As was the case last August, American, Canadian, Irish and Scottish artists will be featured in what Cheryl Prashker, the festival’s artistic director and general manager envisions will be “a magical online experience.” There will be interviews and music from The Bookends, Dave Curley, The Ennis Sisters,Daoirí Farrell, Fàrsan, Emily Flack, The Gilberts, Jane & Kyle, Seán Keane, Mélissandre Tremblay-Bourassa & Alexis Chartrand, Dave Woods, and Ryan Young.

An Emerging Artist Showcase with Acts from Around the World to Debut

For the first time, the festival also will include an emerging artist showcase named for festival founders Eleanor and Warren Robinson and featuring 10 artists/acts from around the world.
Participating in the inaugural Robinson Emerging Artist Showcase are 3 on the Bund (Ireland), Clíodhna Ní Aodáin (Ireland/Switzerland), Daridel (Italy), Harmundi (Brazil), Isla Ratcliff (Scotland), Kinnfolk (USA), Michael Darcy & The Atlantic Tramps (Canada), Miguel Girão (Portugal), Mosquera Celtic Band (Spain), and O’Jizo (Japan). The online audience will help select two who will be invited back to play the festival’s main stage in 2022 and will be mentored monthly throughout the year leading up to it. They will also be invited to participate in virtual artist development workshops and the weeklong Celtic College preceding next year’s festival as they seek to advance their musical careers.

“It has been a dream of mine to bring such a showcase to Goderich since this festival and the college have always been about showcasing young talent,” Prashker told AcousticMusicScene.com. She cited the long-running Grassy Hill Emerging Artist Showcase at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in upstate New York as the inspiration behind it and expressed thanks to Michael Patrick Farrell from Toronto-based Dolmen Entertainment Group “who had a great deal to do with helping put this together.”

In all, nearly eight hours of pre-recorded music made especially for the festival will be viewable via the festival’s website (CelticFestival.ca), as well as its Facebook page (https://facebook.com/goderichceltic).

From its humble beginnings as one-time memorial concert in 1993, the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival is now the oldest pan-Celtic festival in North America. In addition to a three-day outdoor festival showcasing some of the world’s best Celtic musicians, dancers and artists, it has grown/evolved to include a weeklong Celtic College and a Celtic Kids Camp, as well as a series of rural outreach mini-concerts.

A Series of ‘Conversations with ..”-Style Online workshops Precede the Virtual Festival

“During the week prior to the virtual festival, which would have been our Celtic College week, we are offering six different 90-minute workshops, which are more like ‘Conversations with …’,” said Prashker. These ticketed events will take place via Zoom – Monday, Aug. 2 – Thursday, Aug. 5 — and all proceeds will go directly to the artists leading them. With the exception of a knot-work drawing workshop led by David Rankine — which will follow a more hands-on, step-by-step instructional format — instructors will generally spend the first 50 minutes or so sharing music and information about their areas of expertise, while engaging in Q & A and discussion with workshop participants for the last 40 minutes or so.

The Goderich Celtic Roots Festival –- whose physical location is surrounded by the Irish and Scottish heritage reflected in the nearby communities of Belfast, Dublin, Kincardine, Lucknow and Seaforth — was founded on the spirit of community and connecting people with Celtic roots and exploring new Celtic expressions. It generally features more than 60 hours of live musical performances by dozens of artists and acts on five stages, ranging from small intimate ones to a high-powered main stage.

Prashker -– who is also part of the Celtic roots group RUNA and a ‘percussionist to the folkies’ — noted that when she assumed her position with the festival three years ago it was her “secret hope to put the beautiful small town of Goderich on the world map … and now it will again be on the world stage virtually.” As in 2020, she noted that “Although the musicians will have pre-recorded music especially for us, the hosts, will be live all weekend long — and each musician will be Zooming in before their slot happens so we can all interact with the audiences watching.” Prashker, who first taught at the Celtic College and played the festival with RUNA in 2011, expressed hope that the virtual festival experience will give viewers a small glimpse of the spirit and beauty of Goderich that drew her there.

British Columbia-based folk duo Pharis & Jason Romero, who had topped the list of nominees with six nominations for their album, Bet On Love, won both Ensemble and Vocal Group of the Year, while Pharis was named Traditional Singer of the Year. William Prince, a storytelling country-folk singer-songwriter from Peguis First Nation, who had received five nods for Reliever, won Contemporary Album of the Year and was named English Songwriter of the Year. Beòlach– a band known for both its original compositions and innovative arrangements of traditional Cape Breton, Scottish and Irish tunes — was named the winner in both the categories for which it was nominated – Instrumental Group and Traditional Album of the Year. They were among 100 nominees from throughout Canada who vied for awards in 19 categories, plus the Unsung Hero Award.

[Here’s a link to view a CBC Music video of concert featuring the songs from William Prince’s Reliever album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7rkKq6FoRw.]

Like last year, the awards celebration was to have taken place in-person in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, but was streamed online instead due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Observing social distancing protocols, Benoit Bourque and Jean Hewson co-hosted the bilingual event from 1,600 miles apart. Each of the award recipients shared short recorded acceptance remarks, while the awards extravaganza was punctuated by pre-recorded performances by some of the nominees.

A two-stage jury process featuring 100 jurors based across Canada and representing all official provinces, territories and languages determined the official recipients in each of 19 categories.

The Canadian Folk Music Awards were established in 2005 to bring greater exposure to the breadth and depth of Canadian folk music, celebrating and promoting it in all its forms. The annual presentation of awards caps a few days of artist showcases.

A complete list of 2021 CFMA nominees follows, while more information may be found online at https://folkawards.ca.

Contemporary Album of the Year: Reliever by William Prince

Contemporary Singer of the Year: Coco Love Alcorn for Rebirth

Traditional Album of the Year: All Hands by Beòlach

Traditional Singer of the Year: Pharis Romero for Bet On Love

Solo Artist of the Year: Julian Taylor for The Ridge

Single of the Year: “Some Kind of Hell” by Burnstick (Producers: Jason & Nadia Burnstick)

English Songwriter(s) of the Year: William Prince for Reliever

French Songwriter(s) of the Year: Marie-Ève Lapierre-Lemoyne for Onze

Indigenous Songwriter(s) of the Year: Leela Gilday for North Star Calling

Ensemble of the Year: Pharis & Jason Romero for Bet On Love

Instrumental Group of the Year: Beòlach for All Hands

Instrumental Solo Artist of the Year: Marc Atkinson for Solo

Vocal Group of the Year: Pharis & Jason Romero for Bet On Love

New/Emerging Artist(s) of the Year: Noah Derksen for America, Dreaming

Young Performer(s) of the Year: The Gilberts for The Gilberts: One

Children’s Album of the Year: Broccoli Farm by Claire Ness

World Album of the Year: Kora flamenca by Zal Sissokho

Producer(s) of the Year: Chris McKhool & John ‘Beetle’ Bailey for Refuge (Sultans of String)

Oliver Schroer Pushing the Boundaries Award:Aerialists for Dear Sienna