A Stellar Line-Up at This Year's 19th Annual Mission Folk Festival
MISSION, B.C. - They come from across Canada, from Spain, Britain, Scotland, the United States, from very different places on the map - and yet so many arrive with the connecting thread of the Celtic tradition running through their music.
The 19th Annual Mission Folk Music Festival's lineup this year again includes a stunning range of artists, with a rich representation of Celtic and Celtic-inspired music in its many and wondrous forms.
Guitar maestro John Renbourn certainly ranks high among this number. With a career spanning over three decades, he's considered one of the fathers of contemporary British folk music and is certainly one of the finest finger-style players in the world. A founder of the seminal group Pentangle, Renbourn's music fuses British and Celtic folk with blues, jazz, British early music, classical guitar and Eastern styles.
It's a rare thing to have two world-renown masters of the guitar at the same festival, but the man that Renbourn has called “The best Celtic guitarist in the world” also performs at Mission this year.
Scotland's Tony McManus is a self-taught guitarist who manages to capture the complexity of Celtic traditional music's essence with an instrument not commonly connected with the form.
Also from Scotland, Back of the Moon captured the “Best Folk Band” title at the Scottish Traditional Music Awards in 2005 – a follow up to their “Best Up and Coming Act” award in 2003. They create their special groove through a tightly-woven frontline of Scottish border pipes and fiddle, low whistle and flute enhanced by some great three-part harmonies.
From the Asturian region of Spain, Corquié plays original and traditional music that reflects both an ancient and a contemporary Celtic connection, yet is unique to them and the region. This septet features the gaita (bagpipe), Celtic percussion, bouzouki and the glorious voice of Gema Garcia.
Canadian groups also figure among the Celtic-inspired ensembles at the festival. With a name like The McDades, you can expect to find that tradition wending its way through the band's worldly take on a repertoire that spans a dozen genres.
Also recommended: Galant, tu perds ton temps – a cappella group of five women from Quebec who perform with renown step dancer Jean-Francois Berthiaume, and the old time Appalachian music of Vancouver's own, Holler.
For fans of Celtic and Celtic diasporan music, there's a rich buffet of great listening on offer at this year's Mission Folk Music Festival.
The festival kicks-off on Friday night, July 21 and runs to Sunday night, July 23 at the beautiful Fraser River Heritage Park – located just east of the City of Mission, B.C. overlooking the Fraser River.
Three evenings of showcase main stage concerts (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) and three daytime stages run concurrently Saturday and Sunday. Other on-site features include the Folk Art and Import Market, the festival CD Tent, a Festival Store (for festival souvenirs), a variety of food vendors and a shaded licensed area with a main stage view. On-site camping is also available at a nominal charge.
For tickets, call (604) 257-0366 (in Lower Mainland), or 1-888-777-0366 (everywhere else), and online at www.festivalboxoffice.com. Modest service charges apply.
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