A fascinating morning of expert discussion and creative writing inspired by the idea of North, and the music of Helen Grime and Gavin Higgins that brings it to life.

… I come
From a land of poems trudged across the fells
Like coffins … (Katie Hale, from Offcomer)

In a special conversation chaired by Northumbria University historian Professor Julian Wright, Gavin Higgins will be joined by artists including poet Katrina Porteous and singer Claire Booth to discuss the way words and music have come together in this new song book, and to continue the conversation about our contemporary sense of northern-ness and the notions of living at the margins.

In Gavin Higgins’ new work Speak of the North, poetry and music are woven with the sound of the folk violin – the Hardanger fiddle which once inspired the Norwegian composer Grieg in his exploration of the sound world of historic Norway. Inspired by the way Grieg deepened his appreciation of landscape and history through folk resonance, Claire Booth and Christopher Glynn asked Gavin to develop a new English song book, one that resonates in its own folk-inspired sound world, seeking out the rhythm and beauty of a contemporary English north and bringing that to life in words and music.

With its beautifully curated selection of contemporary poetry, the song book explores “northern-ness” as we might find it at the borders of England, in the derelict farms or mines of the Pennines, or the lonely heart of northern towns. This is a world where our minds are drawn to the border, to places where our own solitariness aches for space and music.

Claire Booth soprano
Gavin Higgins composer
Katrina Porteous poet
Prof Julian Wright historian