Cambridge Folk Festival sets up new prize to support developing young talent and help new musicians embarking on their careers. Judges included Festival Manager Rebecca Stewart, Marketing Director David O’Hara, Vicki Raphael, The Den programmer Phil Pethybridge, Development Manager Tom Shallaker, Adrian Cooke from the Arts Council and music PR specialist, Richard Wootton.
This year’s winning act is Sheffield based duo, Kate Griffin and Ford Collier. The duo will be the recipient of of £100 each month for a year towards the travel and marketing costs of touring, as well as time in a rehearsal space or recording studio. They are also guaranteed a Showcase spot in the Club Tent.
Marketing Director David O’Hara comments: ‘We were really impressed with Kate’s musicianship; she’s a very talented banjo player – the instrument virtually an extension of her! She and Ford played well as a duo and their raw potential was clear to us all. It’s very exciting to be able to help realise that potential, which is what the Christian Raphael Prize is all about.’
Vicki Raphael said: ‘Founding this emerging talent prize gives us great pleasure and a valued opportunity for Christian to be involved in a life long interest at a new and exciting level. We hope to continue building on our initiative in partnership with others over the coming years.But firstly we look forward to hearing more of Kate Griffin and Ford Collier’s stunning music!’
Kate said about the win: ‘It was enough of a surprise when I found out Ford and I were playing at Cambridge- it’s a great festival and we’ve wanted to play there for a while. We never would have expected to win a prize on top of that! We’re still deciding whether to use the money for a professional rehearsal space or to go towards recording our first album early next year. It’s going to be a big help whichever way and we can’t wait to come back to Cambridge and play the Club Stage next year!’
Cambridge Folk Festival 2019 will take place between 1st and 4th August.
