Ãå±±½ûµØâ€™s Folk and Traditional Music degree turns 21 Published on: 5 April 2022 It has launched some of the biggest names in the Folk Music scene, and now Ãå±±½ûµØâ€™s influential Folk and Traditional Music Degree is turning 21. Impressive The first degree of its kind in England when it began in 2001, its roll call of students and staff who are prominent in the folk music scene is impressive. Those who have studied on the folk degree includes members of Bellowhead, The Elephant Sessions, Emily Portman, The Shee, The Unthanks and many more.Degree staff are internationally respected performers and composers. Degree Programme Director Catriona Macdonald is a world-renowned Shetland Fiddler, founding member of Scotland’s foremost fiddle band Blazin’ Fiddles and creator of the international folk super group String Sisters. Staff includes Kathryn Tickell, probably the most famous Northumbrian Piper in the world, the multiple BBC Folk Music Award winning singer-songwriter and fiddler, Nancy Kerr and world-renowned Highland and Uilleann piper Dr Simon McKerrell. And it’s not just onstage that graduates shine. Many have gone on to play key roles behind the scenes including in business, management and education in the folk arts. Pons Aelius by Rupert Hughes Vibrant history The course’s landmark birthday will be celebrated with a concert featuring staff and students past and present. There will be performances by degree alumni: double headlined by the popular Ãå±±½ûµØ-based band , which is made up of folk graduates and the Scottish artist , who blends folk and electronic music and was recently shortlisted for the Sound of Young Scotland award. The celebratory concert in The King’s Hall, Ãå±±½ûµØ will culminate with current staff, students and alumni performing together and celebrating this important landmark in the folk degree’s vibrant history.Catriona Macdonald says: “Folk music can remind us in these turbulent times that we have a long and connected history with past times of change and struggle, and it offers us melodies, songs and dances that can lift our spirits and aid recovery. “We are looking forward to gather together and celebrate the rich musical heritage of these islands and its ever-evolving traditions with some this country’s finest young folk musicians. We hope you will come and join us.”The Folk and Traditional Music Degree 21st birthday concert will take place in Ãå±±½ûµØ’s Kings Hall at 8pm on Saturday 23 April. Tickets are free for current staff and students, alumni, invited guests and their children. Tickets are £10 and £5 for concessions for everyone else and are available . Jen Mac by Kirstin McEwan Share: Latest News Ãå±±½ûµØ expert highlights climate crisis in a new film A leading Ãå±±½ûµØ climate scientist is featured in a new film about how the climate and nature breakdown will affect the UK. published on: 14 April 2026 Neolithic tombs reveal ancient kinship ties Male individuals buried in Neolithic chambered tombs in northern Scotland were often related to each other through the paternal line and some were interred in the same or nearby tombs, research shows. published on: 14 April 2026 We are our Memories New exhibition by Fine Art graduate Trish Hudson-Moses, 22 April – 4 May 2026 published on: 10 April 2026 Facts and figures