Concert: Tamsin Elliott + The Water Chorus

The Lostwithiel Concert Series is all about bringing exceptional live music to our corner of Cornwall. Each season, we host a range of artists whose work spans folk, classical and world sounds.

This autumn/winter, we’re excited to welcome musicians who are not only outstanding performers but also thoughtful, boundary-pushing artists. One of those is Tamsin Elliott — a multi-instrumentalist, composer and filmmaker whose music bridges folk traditions with global sounds and personal stories.

“A new British talent” - The Guardian

Tamsin is a folk musician, composer and film-maker based in Bristol, UK. With roots in the dance tunes of the British Isles, her interests and playing styles extend to European and Middle Eastern musics as well as experimental and ambient sounds. Her "beautiful, filmic compositions for accordion, harp, whistle and voice" (The Guardian) are rooted in tradition, whilst pushing boundaries and exploring minimalist, neoclassical, sound art and other non-traditional formats. 

Her debut solo album FREY, which features the playing of Sid Goldsmith and Rowan Rheingans, was released to critical acclaim on Penny Fiddle Records in June 2022. In this work Tamsin explores themes of limbo, pain, healing and acceptance, reflecting on the microcosm of her personal experience of chronic illness alongside wider themes of societal disconnection and environmental grief. Her forthcoming record The Meeting Tree celebrates connection, nature and the joy of sharing tunes with friends. 

Tamsin’s critically-acclaimed collaboration with Egyptian oud player Tarek Elazhary explores the parallels and celebrates the idiosyncrasies of Egyptian Maqam music and English folk traditions. Their friendship and resulting duo album So Far We Have Come is a testament to the unifying power of music, and won them a place in The Guardian’s Top Ten Folk Albums of 2023, as well as a nomination for Best Group at the Songlines Music Awards. 

Their work has captured the attention of critics and audiences alike, praised for its innovative blend of quartertone accordion, lever harp and oud. Hailed by The Observer as "a poised, atmospheric fusion delivered by two master players”, their music transcends borders, inviting listeners on a mesmerising journey through landscapes both familiar and foreign.

A versatile composer-performer, Tamsin also contributes to chamber-folk quintet Hedera and festival-favourite Mediterranean fusion band Solana. As a Musician in Residence at UHBW NHS Trust, she channels her musical passion into healing and connection, writing new music on lever harp and playing for patients on wards including the ICU.

Tamsin's other interests include film photography, growing vegetables, balfolk dancing (badly) and cycle touring.

"[FREY] is a very human record in which the many cross-cultural influences magnificently coalesce to transcend hardship and distress" - Songlines

"Such music can offer clarity while the chaos of life threatens to engulf us" - KLOF magazine (previously Folk Radio UK)

"Tamsin Elliott's debut album, FREY, is, in a word, sublime. Few albums this year have taken us on such a magical journey" - Tradfolk

Support for the night comes from The Water Chorus.

The Water Chorus play the music that they love, rooted in the traditions they grew up with. Punky, upbeat arrangements of traditional songs and tunes re-discover the joy and energy in folk music, whilst atmospheric re-imaginings of ballads find both sorrow and humour in almost-forgotten stories.