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Freedom to Roam: the Rhythms of Migration With Catrin Finch and Kuljit Bhamra

Part of Folk & Roots

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Catrin Finch Harp, piano
Kuljit Bhamra Tabla, electronic tanpura
Robert Irvine Cello
Eliza Marshall Flutes, whistles, bansuris
Dónal Rogers Bass, guitars, piano, percussion, vocals
Jackie Shave Violin, piano

“Full of exciting potential…beautiful”
The Guardian

“It was GREAT!”
Petroc Trelawny, BBC Radio 3

A world-class musical lineup presenting “a totally mesmeric… experience of transcendent quality, in which African, Celtic and Indian influences coalesce as classical fuses with folk, with just a hint of electronic” [Folk Radio UK].

Leader of the Freedom To Roam project, flautist Eliza Marshall, is joined by album co-writers Catrin Finch, Jackie Shave and Dónal Rogers plus special guests including Kuljit Bhamra MBE and Robert Irvine.

With a backdrop of a stunning bespoke video by acclaimed video designer Amelia Kosminsky, they will play the entire Freedom To Roam album after a screening of the accompanying documentary by multi-award-winning director Nicholas Jones (A Greenlander, You Are Here). The project was inspired by a desire for universal compassion and respect for nature and the realisation that we are nature, and that which affects one of us affects all of us.

“A cinematic soundtrack to the major issue of the decade”
Irish Music Magazine

Eliza Marshall has spearheaded this humanitarian and environmental project, first conceived of during a visit to the Inner Hebrides in 2018. The result is a beautifully crafted journey in music and film through universal responses to our own and the planet’s most pressing needs. Traversing themes such as climate change, conflict, restriction, empathy, what it actually means to be displaced with no choice, this project searches for hope and a positive way forward to cherish this, our beautiful planet Earth.

“Once in a while there comes along an album, or a piece of music, that grabs you by the heart and simply refuses to let go.”
FATEA

Championed by Virginia Mckenna, the resultant work of widescreen, world music fuses folk with classical via Africa, Scotland and India, crossing illusory borders, telling untold stories whilst simultaneously challenging us to see the world with new, and more hopeful, eyes.

An acclaimed and much in demand musician who has worked with Peter Gabriel, Sir Paul McCartney, The Divine Comedy and sarod guru Amjad Ali Khan – Eliza has a love for crossing musical boundaries. The poignancy of her vision for Freedom To Roam found new focus during the pandemic and it was eventually written and recorded at Rockfield Studios.

“An important and thought-provoking journey with some of the world’s top musicians”
Virginia McKenna

“A heartwarming project, bringing together superb, cross-genre musicians to remind us of the beauty, and fragility, of our planet”
Sarah Kirkup, Deputy Editor, Gramophone

“Stunning”
James Fagan

“A drink from this global watering hole will leave you enriched, enlightened and, hopefully, a more altruistic, compassionate being”
FRUK

From the artists:

“This creative project approaches the interconnected challenges of climate change, environmental destruction and human displacement within the context of our needs for freedom, empathy and hopefulness.”
Eliza Marshall

“I was inspired by the themes of openness and freedom at the heart of this project and to work with these wonderful musicians”
Catrin Finch

“I’m very excited by this project and what it is asking us about freedom. What is freedom? What does it mean to be free? It’s an important question. The music that Eliza has put together will inspire people to look deeply at that question”
Kuljit Bhamra MBE

“​​I was driven to write these tracks because of the ever-increasing plight of displaced people, refugees, and asylum seekers, and the lack of compassion they so often experience in so-called ‘civilised‘ countries. After being forced to leave their homelands in extreme and horrendous situations, whether it be from war, famine, or climate extremes, we must ask ‘what would we wish for ourselves, our friends, and our children in their situation?’. I hope this music reinforces the fact that we are a global family and inextricably connected.”
Jackie Shave

“The themes of home and the urge or need to leave it have always intrigued me. I wanted to explore this migration of both humanity and the natural world to which we all belong. With changes to the earth’s climate, we know that that which affects one of us affects all of us.”
Dónal Rogers

Pre-event Food & Drink

Enjoy delicious drinks and light bites from our Café Bar ahead of the event.

Available to pre-order when booking your tickets, you can choose from a selection of house drinks on arrival, accompanied by a board of bread, olives and dips (all Vegetarian). Just select which option – for one or two people – you would like, before checkout.

Your pre-ordered food and drink will be available to collect from the Café Bar from 60 minutes before the event. It’s the perfect way to begin your event experience at St George’s!