Folkworks Summer Sessions 2026 - Tutor Biographies
Folkworks Summer Sessions are about the people who come together to make the music and we’re really excited to introduce the tutor team for 2026.
Led by Musical Director Dave Gray, this year’s tutors are a brilliant mix of folk musicians, songwriters and instrumentalists who love sharing music and creating space for people to learn together. Across the three days, participants will learn tunes and songs, play in mixed groups, explore different styles and approaches, and enjoy making music in a relaxed, welcoming environment.
Whether folk music is already your thing or you’re coming to it from another musical background, the Summer Sessions are designed to be collaborative, supportive and inspiring, with plenty of chances to connect with other musicians along the way.
Scroll down to meet the tutor team and find out more about each of them and their musical journeys.
For full details about dates, what to expect and how to apply, head to the Folkworks Summer Sessions 2026 page.
Archie Churchill-Moss
Archie Churchill-Moss is an acclaimed diatonic button accordion player, composer and educator, known for his innovative approach to folk music. A pioneer in combining traditional folk with live electronics, Archie blends classic idioms with contemporary composition, creating distinctive sound worlds that have received regular airplay on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 3.
As a session musician, Archie has worked with a wide range of leading artists including Seth Lakeman, Sam Sweeney, Cara Dillon, Jim Moray, Eliza Carthy, Sam Kelly and Sam Carter. Beyond the folk world, his collaborations include projects with Sir Bryn Terfel, Sting and Fisherman’s Friends, with appearances across BBC, S4C and Channel 4.
Alongside his performing career, Archie is a committed and inspiring educator. He is a Principal Lecturer at Leeds Conservatoire and also teaches on the master’s programme at the University of Limerick, supporting musicians to develop their own voices within the folk tradition.
Dave Gray
Hailed the smiliest man in folk by Radio 2’s Mark Radcliffe, Dave Gray is an enthusiastic and experienced melodeon player. He is also a highly skilled and committed educator and is the Artistic Director of Folkworks Adults Summer School at the Glasshouse, Gateshead.
A graduate of the Newcastle University Music Degree, Dave has returned as a tutor from Autumn 2022. In addition to regular private teaching, he continues his work as mentor for Ethno music camps, the international programme for young musicians playing folk, world and traditional music. He has taught for EFDSS, National Youth Folk Ensemble and also been new appointed Musical Director of Folkestra here at the Glasshouse.
Photographer- Amelia Reid
Findlay Napier
Findlay Napier is an award-winning songwriter, singer and performer, widely regarded as one of the finest voices in contemporary UK folk. Winner of MG Alba Composer of the Year, he is as at home on major festival stages as he is in intimate acoustic settings.
A tireless and inventive artist, Findlay has been touring and releasing music since the early 2000s — first with groundbreaking trad band Back of the Moon, then with Findlay Napier & the Bar Room Mountaineers, and more recently as a solo artist under the guidance of legendary songwriter Boo Hewerdine. His albums have received widespread acclaim, including VIP: Very Interesting Persons, which reached No. 2 in The Telegraph’s Top Folk Albums of 2014.
Findlay’s songwriting has led to a wide range of collaborations and commissions, from folk-rock supergroup The Magpie Arc to writing for BBC Radio 2’s 21st Century Folk, BBC Radio 4, and major cultural projects across the UK. His work is often praised for its wit, humanity and storytelling, with Folk Radio UK describing him as “one of the finest songwriters and storytellers of the contemporary Scottish folk scene”.
Alongside performing, Findlay is a passionate and experienced teacher. He regularly leads songwriting workshops, runs retreats across the UK, and works in a wide range of community and educational settings. He founded Glasgow Songwriting Festival in 2016 and continues to support musicians of all backgrounds to develop their voices and creative confidence.
Findlay lives on the Isle of Arran with his family. His latest album Outsider was released in 2025.
Laura Jane Wilkie
Laura Jane Wilkie is a Fiddle player from Tain in the Highlands of Scotland. She has a unique style which has roots in the Highland fiddle traditions but is influenced by an eclectic range of music from all genres.
Her latest project ‘Vent’ is centred around ancient women’s work songs – Waulking songs. She studied these to adapt them for the fiddle, immersing herself in the Scottish archives as well as having them passed on from friend, tradition bearer and one-woman-ceilidh: Rona Lightfoot.
Laura has toured across the world in various different groups of the Contemporary Folk Music Scenes. Including Kinnaris Quintet, guitar-virtuoso Ian Carr, Ross Ainslie, Salsa Celtica, NITEWORKS and with Scots Singers: Claire Hastings, Beth Malcolm & Siobhan Miller.
As a founding member of Glasgow-based Jazz/Funk/R&B/Synth/Folk Juggernaut, Fat-Suit, Laura has been inspired to play with elements of improvisation in different styles, making her a versatile influence on each project. Collaborations include performing, writing, arranging, Shooglenifty, Man of the Minch, Rachel Sermanni The Elephant Sessions, Paul Towndrow’s Keywork Orchestra, Father son, the GRIT Orchestra and many more.
Sam Partridge
A leading exponent of traditional English flute playing, Sam Partridge is highly regarded as a musician, composer, and music educator. Alongside performances in his own right, most notably premiering his Wind Quintet in 2023, Sam is often heard playing with instrumental 6-piece Pons Aelius, French dance trio Cri du Canard, and as a member of the Grace Smith Trio
From 2019-23 Sam was in the role of Artistic Director for the National Youth Folk Ensemble, having been a regular member of the tutor team in the three years prior to this appointment. He currently provides flute tuition for the Folk and Traditional Music degree programme at Newcastle University and Woodwind Week at Halsway Manor, as well as running his woodwind workshops also across the UK and abroad under the name Aerophone Club.
Sam is particularly passionate about developing and showcasing traditional English flute music, and the folk dance repertoires of France.
Sarah Hayes
Sarah Hayes is a singer, flautist and keyboard player from Northumberland. Based in Glasgow since 2005, she leads a busy and varied musical life performing, writing and recording with Admiral Fallow, Birdvox, Field Music, Laura Jane Wilkie and more.
Sarah released her solo album Woven – a studio recording of her Celtic Connections New Voices commission – to widespread acclaim in 2015. She is part of songwriting and production collective Hen Hoose and composed the original music for Hold Fast, a circus show created in collaboration with Superfan Performance. Sarah has been a valued member of the house band for numerous projects, most recently in Public Record for the National Theatre.
She teaches privately and in community settings, and has been a tutor for Folkworks Summer Schools, National Youth Folk Ensemble, Tinto Summer School, Edinburgh Youth Gaitherin’ and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland