The Hub Band

 

Hub Band Project Co-Ordinator: Folk singer and songwriter Rosie Hood has been co-ordinating The Hub Band project since 2015 having taken over the reigns from Bella Hardy. Rosie is known for her strong, pure voice and enchanting solo performances as well as being one third of The Dovetail Trio. A BBC Performing Arts Fellow in 2015 and a 2016 Horizon Award nominee, Rosie has taught at folk festivals around the country along with delivering music workshops in care homes and SEN schools. 2017 saw Rosie release her first full-length solo album The Beautiful & The Actual, a collection of old and new folk songs, described by The Guardian as “a classy arrival” ****.

 

Hub Area Co-Ordinator: Nicola is one half of an award winning Fiddle and Accordion duo Alex Cumming & Nicola Beazley. The transatlantic duo have performed at clubs and festivals up and down the country, with tours in America and Canada. Their latest album 'Across The Water' is on release now. Nicola is also an experienced instrumental teacher and workshop leader, running instrumental workshops and community folk bands in Sheffield and across the country at many of the top festivals. Nicola is studying for a PhD researching English contemporary folk music traditions and creativity and change.

 

Tutors:

Archie Churchill-Moss (lead tutor)

Widely regarded as one of the best players of English traditional music, Archie has worked as a session musician for some of the UK's top folk acts (Cara Dillon, Eliza Carthy, Blair Dunlop, Jim Moray) and producers (Andy Bell, Ed Harcourt), as well as performing with the trio, 'Moore, Moss, Rutter' - the outfit which saw him receive the coveted BBC radio 2 folk award in 2011.
The past two years have seen Archie tour extensively across western Europe and perform at some of Europe's top music festivals, including headline slots at 'Colours of Ostrava (Czech Republic), Tønder festival (Denmark), Cropredy Convention (UK) and Cambridge folk festival (UK).
With a contemporary approach to composition and arrangement, Archie has developed a style of playing that draws as much influence from the tradition as it does modern popular music. He is currently seen to perform with: 'Tom Moore & Archie Moss', 'Sam Kelly & the Lost Boys' and 'False Lights'. His engaging teaching style comes from a wealth of experience in his position as senior lecturer in 'folk music' at Leeds College of Music and teaching on the National Youth Folk Ensemble.

Dave Malkin

Dave Malkin is a composer, guitarist and producer based between London and Oslo, with a background in English traditional music, working predominantly in music for television and film. Recent credits include orchestration of Alexander Parson’s scores for documentaries The Man Who Stole The Scream (Sky Documentaries), Who Killed Jill Dando? (Netflix) and BAFTA-nominated Black Power: A British Story of Resistance (BBC). As a guitarist he has contributed to soundtracks for numerous productions including Dev Patel's recently released directorial debut, Monkey Man and Grayson’s Art Club (Channel 4). In 2023 he was nominated in the Best Composer category at Greenwich Film Festival, and selected to become a BAFTA Connect member.
Alongside John Dipper and his 14-string viola d’amore he is one half of Dipper Malkin, reimagining the traditional music of England. The duo was born out of a shared appreciation for the gloriously idiosyncratic vernacular music of previous generations. Their debut album was included in The Sunday Times ‘Best 100 Albums of 2017’.
In 2023 he began working with guitarist Louis Campbell (Owen Spafford & Louis Campbell). Their debut record, Bird On A Briar, is a sophisticated exploration of the role of the guitar in English traditional music, journeying through melodies from the aural tradition and centuries-old manuscripts, reclaiming arrangements from the time of the first English Folk Song revival and the English Pastoral School, and celebrating the often ignored but fascinating musical quirks of England, all through a thoroughly contemporary lens.

Kate Griffin

Kate Griffin is a leading clawhammer banjo player, singer and composer on the UK folk and world scene. Described as “one of the top banjo players in the country” by virtuoso Dan Walsh, her innovative banjo style combines both traditional UK and American folk, whilst also placing the banjo in a contemporary global setting. Kate has worked as a performer and composer over the last 7 years, touring internationally with her band Mishra, collaborating with Indian classical vocalist Deepa Shakthi, whilst performing with other projects including The Magpies, theatre company Pif-Paf, and the CBeebies Christmas Panto 2023. Kate is releasing the debut album for her latest project this year, in which she collaborates with Mozambican timbila master Matchume Zango. This summer, Kate has co-composed music inspired by the musical worlds of Yorkshire and India for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s production of The Secret Garden.

Grace Smith

Grace Smith is a fiddle and viola player. Her band, the Grace Smith Trio, released their debut album Overleaf in Autumn 2023 which has had a great critical reception. In their review of Overleaf, Folk Radio UK said; “If you’re looking for the exciting future of instrumental folk music, you need search no further.”

She is also part of French-inspired dance band, Cri du Canard, and since spring 2022, Grace has been playing fiddle with Katie Doherty & the Navigators, including performances at Sage Gateshead, Festival on the Edge, and Warwick Folk Festival. Between 2015 and 2022, Grace performed at festivals and venues across Europe with Monster Ceilidh Band, including Rudolstadt Festival (Germany), Festival des Traversées Tatihou (France), Kendal Calling, Wilderness, and Green Man Festival (UK) and a live performance on BBC Radio 3 in 2017.

Grace is a dedicated music educator and is in high demand as a tutor. She is the Musical Director for the 2024 Folkworks Summer School, and has taught for many organisations including National Youth Folk Ensemble, Newcastle University and Fosbrook Folk Education Trust.