May Monday & Friends

May Monday began its life with a meeting at Halkær Kro Festival in Denmark in 1998, and this year they’re marking their 25th anniversary with a tour of Ireland, Scotland, and Orkney. This gig will be coming to you from a beautiful living room in the parish of Orphir, one of the largest parishes in the Orkney mainland, overlooking the spectacular Scapa Flow and gorgeous views of Hoy.

What makes Karen Tweed (piano accordion) and Timo Alakotila (piano) so special is their ability to marry their differing musical roots and styles exquisitely – reels and polskas weave effortlessly between tangos and airs, which are beautifully crafted to present timeless extraordinary music. Both are superb teachers and composers in their own right.

Timo has written and performed music at the 2019 UK BBC Proms, while his larger orchestral pieces have been premiered as far afield as Australia. His commission featuring Catriona McKay (harp) and Chris Stout (fiddle) was premiered in London in June 2024 and he teaches at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. He is in high demand internationally for workshops, recordings, composers’ symposiums and as a CD producer. A prolific composer and arranger, Timo also runs marathons in his spare time!

Karen was invited to teach on a composers’ symposium in Denmark in August 2019 and her ‘visitors’ piece for accordion, bassoon, French horn, voice and percussion was premiered at the St Magnus Festival in 2021. She was the Musical Director for Parrabbola Community Theatre Company’s play about The Chartists and she has played on over 70 CD recordings. She also teaches regularly at The World Academy of Music and Dance at Limerick University. In 2021, she was invited to make a video for the Siamsa Theatre Company in Ireland to showcase her many facets and the video (alongside videos from other internationally acclaimed musicians and singers) was part of a touring scheme around Ireland. She has been a guest director of Folkworks Summer School, co-directed Folk Beat Derby for 3 years and is now in demand for her graphic illustration skills. She intends to use Orkney as a base of creative excellence, and livestream her many projects and ideas to the world.

May Monday’s music has always celebrated the traditions they love, found in Scandinavia, Britain and Ireland. Based in Orkney and Helsinki respectively, Karen and Timo are always open to including new music they collect from contemporary folk composers far and wide, as well as peppering their performances with their own compositions. Joining Karen Tweed (piano accordion) and Timo Alakotila (piano) for this special performance are Marion Göbel (cello), Ursula Leveaux (bassoon), Douglas Montgomery (fiddle), broken david (David McNeish – vocals, guitar, piano, poems, stories & James Groat – guitars, banjo, mandolin), and comperes Fiona Talkington (BBC Radio 3) & Cameron Stout (BBC Radio Orkney).

About the Gig

This event will be held live on Zoom, with a remote sound engineer for high-quality sound. Our gigs allow interaction between artists and audiences, so the artist can hear you applaud and you can even have the chance to ask them any burning questions.

Tickets are £18, with the option to pay a bit less (£12) or a bit more (£30) depending on what is affordable for you. You only need one ticket per household.

For more info and tickets, visit the link below.