Jo Freya is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter and composer based in Nottinghamshire, England. Over an extensive career spanning five decades she has been part of some of the most groundbreaking acts on the British Folk Scene. Her journey started when she was 14 in The Old Swan Band – a band that explored and reaffirmed the joyousness of English traditional music, at a time when most English folk musicians were playing celtic music. From this healthy foundation of tunes and song she was invited to join Blowzabella - and the rest is history.

Jo is a prolific writer of songs and tunes, as well as shows. Her music is played across festivals in Europe and she has performed extensively both solo and with groups such as Fraser Sisters, Coope Boyes & Simpson, Narthen, Moirai, Token Women, Freyja, Tanteeka, and Maalstroom. Jo is a busy music educator, having run many schemes including 'Komposit' her young people's composition project . She is currently the artistic director of England's National Youth Folk Ensemble and was recently awarded the EFDSS Gold Badge for outstanding contribution to folk music.

Jo and Mel met at a series of music workshops held in Wantage, England, and from there Jo invited Mel to form a band - and Moirai was born. Moirai performed across the UK folk scene for nearly a decade, and recorded 3 albums, including their self-penned 20-track show 'Framed: The Alice Wheeldon Story'.

Jo's Links:

Website | Facebook | YouTube

Join my PATREON for extended episodes, guest tutor Melinar tutorials & learning resource archive:

www.patreon.com/melbiggsmusic

Live @ Mel's & ONLINE Airboxes house concert 2nd February 2026:

Info & Tickets

Learn DG melodeon with Mel at The Stables, Milton Keynes Mar 14th:

https://stables.org/workshops

Evesham Melodeon Playgroup & concert Feb 7-8th:

https://www.melodeonplaygroup.org/

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/fleeceinngrasroots/1942129

Visit my website for on demand classes, courses, live dates, merch & more:

www.melbiggsmusic.co.uk

Intro & outro music:

'Dream Big' by Mel Biggs. All rights reserved.

Listen to the full track on my album 'From Darkness Comes Light':

www.melbiggsmusic.bandcamp.com

Get in touch: chatterbox@melbiggsmusic.co.uk

Don't forget to like/subscribe/follow:

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Mel Biggs is a Morris dancer, musician, and highly-renowned melodeon tutor based in Derbyshire, England.

In her professional career, Mel has risen from the EFDSS Aspire program with Andy Cutting to form Moirai with Jo Freya and Sarah Matthews. Together they created 3 albums and toured the UK and Europe, culminating in their self-penned show Framed: The Alice Wheeldon Story telling a true story of a Derbyshire woman. Mel was recently seen on stage as an actor-musician in the 2022-2023 UK & Canada tour of Fisherman's Friend's: The Musical. Mel has been involved in several recurrent Arts Council England funded projects. These include Jo Freya’s Komposit Young Composers (with Annie Whitehead, Judith Weir CBE and Chris Woods), and cross-cultural theatre shows such as Priya Sundar’s Morris:Natyam, and Kate Flatt and Adriano Adewale’s The Oss & The Ox.

Mel is currently working on the second iteration of her folk music camp for women and marginalised genders FolkUnbound: The Gathering with co-founder Lucy Huzzard, a new course at Halsway Manor Practice Smarter, Play Happier with Judy Minot, coordinating several community arts projects in her hometown of Swadlincote, and squiring her newly-revived heritage-obsessed Border Morris side Wilkes’ Gob.

Mel's Links:

Website | Facebook | YouTube | Patreon | Instagram

Join my PATREON for extended episodes, guest tutor Melinar tutorials & learning resource archive:

www.patreon.com/melbiggsmusic

Live @ Mel's & ONLINE Airboxes house concert 2nd February 2026:

Info & Tickets

Learn DG melodeon with Mel at The Stables, Milton Keynes Jan 18th:

https://stables.org/workshops

Evesham Melodeon Playgroup & concert Feb 7-8th:

https://www.melodeonplaygroup.org/

Visit my website for on demand classes, courses, live dates, merch & more:

www.melbiggsmusic.co.uk

Intro & outro music:

'Dream Big' by Mel Biggs. All rights reserved.

Listen to the full track on my album 'From Darkness Comes Light':

www.melbiggsmusic.bandcamp.com

Get in touch: chatterbox@melbiggsmusic.co.uk

Don't forget to like/subscribe/follow:

YouTube | Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Roger Watson has been playing melodeon for 55 of his 78 years. Known for his work as a member of Muckram Wakes and The New Victory Band in the 1970s, he published a tutor method in 1980: the Handbook for Melodeon, on behalf of Hohner. Later he worked as Artistic Director of TAPS, a folk development organisation, where he used his melodeon and knowledge of English traditional music to create projects involving players from many different music genres and cultural backgrounds, including Boka Halat. Retired for health reasons in 2010, he has returned to playing and workshop leading in recent years.

Roger's Links:

Facebook | YouTube

Join my PATREON for extended episodes, guest tutor Melinar tutorials & learning resource archive:

www.patreon.com/melbiggsmusic

Live @ Mel's & ONLINE Double duo house concert 9th December 2025:

Info & Tickets

Learn DG melodeon with Mel at The Stables, Milton Keynes Jan 18th:

https://stables.org/workshops

Evesham Melodeon Playgroup & concert Feb 7-8th:

https://www.melodeonplaygroup.org/

Visit my website for on demand classes, courses, live dates, merch & more:

www.melbiggsmusic.co.uk

Intro & outro music:

'Dream Big' by Mel Biggs. All rights reserved.

Listen to the full track on my album 'From Darkness Comes Light':

www.melbiggsmusic.bandcamp.com

Get in touch: chatterbox@melbiggsmusic.co.uk

Don't forget to like/subscribe/follow:

YouTube | Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.