May 2025

A wonderful evening concert of folk music.

We are delighted that the tutors of the Halsway DG Melodeon Weekend will be treating us to a wonderful evening concert of folk music. Hailed the smiliest man in folk by Radio 2’s Mark Radcliffe, Dave Gray is an enthusiastic and experienced melodeon player and educator. A graduate of the Newcastle University Folk and Traditional Music degree, he began working on the multi-award winning musical ‘Beyond the End of the Road’ in 2018, and has been performing with Katie Doherty ever since, alongside fellow Navigator Grace Smith. Dave is also one third of French dance band ‘Cri du Canard’. In addition to regular private teaching he continues to work as a mentor for Ethno music camps, the international programme for young musicians playing folk, world and traditional music. He has taught on the EFDSS National Youth Folk Ensemble and Sage Gateshead’s Folkworks Summer Schools. Hazel Askew is one of the country’s leading melodeon players and is one of the most experienced melodeon teachers in the UK. She developed the melodeon courses for EFDSS’s Saturday Folk Music School, which she still leads, and has run courses/workshops for many organisations including FolkWorks at The Sage Gateshead, Melodeons & More, Halsway Manor, Adderbury Music Weekends and various festivals across the country. Hazel also teaches freelance workshops and one to one lessons, and has even taught long-distance over Skype! Hazel’s photo is by Elly Lucas. Mel Biggs is a musician, performer and melodeon teacher based in Derbyshire, England. Renowned the world over for her