Folkworks

Folkworks is a non-profit organisation based at The Sage Gateshead and a part of the North Music Trust. It runs many workshops, summer schools and festivals to promote and encourage the furtherance of folk music. It was begun in 1988 by Alistair Anderson and Ros Rigby and became part of the North Music Trust and The Sage Gateshead in 2002. As such, Folkworks no longer continues to exist as a separate entity, as it is now a part of the North Music Trust and based in The Sage Gateshead.

Folkworks was instrumental in the creation of the first BMus in Folk and Traditional Music in England which began in 2001 and still plays a part in its running at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, currently under the stewardship of acclaimed Shetland fiddler and teacher Catriona MacDonald. It was initially based in Gateshead Old Town Hall (G.O.T.H.) for three years due to the late opening of the Sage, Gateshead where it moved to in 2005. Past lecturers have included musicians Alistair Anderson, Sandra Kerr, Kathryn Tickell, Vic Gammon and Karen Tweed. Successful folk musicians who were among the first students to graduate from the degree course include Ian Stephenson, Fay Hield, Damien O'Kane, Tom Oakes, Jim Causley, Rachel McShane, Calum Stewart, Emily Portman and David Newey.

Folkworks is perhaps best known for the organisation of a series of summer schools run in Durham, usually during August. The original summer school, for musicians aged 12–25, was started in 1989 in Newcastle, and moved to Durham in 1991. Following the appointment of David Oliver as Folkworks' education director in 1993 the summer school grew in size and duration, and a second event for adults was created in 1996. The youth summer school has in previous years been held at the College of St Hild and St Bede, part of the University of Durham, and the adult summer school at a number of different venues in Durham city. As the events continued to grow, a junior summer school for musicians aged 10–13 was created in 2005. David Oliver and Alistair Anderson retired in 2009, and since 2010 the youth summer school has been headed by Folkworks' new artistic director Kathryn Tickell.

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