Karen

Bio:

The short version:

Karen Tweed plays the accordion, melodica, does a spot of painting and also plays the bass harmonica rather badly.

If you have time to spare, pull up a chair, pour yourself a cuppa and read the full version:

Born Willesden, London 1963

Karen Tweed - first music teacher was Ken Davies who actively dissuaded her to play piano and to take up the melodica. She then made the easy transition to the piano accordion under Joe Coll, and went onto study classical music under Lawry Eady and Warren Eagle, reaching Grade 5. John Whelan (now resident in Conneticut, USA) was her most influential teacher, under whose guidance she won the first of 5 All Ireland Championships in 1977 (both on the Piano Accordion and Melodica).

She has a BA (Hons) in Graphic Design (Printmaking) and is a trained Secondary School Art teacher, as well as having taught English as a foreign language. She became a full time professional musician, after recording on Roger Wilson's debut LP 'The Palm Of Your Hand' (Harbourtown Records) in 1989; this lead to meeting Sally Barker at the Hong Kong Folk Festival and the formation of the Poozies. Tweed then joined the Kathryn Tickell Band at 2 days' notice before her first festival with them in France and is now a highly sought after performer, collaborator, composer, arranger and tutor.

To date, Tweed is featured on over 30 CDs with ensembles such as The Kathryn Tickell Band, The Poozies, SWAP, Ian Carr & Karen Tweed, The Two Duos Quartet and May Monday.... and has played sessions on recordings by Sting (UK), Morten Alfred Hoirup & Harald Haugaard (DK), Tony Hillyard (NZ) and Sally Barker (England) amongst others.

She is currently working with Timo Alakotila, May Monday, The Poozies, Christy O Leary & Bert Deivert, Roger Wilson, Sturla Eide and SWAP. New collaborations are in the pipeline, fuelled by new compositions and arrangements.

Tweed is established as one of the finest exponents of the piano accordion: her music, which moves with ease between blistering melody lines and soulful backing, has been described as 'mercurial, subtle and astounding'. Her work has taken her to Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, Egypt, Faroe, Scandinavia, Lesotho, Turkey, Japan, Northern Europe, The USA and Quebec.

May Monday, her ongoing collaboration with Timo Alakotila which combines her composing skills with cross cultural arrangements using folk, jazz and classical music ideas, led to a commission from The Sage Gateshead / PRS Foundation entitled 'The 4K Plot'. Premiered in November 2005, the performance brought together large scale images of Scots painter Keith McIntyre, the traditional dance ideas of Kerry Fletcher and the music dexterity of Tweed and composer / clarinettist Karen Wimhurst. It is an interactive piece for 'wind, sole and drawing instruments'.

Tweed is a regular piano accordion and ensemble tutor at the Irish World Academy of Music, Song and Dance, University Limerick, Ireland; a regular tutor at the BMus Degree in Folk and Traditional Music at Newcastle University / The Sage Gateshead and at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki; she is also a regular tutor at the Folkworks Annual Summer School, Durham and was the Guest Director of the Adult Summer School for 3 years. She has taught at Jay Ungar and Molly Mason's Northern Week in Ashokan, USA, Hovra Spelmanstamma in Sweden, Accordions at Witney and was the main piano accordion tutor at the Folkworks Adult Education Project in Gateshead for 2 years.

A highly respected tutor, Tweed was commissioned by TASC in Wales to set up a series of workshops and produce an explanatory guide / manual entitled 'Training The Trainers', while being on the organisational panel of 'Training In Traditions' - a project aimed at identifying the needs of training tutors in folk music.

From 2000-2002, Tweed was one of the co-directors (along with Andy Cutting and Fiona Came) of Folkbeat Derby, a community festival encompassing workshops in traditional music and dance, with evening concerts and dances.

In 2005, Tweed teamed up with Philip Freeman to launch The Seed Festival in Llandinam, Mid Wales. In 2006, TASC commissioned Tweed and John Kirkpatrick to compose 'The Severn Suite', a 30 minute work of new social dances and music, which was given to the community of Llandinam, Mid Wales. It's premiere was at the Seed Festival on June 10th 2006. August 2007 sees the launch of the notated music book and dance instructions for the Severn Suite in Llandinam Village Hall. A CD is planned for release in 2008.

In addition to her busy performance, recording and composing schedule, Tweed is launching a series of workshops entitled 'Adventures In Music' to encourage skills in observation & listening, performance, composition, arrangement and improvisation. She has now embarked on a new part time career painting and decorating young peoples' bedroom and murals.

Tweed enjoys art, walking, knitting, ironing, reading, talking, New Zealand wine, Cadbury's chocolate, Walkers crisps, St. Andre and Stilton cheeses, charity shops, Caol Ila, English cider and Perry, dancing, travelling, poetry, music and silence.

Her favourite colour changes daily as does her hair. Favourite things include cheap jewellery, gloves, slippers, cheese, feijoas, acupuncture, Mini The Minx, talking, Girls' Nights In and the sea. She has too many favourites in the following but: Music: Jacky Daly 'Music From The Sliabh Luachra Vol 1'; anything by Tin Hat Trio, Timo Alakotila or Swang; Dolly Parton; Yes; Kristina Olsen, XTC. Musicians / Composers:Timo Alakotila, Maria Kalaniemi, David Sylvian, Ivan Miletitch, William Walton, Richard Galliano, Mary Macmaster, Patsy Seddon, Tony Hall, Niall Keegan, Rodney Miller, Chris Wood, Andy Cutting, Ian Lowthian, Shostakovitch, Mozart, John Whelan, Des Hurley, Gilles Chabenat......

Singers: Sandra Joyce, David Sylvian, Carina Normansson, Kristina Olsen, June Tabor, Andy Partridge..... Writers: Edith Sitwell, Percy Bysse Shelley, William Shakespeare, John Donne, Les Barker, Penelope Evans, John Hegley, Margaret Atwood, Louis de Bernieres, Eckhart Tolle.... Food: Feijoas, Walkers Crisps and Cadburys Chocolate. Drink: Tea, port, wine, elderflower cordial...

Drawing from her background in Irish Traditional Music, she houses a wealth of musical history with a respect for other European traditions making her music accessible yet individual.

Member Since:

Members:

Hi all,

I'm having a few sunny days in Ireland, to visit Daiori Farrell and the MA students at The World Academy of Music and Dance, where I shall be hearing the final ensemble performances that I had a little bit to do with this year. It's been a busy social month.

Went to see Slum Dog Millionaire - wow! and it made me realise why I don't like money... and also why we need to live our lives because it affects our later experiences. Before I get too philosophical and tedious... let's move on!

I've been listening to Baltic Crossing, Hot Club of Cowtown, Alison Krauss, XTC (no change there then) and Beoga on CD. I went to see Jackie Oates and Reg Meuross who were stunning quite frankly - what a GREAT duo. Catch them wherever you can. And I went to hear Ellika Frisell and Emma Reid; Bruce (God) Molsky solo; Frankie Gavin/ Mike Galvin with Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill.... all stupendously good and inspiring. So much so that I'm nicking all their ideas and working on a one woman show which will be launched in the autumn. And at Eastbourne Folk Club in July (gulp). I'm getting voice training to sound like Queenie in Blackadder; donning the attire of Frankie and Mike (I do like smart men); nicking Emma and Ellika's repertoire; learning to tell jokes like Gavin (he's a rare teacher!) and donning a Martin Hayes haircut. Perfect. Oh and I'm learning a few Edith Piaf songs on the accordion..... And I'm afraid I'm serious. Tour dates tba.....

(Why do I get the impression it'll never sell.....???)

Anyway, meantime, I've been at sessions, decorating and having sunny days here and there... planning Circa Compania gigs and May Monday Quartet gigs in 2010 and a double header solo tour in the autumn with that GREAT man, Alistair Anderson.

I'm re releasing 'Shhh' - the first CD I made with Ian Carr in the autumn and having major discussions about hosting Folkbeat in Rutland....watch this space! If you'd like to join my mailing list for further details of the above, please email caroltinkle@yahoo.co.uk with 'Mailing list' in the header.

....new tune book of my compositions on the horizon and several accordion workout days in the autumn.

And I'm taking a holiday soon on the Isle of Wight to see one of my all time wonders of the world, the Tiger Sanctuary. Lots of beach walks and fun in store - and a great gig to see with beautiful harpist Lily Neil and a kora player I'm afraid I can't remember the name of. OH and I'm going to see the Dave Matthews Band too somewhere! Hoorah.

Have a sunny week.......

Love K x

MIDNIGHT MAY MONDAY CD with Timo Alakotila now available.

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