Acclaimed American folk musician Rhiannon Giddens and her life-partner, multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi will open Edinburgh's traditional music and arts festival Tradfest this Spring. Tickets for the concert on Friday 28 April at Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms have gone on sale.
Giddens, of Carolina Chocolate Drops fame, most recently won a Grammy for Best Folk Album for They’re Calling Me Home. She recorded the album with Turrisi over six days in the early phase of the pandemic in a small studio outside of Dublin, where both Giddens and Turrisi live.
They’re Calling Me Home is a rich pot of traditional songs, drawn from their native and adoptive countries - America roots, Italian opera, and Irish folk.
Also headlining over the Festival’s opening weekend are Scottish group Fara (Saturday 29 April) fusing the talents of Orcadian fiddlers and vocalists - Jeana Leslie, Catriona Price, and Kristan Harvey, with Highland pianist and newest band member Rory Matheson.
On Sunday 30 April, tenor banjo player Ciaran Ryan will be performing with his high-octane band formed in Edinburgh following the release of his debut solo album Banjaxed in late 2019. It was shortlisted for Album of the Year at the Scots Trad Music Awards.
The full programme for this year’s Edinburgh Tradfest will be launched in March 2023.
Edinburgh Tradfest 2023 will run from Friday 28 April - Monday 8 May.