Blowzabella Workshop Festival 2025 returns to The Civic, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire for a concert and jam session on Friday, music and dance workshops on Saturday and a dance on Saturday night. In association with Holmfirth Festival of Folk.

CONCERT - FRIDAY Doors open 7:30pm. Band onstage 8-9:30pm. Jam session 10-11pm.

WORKSHOPS - SATURDAY

Morning 10am to 12:30pm

DANCE WORKSHOP: JO FREYA & DAVE SHEPHERD – with the rest of the band providing the music. Learn some of the great English and European traditional dances that Blowzabella have popularised over the last 30+ years. The aim of the workshop is to help people get the most from a Blowzabella dance/bal. All ages and abilities welcome. There’s plenty for experienced dancers to learn too.

FOLK BIG BAND: PAUL JAMES. Using simple, catchy folk dance tunes as a starting point, this workshop is about working together as a team to make a mighty big band noise that is more than the sum of its parts. Suitable for all ages, abilities, any instrument. No prior knowledge/experience of folk music necessary. The aim is to create imaginative arrangements – using harmonies and riffs, textures and dynamics – that are interesting and fun to play, dance and listen to. You need to be of a standard where you can play a simple folk tune through at the right tempo, either by ear or by reading music. The Folk Big Band usually performs at the evening dance/bal.

Afternoon 2pm to 5pm

BAGPIPE WORKSHOP. JON SWAYNE. Suitable for intermediate and more advanced players. Introducing participants to English bagpipe repertoire, both traditional and recently composed, working mostly by ear, but music is available at the end. Work on technique and ornamentation relevant to that repertoire can be included. If time allows and the appropriate instruments are available, the workshop can enjoy playing polyphony with two, three or more lines, a form with which Jon has considerable experience. Suitable for conical bore mouth or bellows blown bagpipes in G (for example, border, Flemish and French pipes).

DIATONIC BUTTON ACCORDION & MELODEON (G/D). ANDY CUTTING. Suitable for intermediate and more advanced players. The basic standard required to get the most from this workshop is to be able to learn a simple folk dance tune by ear and play it at the right tempo with others.

HOW TO PLAY THE BAGPIPES IN 60 MINUTES OR YOUR MONEY BACK. PAUL JAMES. For anyone who wants to have a go. We’ll focus on the absolute basics, including how to blow up the bag without fainting. Thanks to The Bagpipes Society for loaning their student pipes.

HURDY-GURDY. BENOIT MICHAUD. During this workshop we'll work around different small pieces, we will tackle technical aspects of the hurdy-gurdy : the rhythmic equivalences of the "coup de poignet" (right hand), the dissociation between right hand and left hand, melodic ornamentation and instrument settings (cotton, string support, keyboard).

VIOLIN. DAVE SHEPHERD. Mostly English traditional tunes and tips on rhythm and style. The basic standard required to get the most from this workshop is to be able to learn a simple folk dance tune by ear and play it at the right tempo with others. Some music is available on the day.

VOICE. JO FREYA. Taking traditional and contemporary folk songs and singing them in harmony as a group. All ages and abilities welcome. No need to be able to read music. The emphasis is on creating a great sound by arranging beautiful songs for the voices there.

BAL – SATURDAY NIGHT Doors open 7:30pm. Band onstage 8-11pm.

Queries: Paul James pauljames.be@gmail.com