Rosie Calvert, Emma Durkan and Nicola Beazley make up the band Speldosa - a contemporary folk trio formed in Newcastle Upon Tyne. Playing hammer dulcimer, clarsach (Scottish harp), fiddles and vocals, the trio perform a wide variety of traditional, contemporary and self-penned material from around the world. 2014 saw the trio become New Roots finalists, in addition to performing at Sidmouth Folk Week, Whitby Folk Week, St. Alban's Folk Festival and the debut Wardle Folk Festival.
Nicola Beazley
Nicola has been playing folk music since the age of 11. With Rochdale Music Service, she has performed in folk groups as a teenager and played gigs in Belgium, Germany, and at a Celtic festival in the Czech Replublic. She studied both fiddle, flute and piano in Rochdale before completing her degree in Folk and Traditional Music at Newcastle University. Now studying for a Masters in Ethnomusicology at the University of Sheffield, Nicola has performed at many large venues and festivals as part of her duo with Alex Cumming: she has performed at many big venues including Sage Gateshead, Towersey Village Festival, and Whitby Folk Week.
Rosie Calvert
Rosie has been singing for longer than she can remember and playing the dulcimer (along with other 'weird' instruments) for the past three years. A recent graduate of the Folk and Traditional Music degree at Newcastle University, Rosie also performs in acapella quartet The Teacups and in a duo with her partner, Will Finn. Rosie has performed at many strange but wonderful venues, including a mining tunnel, a mattress factory, an 'Asian ball' and the side of a lorry, as well as internationally at the Shantyfest Bie Daip in the Netherlands and many English folk festivals including Sidmouth, Whitby, Beverly and Warwick.
|
Emma Durkan
Emma has been playing traditional music since the age of 11. As a teenager, she was part of traditional music groups in her home town of Ayrshire and played gigs in Sweden, Spain, France and Slovenia as part of those groups. She studied both fiddle and clarsach at the RCS (previously RSAMD) Junior Academy in Glasgow for 4 years. Emma has now completed her degree in Folk and Traditional Music at Newcastle University and as part of the duo Caleb Major, she has performed at many big venues including King Tuts in Glasgow and the Cavern Club in Liverpool.