Bromyard Folk Music Festival 2025

Bromyard Folk Festival

11th-14th September 2025

Category: Sat 12:30 Concert

  • Sherburn Bartley Sanders

    Sherburn Bartley Sanders

    Sherburn Bartley Sanders are collectively and affectionately known as “The Voice of the Moors.”

    Chris (Concertina) and Denny (Vocals and Guitar) have brought their unique sound to audiences across the globe since 1993. 

    In 2016, they joined forces with Emily (Fiddle and Vocals) blending vocal harmonies and strings to their unique sound. 

    Their soulful songs, exhilarating tunes and quick-witted banter ensures no two concerts are ever the same.

    Following a chance meeting at Whitby Folk Festival in 1993, Chris Sherburn (Concertina) and Denny Bartley (Vocals and Guitar) have been bringing their unique sound to audiences across Europe and America, creating one of folk music’s most enduring partnerships. Their obvious rapport made them one of the busiest acts on the folk scene, both as a duo and with their well-loved band, Last Night’s Fun. Their soul-stirring songs, exhilarating tunes and quick-witted banter ensures that no two concerts are ever the same.

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    In 2016, Chris and Denny joined forces with Emily Sanders (fiddle/viola and vocals) and have since become a well-established trio, for the first time blending vocal harmonies, and strings to underpin Chris and Denny’s unique sound, as well as providing a female vocal for some songs, and bringing a repertoire of English folk songs to complement the bands more Celtic roots.

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    Emily was a founder member of the acclaimed trio Isambarde. She has also toured with Merrymouth (Simon Fowler, Lead Singer of Ocean Colour Scene) and regularly appears with Pete Morton and Chris Parkinson.

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    Their latest album BEGUILE is the first to feature Chris, Denny and Emily together, and also some stellar guest performances from Martin Simpson and Andy Seward (Kate Rusby Band) and mastered by Phil Beer.

    “Chris, Denny and Emily sound good, make you smile and are a great mix – a true chemistry lesson… Superb musicians of the highest order.”

    Alan Wood, The Barn at Baston

    “Sherburn, Bartley and Sanders are a joy to watch… This is what music is meant to be about.”

    Ant Miles, Downend Folk Club
  • Janice Burns & Jon Doran

    Janice Burns & Jon Doran


    Janice Burns & Jon Doran, the acclaimed Anglo-Scottish duo, have united over their mutual passion for traditional tunes and narratives that deeply explore life’s essence and our role within it. Their music, celebrated for its “clever and uncluttered musical storytelling” as noted by Songlines, flourishes through their harmonious vocals and the delicate weaving of mandolin, bouzouki, and guitar. This duo captivates audiences with arrangements that bring an enchanting simplicity and a dynamic energy, transforming ancient tales into vivid experiences for listeners.

    Their first album, “No More the Green Hills,” has received extensive acclaim, securing a spot in the Official UK Folk Chart and enjoying airplay across the UK and internationally, including on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio Scotland. R&R hailed it as “superb,” praising its “Great singing, fantastic harmonies, and very sympathetic backing.”

    Known for their engaging and down-to-earth stage presence, Janice & Jon are quickly establishing themselves as leading figures in the UK touring scene. They’ve performed at prestigious events and venues, including the Cambridge Folk Festival, Edinburgh Tradfest, Sidmouth Folk Festival, Cecil Sharp House, and Sage Gateshead.

    Their repertoire celebrates the journey of folk songs, which have historically migrated, taken root in new lands, and evolved through borrowing and adaptation. Janice & Jon delve into themes of nature, love, and loss, presenting songs that have maintained their relevance over generations.

    Adding to their accomplishments, Jon Doran was a previous winner of the Bromyard Folk Festival’s talent nurturing competition, the Future of Young Folk Award, underlining his promising future in the genre.

  • Tom McConville & Michael Biggins

    Tom McConville & Michael Biggins

    Tom McConville and Michael Biggins, both celebrated as BBC Folk Musicians of the Year in Britain and Scotland respectively, are set to perform at the Bromyard Folk Festival. Their collaboration brings together the fiddle, piano, and vocals in a union that promises an extraordinary evening. Audiences can expect a night filled with virtuosic playing and singing, all infused with Tom’s renowned humor and sense of fun, ensuring a top-class entertainment experience.

    Tom McConville, hailing from Tyneside, grew up immersed in the rich traditions of Irish and Scottish music, which have profoundly influenced his career. Known as an authority on the music of James Hill, his journey in folk music began in the vibrant scenes of Newcastle’s Irish community and has spanned over 50 years, earning him immense respect and admiration for his skill on the fiddle and his contributions to folk music. His collaborations with artists like Bob Fox, Kieron Halpin, and Pauline Cato, among others, have marked him as a world-class act celebrated for his unique blend of music, humor, and storytelling.

    Michael Biggins, a multi-instrumentalist originally from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and now based in Glasgow, brings his exceptional talent to the partnership. A recent graduate from The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the BBC Radio Scotland’s Young Traditional Musician of the Year for 2021, Michael’s versatility and skill have seen him play and tour with various groups, including TRIP and The Canny Band. With a deep commitment to teaching, Michael’s expertise extends beyond performance to nurturing the next generation of musicians, highlighting the depth of talent and dedication that both he and Tom McConville will bring to their performances at the Bromyard Folk Festival.

  • Bordewey, Young & Gittens

    Bordewey, Young & Gittens

    Three of England’s finest folk musicians playing fiddle, guitar, dobro, melodeon, concertina and bouzouki. Sit back, relax and toe tap to the eclectic mix of entertainment of the popular folk duo Dave Bordewey and Dave Young, who are joined again by guitar virtuoso Allistair Gittens.

    Dave Bordewey has been involved with folk music for more years than he cares to remember. His roots are firmly in the tradition of the British Isles, from his first folk group at university with Tim Laycock, moving on to be a resident singer at Cecil Sharp House folk club, Dingles and Camden Town folk clubs and then as multi-instrumentalist with the band Crows throughout the 1980s.

    Dave Young became interested in folk music at the age of 18, having seen a local Morris side performing outside a local pub in Surrey. The following year he joined Cup Hill Morris Men first as a dancer, and later learnt the melodeon and anglo-concertina. He also played with several barn-dance bands in the South-East of England, before moving to Malvern in 2000.

    The programme includes a mix of folk tunes and songs mainly from England but also from America and Ireland with some self penned thrown in.