The Singers

Ballads do not exist happily on the pages of books. They are fluid and contain tales which can be created and recreated. No ballad event can be successful without singing, and we are very lucky to have a number of excellent traditional singers, whose singing and recitations make each event unique. 

Henry Douglas –

We were delighted that Henry could take part in Reiving and Bereaving. He has decades of experience, awards and acclaim under his belt, but was still willing to tackle The Fray of Suport for us.

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Naomi Harvey –

While she is a singer predominantly of Gaelic song, Naomi jumped at the chance to learn some ballads for this event, and  did great justice to Johnie Armstrang and Jamie Telfer of the Fair Dodhead.

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Kathy Hobkirk –
Like our other Border singers, Kathy is well-known to many interested in traditional music and culture. Her caring and sensitive approach to some of the most tragic of ballads always brings any audience with her, and her contribution to Reiving and Bereaving

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Elsa le Maître –
Elsa lives close to the Dowie Dens, and she has been singing the ballad for years, so who else could we ask to sing the ballad in the event! Like our other singers, has an empathy with the characters and incidents within the ballad tales which makes the difference between a good performance and a great one.