It’s a new band…and it’s the youngest ever!

With ‘The Picasso of the Melodeon’ Julian Sutton, Young Folk Award winner Ian Stephenson and the youngest member of the Tickell family - fiddle player Peter Tickell, this band is full of excitement and vitality.

The interaction between these very different musicians provides a characterful setting for Kathryn’s music, matching digital dexterity with sheer musicality and creativity. The choice of instruments is inspired; whether it’s the interweaving melodies and driving sound of the two fiddles, the wonderful blend of pipes and melodeon, or the excitement of the full band, with guitar and acoustic bass guitar adding depth and rhythmic complexity.

Central to the band’s repertoire are Kathryn’s own compositions and the strange but beautiful tunes of Julian Sutton, but as always, the traditional tunes of Northumberland and the Borders are well represented. Linked by Kathryn’s inimitable introductions, the lively fiddle music and haunting pipe tunes have delighted both local and international audiences.

"They performed a beautifully mellifluous, silkily configured set of traditional and contemporary tunes, with a quasi-baroque grace and daintiness." The Scotsman

"This is Arrangements-To-Die-For Inc. with brilliant renditions of traditional tunes but real paydirt in the self-composed and other contemporary material…From infectiously danceable to immensely emotional, every tune is a gem." Mel McClellan (bbc.co.uk)

Booking Office 01227 769075 On line bookings www.gulbenkiantheatre.co.uk

For further information contact info_at_kathryntickell_dot_com Tel/Fax 01665 570839 www.kathryntickell.com

Kathryn Tickell’s roots are in the North Tyne Valley of Northumberland, where many of her relatives still play traditional music. Her father, Mike Tickell, is an acclaimed performer of the songs of this area. Kathryn took up the Northumbrian smallpipes at the age of nine and by the age of thirteen had won all the traditional open smallpipes competitions and was also rapidly making a name for herself as a fiddle player.

At the age of sixteen, Kathryn released her first album ‘On Kielderside’. Two years later, in 1986, she turned professional, immediately entering a busy touring schedule throughout Britain and abroad, as well as recording her second album ‘Borderlands’, which was the first recording to include her own compositions.

In the summer of 1987 she recorded a sixty-minute TV documentary The Long Tradition, for Channel 4. This chronicled her musical development and background, was broadcast in December ’87, and released on video in 1989.

Since then, Kathryn has recorded nine more albums, toured extensively throughout the world both solo and with The Kathryn Tickell Band, composed music for two productions by Newcastle’s Live Theatre Company, presented a series of programmes for Radio 2 and recorded with the Penguin Café Orchestra, The Chieftains, Beth Nielsen-Chapman, Jimmy Nail, Linda Thompson, Alan Parsons, Andy Sheppard and many others.

During this time Kathryn also contributed to four Sting albums, as well as joining him to play live at Newcastle City Hall, and also on TV. In May 1997 Sting, Jimmy Nail and Kathryn hit the stage of the Carnegie Hall, New York, performing ‘The Waters of Tyne’ at a benefit concert in aid of The Rainforest Foundation. The song has also been recorded for a benefit CD ‘Carnival’.

Also in 1997, Kathryn founded the ‘Young Musicians Fund’. Managed by The Community Foundation, the fund aims to help young people in the North East region to realise their musical potential.

In August ’99, Kathryn was awarded a bursary from the Britten-Pears Foundation to study composition with Judith Weir at Dartington International Summer School. She also presented a series of TV programmes on music composition for Channel 4 Schools.

In 2000 ‘Lordenshaws’, Kathryn’s piece for pipes and small ensemble, was premiered, toured and broadcast. The other major project of the year was Ensemble Mystical – an exciting new group set up by Kathryn and including musicians from classical, jazz and folk backgrounds. The CD ‘Kathryn Tickell and Ensemble Mystical’ was released in the autumn and was followed by a sell out tour.

2001 saw Kathryn touring in Uganda, Canada, Italy, France and the UK. Collaboration with jazz saxophonist Andy Sheppard resulted in a major multi-media work, which was premiered at the opening of the Gateshead Millennium Bridge. It was also released as a limited edition CD.

In September 2001 the Kathryn Tickell Band performed as part of the ‘Last Night of the Proms’ celebrations, the first time the event had included traditional folk music. The performance was broadcast nationally and internationally.

Since September 2001 Kathryn has been a part-time lecturer on the new Folk and Traditional Music degree course at Newcastle University. She is also the Artistic Director of Folkestra, the North’s acclaimed young folk ensemble.

In 2002 Kathryn’s 10^th album Back to the Hills was released, featuring solos, duets and trios in traditional style, as well as archive recordings of Kathryn with Northumbrian shepherd and fiddle player Willie Taylor.

The last two years have seen Kathryn concentrating mostly on her teaching and her work with the Kathryn Tickell Band. In September 2004 the band released their new album ‘Air Dancing’ which was followed by a sell out UK tour.

In 2005 Kathryn was awarded ‘Musician of the Year’ at the BBC Radio 2’s Folk Awards.

For further information contact info_at_kathryntickell_dot_com

Tel: 01665 570839