Spotlight England:
International Partner at Celtic Connections 2013

England is a nation with a rich culture of music, dance, stories, customs and traditions. The folk music scene continues to thrive and flourish with a whole new generation of musicians interpreting and performing the dynamic repertoire of English traditional music, as well as creating new songs and tunes. England’s folk music is distinct from its Celtic neighbours, sitting under the broad umbrella of ‘world music’.

The Spotlight England project - an exclusive partnership with Showcase Scotland at Celtic Connections - provides a major opportunity to shine a light on some of the best musicians our country has to offer. In January 2013 six of our brightest singers and musicians will join you to perform at the festival, giving a taste of the music we have to offer and would like to share with the rest of the world.

The Long-list

Twenty four folk singers, musicians and bands from across England have been long-listed. These artists, whose music is clearly rooted in the English tradition, are:

Bella Hardy 
Bellowhead 
Belshazzar’s Feast 
Coope Boyes and Simpson 
Time Gentlemen Please!
Emily Portman 
Faustus 
Fay Hield and the Hurricane Party 
Jackie Oates 
Jez Lowe and the Bad Pennies 
Jim Moray  
Lisa Knapp 
Lucy Farrell and Johnny Kearney 
Lucy Ward  
Mary Hampton  
Megson  
Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin  
Pilgrim’s Way 
Sam Carter  
Seth Lakeman  
Spiro  
The Young Uns 
Tom McConvill Band 
Walsh and Pound

The long-listed artists have been selected from written applications by a panel of industry experts. The Celtic Connections Artistic Director, Donald Shaw, is expected to make a final short list of six by Autumn 2012.

Spotlight England is supported by Arts Council England's grants for the arts fund, and the project’s media partner is Songlines magazine.