Ulster-Scots Folk Orchestra

Ulster-Scots Folk Orchestra
Performing for Northern Ireland Hospice at Ballyrashane War Memorial Orange Hall, County Antrim
Native name	Ulstèr-Scotch Fowk Orchéstrà
Short name	USFO
Founded	2000

The Ulster-Scots Folk Orchestra (Ulster-Scots: Ulstèr-Scotch Fowk Orchéstrà, USFO)^[1] is a Northern Irish band of musicians who perform music from the Ulster-Scots tradition. Formed in 2000,^[2] the USFO are part of a revival of interest in Ulster Scots dialect and culture that developed during the 1990s. They are involved in community music-making, including gospel-singing, fiddling, piping, flute and accordion bands, drumming and fifing.^{[citation needed]}

History

The Ulster-Scots Folk Orchestra had its roots in Fowkgates (Ulster-Scots for "culture"), an artists' collective which was founded by Willie Drennan in 1999 to promote the Ulster-Scots tradition. A number of recordings were issued by Fowkgates in 1999, and the orchestra was formed in October 2000 and they held a concert in the Ulster Hall in early 2001. In the spring of the same year, they travelled to Atlanta to perform at a Scotch-Irish Symposium at Emory University. ^{[citation needed]}

Following their return to Ireland, they took part in an ethnomusicological workshop at the Irish World Music Centre at the University of Limerick in June 2001.^{[citation needed]}

The USFO brought out their first album, Planet Ulster, later in 2001. A second album, Endangered Species, was released the following year.^{[citation needed]} A further album, Bringin It Thegither, was released in late 2003.^[3] A fourth album, Somme, was released in 2006 to coincide with the 90th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.^{[citation needed]}

As the orchestra developed, it grew into a network of musicians, who come together in different combinations for different occasions.^{[citation needed]} Although the name "orchestra" was deliberately chosen to suggest the size and diversity of instruments involved, the USFO operates as a loosely coordinated network of creative individuals, rather than in the structured and hierarchical manner of a classical orchestra.^{[citation needed]}

A breakaway group, the "Ulster Scots eXperience", was formed in July 2005.^{[citation needed]}

Live

The USFO has performed at small community halls, outdoor festivals, and venues such as the Ulster Hall and Waterfront Hall where they were part of an Ulster-Scots programme for the BBC in 2004.^{[citation needed]} They have also performed in Scotland, England, Ireland and the United States. Performances had covered material from Ulster-Scots language recitation and unaccompanied songs to contemporary songs accompanied by guitar and other instruments, to drum and fife tunes from both Orange and Hibernian sources.^{[citation needed]} The USFO have also undertaken workshops at schools, community centres and festivals.^{[citation needed]}

Influences

The USFO were inspired by The Boys o Soorhill, a group of local traditional musicians active in the 1970s and 1980s. The album Endangered Species was dedicated to The Boys o Soorhill.^[4]

USFO Youth Project

In 2004, the USFO Youth Project was initiated with the purpose of bringing young talent into the group. The association meets regularly for informal rehearsals in a loft in a farm near Ballymena.^{[citation needed]}

Discography

• Planet Ulster (2001)
• Endangered Species (2002)
• Bringin It Thegither (2003)^[3]
• Somme (2006)

References

1. "Tha Airts o Airisch an Ulstèr-Scotch"; Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
2. "Ulster-Scots folk evening". belfasttelegraph.co.uk. 20 May 2004. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
3. "Folk group launches new CD". belfasttelegraph.co.uk. 5 December 2003. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
4. "Boys o Soorhill". qub.ac.uk.

External links

• Willie Drennan - director of the Ulster Scots Folk Orchestra and other folk bands from 2001 to 2009.