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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]
| 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 |
History
editThe 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
editThe 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
editThe 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
editIn 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
edit- Planet Ulster (2001)
- Endangered Species (2002)
- Bringin It Thegither (2003)[3]
- Somme (2006)
References
edit- ^ "Tha Airts o Airisch an Ulstèr-Scotch"; Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
- ^ "Ulster-Scots folk evening". belfasttelegraph.co.uk. 20 May 2004. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Folk group launches new CD". belfasttelegraph.co.uk. 5 December 2003. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
- ^ "Boys o Soorhill". qub.ac.uk.
External links
edit- Willie Drennan - director of the Ulster Scots Folk Orchestra and other folk bands from 2001 to 2009.
