Manx fiddle player Tom Callister and singer Ruth Keggin are currently in Voss in Western Norway on a musical exchange with two Norwegian traditional musicians. This collaborative project set up by the Manx Heritage Foundation focuses upon Norwegian and Manx fiddle and vocal music; instruments which are central to the traditional music of both nations. The four musicians will spend a week together sharing tunes and songs from the Isle of Man and Norway, arranging them in ways that combine elements of both musical traditions.
Work is based at the Ole Bull Akademiet in Voss (OBA). The OBA, affiliated with the Grieg Institute at the University of Bergen, is one of only three establishments in Norway where it is possible to study Norwegian folk music at Bachelor degree level. Ruth visited the Ole Bull Akademiet in Autumn 2009 while carrying out some research in Norway for her BA degree in Music. Her trip coincided with a Norwegian song workshop that was taking place at the Academy and it there that Ruth forged links with some traditional singers who later acquainted her with Erlend Apneseth and Margit Myhr.
Erlend Apneseth is one of the top young Hardanger fiddlers in Norway. After years performing folk music in competitions and concerts, latterly he has become established in the contemporary/improvisational music scene, collaborating with dancers, musicians and poets. Erlend received the Grappa debutant award in 2012 and will release his debut-album in Autumn 2013. Margit Myhr hails from Hallingdal in Norway. She has been singing, dancing and playing the Hardanger fiddle since she was very young. She also plays the traditional instruments lyre and langeleik. For many years she has participated in concerts, projects and competitions and has become an established musician within Norway. Some of her performances have been televised and shown throughout Norway on NRK 1.
Tom Callister needs little introduction; he performs with Barrule – representatives for the Isle of Man at the Festival Interceltique de Lorient 2012 – and is featured on ‘Windblown’; the most recent album by Jamie Smith’s Mabon. His skills as a performer and tunesmith are demonstrated on his forthcoming debut album, produced by the renowned Scottish musician Matheu Watson. Ruth Keggin represented the Isle of Man at the Festival Interceltique de Lorient 2012 opening the Nuits Interceltiques to audiences of up to 12,000 in the Stade du Moustoir – a spectacle that was televised by France 3. She sings and plays the flute and whistles with Nish As Rish who won the Trophee Loic Raison for best new group at FIL 2011 in Brittany. She is currently working on trio material with a bassist and guitarist.
For more stories on Manx music, see www.manxmusic.com.
