Past Times: Playing at Folk Music Society
From The Shetland Times, Friday 3rd October, 1958
Playing at Folk Music Society
Two young men from Shetland will appear before a big crowd in the Royal Festival Hall in London on Sunday-week.
They are Willie Hunter and Willie Johnson, both of Lerwick, who have accepted an invitation to appear at a Sunday evening concert which follows the English Folk Dance and Song Society’s three-day festival.
The English contribution to the concert will be selected from the winning entries in the festival, but the other artistes from all parts of Britain are appearing by invitation.
Mr Hunter will be the only fiddler from north of the border to appear in the show, and Mr Johnson will accompany him in a selection of sprightly Shetland tunes, a slow air, and Scottish strathspeys and reels. They will be on the stage for six minutes.
The Society were recommended to invite the two Willies by Mr Pat Shuldham-Shaw, an enthusiastic member of the society, who has visited Shetland on several occasions to collect folk music and songs.
They are to stay on in London for about a week after the concert, and expect to appear at other functions organised by the society.
It is not known whether any member of the Royal family will attend the concert, but it is noteworthy that Princess Margaret is the society’s patron. The president of the society until his recent death was Mr Vaughan Williams.
