Linlithgow’s young piping sensation, award-winning Ross Miller, will star at next month’s mini folk festival in the town.
Ross had just released his debut album – ‘The Roke’ – when the pandemic struck, and he was signed up to headline the 2020 Linlithgow Folk Festival.
Now he will provide an online concert on Friday, September 10, at 8pm, and this will be the highlight of a reduced version of the usual five-day celebration of traditional music, dance, and song in the town.
The concert will feature some of the musicians who performed alongside Ross on his CD, which was on the short list for Album of the Year at the Trad Music Awards last December.
Over the last few months, the folk festival organisers have continued to plan in the hope that there could be some kind of event this year.
They have now drawn up a programme, which includes an online Twinning concert, featuring groups from Linlithgow and its French counterpart Guyancourt on Thursday, September 9, and two days of music centred around the Burgh Halls café and garden on Saturday, September 11, and Sunday, September 12.
A special children’s concert, called ‘Weans’ World’ will take place on the Saturday in the Rose Garden.
Musicians will also be encouraged to play at various outdoor sights around the town, including beer gardens.
Announcing the plans for next month, folk festival chair, Neil MacDonald, said the festival committee wanted to ensure there was a music event in the town this year.
He added: “Over recent months, the Festival Committee has wrestled with the ever-changing regulations relating to indoor entertainment and Covid-19 in trying to salvage our annual September event.
“Determined to put on some form of morale-boosting event to aid the return to normality, we settled on having a condensed presentation of music outdoor.
“We are grateful to the staff at the Burgh Halls and its café for their co-operation in allowing us for the first time to have two days of performances based there and the Rose Garden beyond.
“In tandem with the concert for children in the Rose Garden, on-line concerts by the fabulous Ross Miller Band and our Town-Twinning partners, and some outdoor presentations around the town, we will indeed see a feast of music over four days.
“I am so grateful as always to the unstinting efforts of the Committee and volunteers of the Folk Festival Association who have worked tirelessly to bring live music back to the town.”
Ross Miller is excited to be associated with his home-town folk festival again.
He said: “I’m delighted that Linlithgow Folk Festival organisers are managing to hold an event this year.
“I’m looking forward to playing music for an appreciative audience again after what has been a very challenging 18 months for everyone.
“Here’s hoping that next will be back to full strength with the festival we know and love.”
Full details of the mini folk festival can be found on the website, www.linlithgowfolk.com and on the Facebook page.
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