Folk Singing Symposium
University of Sheffield 24-25 February 2023
Booking now open!
Click through to our booking page for price info for different attendees.
Access Folk invites you to an inspiring symposium about folk singing looking at performance, participation and inclusion across a range of contexts within England and around the world.
The symposium draws on emerging research by the Access Folk project team and will include sharing across a range of cultures and formats, including papers, panel discussions, posters, films, workshops and demonstrations. There’s even a singaround! The symposium will be held in Sheffield over the two days, with some hybrid/online sessions available. Events will run from 9.30am Friday until 6pm on Sunday, with some optional evening activities.
Booked guests include: The Unthanks, Cohen Braithwaite Kilcoyne and George Sansome.
Tickets for online sessions start as low as £10, with a full two day pass for on-site attendance priced at £70.
Last booking date: 22nd February 2023
Book today at: https://bit.ly/folksingingsymposium
Provisional Programme (as of 22 December 2022)
24-25 February 2023 at Victoria Hall, Norfolk Street, Sheffield S1 2JB
A divider (||) indicates events taking place simultaneously in different rooms.
Friday
09.00 - 09.30 – Registration
09.30 - 10.00 – Welcome
10.00 - 11.30 – Organising Folk || Singing Techniques
11.45 - 12.45 – Key Note 1: The Unthanks
13.00 - 14.00 – Lunch
14.00 - 15.30 – Gypsy / Traveller || Repertoires
15.45 - 16.30 – Workshop: Folk Song Lab || Workshop: Natural Voice
16.30 - 17.00 – Browse Posters
17.00 - 18.00 – Communal Reflection || Workshop: Colourchord - Accessible Harmony Singing
19.30 - 22.30 – Singaround at Perch Brewhouse led by Cohen Braithwaite Kilcoyne & George Sansome
Saturday
09.30 - 10.00 – Registration
10.00 - 11.30 – New Developments || Esperance
11.45 - 12.45 – Key Note 2 (TBC)
13.00 - 14.00 – Lunch || Online Papers
14.00 - 15.00 – Protected Characteristics || National Identities
15.15 - 16.00 – Workshop: Ideas in Song || Workshop: Folk Choirs
16.00 - 16.30 – Browse Posters
16.30 - 17.30 – Communal Reflection || Workshop: Inclusive Folk
17.30 - 18.00 – Closing Discussion
20.00 - 23.00 – Queer Folk Ceilidh (separate ticket required)
Cambridge & Walker @ Royal Traditions Folk Club, Dungworth (separate ticket required)
Please note this is a provisional programme and may change. Full details of the presentations, workshops and presenters will be confirmed in due course.
Symposium Venues
Victoria Hall, Norfolk Street, Sheffield S1 2JB.
Victoria Hall is a unique historic building located in the heart of Sheffield City centre. It was built as a church and events venue with additional rooms for training and social support. It is now home to some key Sheffield charities and community groups, as well as hosting musical concerts and a range of other events.
The rooms the Symposium will be using are on two different floors, but they are fully accessible via lifts and ramps with accessible toilet facilities.
The Perch Brewhouse, 44 Garden Street, Sheffield S1 4BJ
The Friday evening singaround/social will be held at the Perch Brewhouse, a Brew-Pub with indoor and outdoor spaces and accessible toilets. Food is available to book in advance.
Getting to Victoria Hall
Victoria Hall is situated a short walk away from Sheffield Central train station and Sheffield central bus station. It is also well placed for major road routes. Please note that Victoria Hall itself does not have any dedicated parking facilities. More information about how to get to Victoria Hall can be found at https://www.victoriahallsheffield.org/visit
The nearest airport to Sheffield is Manchester Airport which has good rail links to Sheffield. Other possibilities are Birmingham, East Midlands or Leeds Bradford airports.
Overnight Accommodation Information
The Symposium booking fee does not include overnight accommodation and symposium attendees will need to arrange this themselves if required.
We are not providing any recommendations for overnight accommodation as we feel it is best to leave this to individuals to decide on their preferred type and budget range. However, if you are looking for hotel accommodation, Sheffield city centre does have a range of different hotels, including several within short walking distance of Victoria Hall the Symposium venue.
A list of hotels in the city centre is available on the Welcome to Sheffield website.