. Suppertimes were also a mix of tradition and novelty, with tables filled with old favourites like savoury toast, as well as innovative creations like
falafel and bocconcini kebabs.

Thank you to the Folk Federation of Tasmania for supporting the dances with their annual FolkTas grant, as well as to the local Glamorgan Spring Bay Council for a community grant. These wonderful events would not have been possible without this backing.

Theresa Young