Scot to be just right

Some talented folk are heading to Cygnet, writes Penny McLeod

SCOTTISH performers, First Nation artists and a high-energy acoustic Canadian orchestra are among the highlights of the 38th Cygnet Folk Festival, from January 10-12.

The event features about 400 performers each year and draws a crowd of about 6000 to the picturesque Huon Valley town for ticketed concerts, workshops and free events.

To coincide with a nationwide Scottish music and heritage showcase, the Year of Scotland 2020, the festival’s artistic director, Erin Collins, has programmed three Scottish artists: Elephant Sessions, Brighde Chaimbeul and Siobhan Miller.

“Elephant Sessions are the big dance band, and then we have Siobhan Miller, who is also doing the Festival of Small Halls,” Collins says.

“We also have a couple of young acts who I think are really exciting. The Little Stevies are a popular young duo from NSW. We’ve also got Saije, who won the Folk Alliance Australia Youth Award this year. They are up-and-coming artists and they’re becoming very, very polished.”

Other highlights include Melbourne contemporary folk outfit The Maese (Maggie and Elsie Rigby) and The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra, from Canada.

“The orchestra is great, they’re really highly respected, worldclass performers and their mix of music is really fun. They sing in four or five different languages,” Collins says.

The festival also includes a special showcase and project called Sharing Culture Through Language and Song, featuring almost 20 indigenous artists from across Australia and overseas. These include Kutcha Edwards, Shellie Morris, Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse, John Bennett and Tasmanian Dewayne Everettsmith, among others.

“We had a record number of both Australian and other indigenous artists apply for 2020, so I applied for Australia Council funding and nearly fell off my chair when we got it,’’ Collins says. “That’s gone directly to those indigenous artists.”

The new Port Cygnet Cannery kitchen, food and drinks hub, which opened last weekend, is one of the free-access venues for people who eat and drink there at this year’s festival.

“It’s got a good program in there and we have a couple of our international artists performing short concerts there,” Collins says.

The Cygnet Folk Festival began in 1982 with a couple of interstate acts at two or three venues.

“We now program 14 venues over the weekend,’’ Collins says. “A lot of our venues are still relatively small, so it’s a very intimate festival in that people get to see their favourite performers up close and personal.”

Book tickets to the event at cygnetfolkfestival.org