Culture

Queen's Medal awarded to pipes player

by LotusFlower | January 17, 2009 at 04:00 pm

460 views | 24 Recommendations | 8 comments

Kathryn Tickell plays the Northumbrian pipes.

It's a brave teenager who after picking the pipes up at age nine doesn't move on to pop and rock but dedicates herself to traditional folk music but that's what Tickell did and now she is to be awarded the Queen's Medal for Music.

At thirteen Tickell had released her first album 'On Kielderside' an album of traditional Northumbrian tunes. She soon extended her range and that of the pipes themselves by starting to compose her own music with the album Borderlands, and she in many ways saved the Northumbrian Small Pipes from extinction with her albums and particularly her live tours that have taken her all over the globe.

Tickell has moved the pipes and English folk music from the fringes and pub back rooms (where you can still occasionally find her if you're lucky) into the mainstream becoming the first traditional folk musician to be featured at The Last Night of the Proms and playing with many stars from many genres including Penguin Café Orchestra, The Chieftains, Beth Nielsen-Chapman, Jimmy Nail, Linda Thompson, Alan Parsons, and Andy Sheppard

Tickell also plays the violin but it is the Northumbrian pipes and the traditional tunes from Northumbria where she grew up that frame her repertoire and make her contribution to British and world music so important.

Kathryn Tickell MySpace

A globally acclaimed folk artist from Northumberland is to be given a prestigious music award.

Kathryn Tickell, who plays the Northumbrian pipes and violin, is to be awarded the Queen's Medal for Music.

The annual award, approved by the Queen, is presented to musicians judged to have had a major influence on the musical life of the nation.

The 41-year-old will be presented with the Medal in a private audience with the Queen later this year.

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Amy Judd

at 16:40 on January 17th, 2009

Wow, that's a cool instrument!

LotusFlower

at 16:58 on January 17th, 2009

one of the oldest english instruments - the longest played one i hear - and this artist is a genius on these pipes

rpshen

at 10:27 on January 18th, 2009

What a brilliant woman! Thanks for sharing this story with us Lotusflower.

Martin F

at 11:17 on January 18th, 2009

My photo was taken at the 2005 Cambridge Folk Festival.

Martin F has contributed a photo to this story.

LotusFlower

at 11:48 on January 18th, 2009

The Cambridge FF - an institution! Thanks!

Rusby

at 11:22 on January 18th, 2009

Kathryn and her band came to Aberystwyth Arts Centre on Halloween and treated us all to an evening of lovely music. Her beautiful Northumbrian tunes and descriptions of her home conjoured vivid images and allowed us into the heart of her music. My girlfriend and I were near the front and, with a nice bottle of wine to aid us, had a great time. We thank her for her music, think she is well deserving of a medal and look foreward to seeing her in the future. The photos included are by myself, Matt Rusby.

Rusby has contributed a photo to this story.