Details of the programme for Tenterden Folk Festival are now being finalised and this year's guest list is even more exciting than usual.

Mamaliga are a duo comprising Lindsay Aitkenhead on viola, vocals and percussion and Lucy Castle on violin and vocals. Lindsay is classically trained at the College of Ripon and York St. John and Sheffield University, She discovered Bartok and the music of Eastern Europe as a teenager and Klezmer as an adult. She was Musical Director of Tashbain, the storytelling and Klezmer band from 1998-2001 and is now researching the role of the viola in folk music and exploring the rich possibilities of this instrument. Lucy is also classically trained at Chetham's School of Music, City University and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. She researched traditional fiddle music in Romania from 1992 to the present, spending some long periods living in Maramures, and is now exploring ways of integrating and developing these experiences in a performance context.

Together they are Mamaliga. Their repertoire is taken from various European traditions, focussing particularly on Klezmer and Romanian tunes and songs. Warm, intimate, exciting music, ranging from wild, fiery dances to heartbreaking laments, the distinctive, unusual combination of the large and small fiddles creates a sound which just has to be heard. Mamaliga take a truly professional approach to crafting an intensely enjoyable experience for their audience. Mamaliga will be playing at the festival in various venues over the weekend including the William Caxton and The White Lion where they will be joining Altemet from Holland for a session of European folk music on Sunday.

Life and Times are a duo from Bedfordshire and will be making their first appearance at the Festival. Graeme Meek and Barry Goodman are well known on the folk scene having been involved in various groups, folk clubs and other activities since the early 1970's. They have been resident performers at Hitchin Folk Club for a number of years. Amongst other things, Graeme has presented a radio show and Barry has been a member of several dance sides but they have always found time to work with Life and Times. Graeme plays guitar and Barry plays melodeon and concertina and they both provide the vocals. Besides their club repertoire Life and Times specialise in what they call "Broadsides revisited" and have completed various projects including a radio programme entitled "Shropshire Iron" and an album "Strawplait and Bonelace". We hope that they will be presenting one of their special showcases at the Festival as well as taking part in the sing-a-rounds.

Full details of the Festival line up can now be found on the web at www.folkspots.btinternet.co.uk.

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