BBC Radio 3 21:45 Music Planet

31 May 2025 Peggy Seeger’s Return Journey

Lopa Kothari chooses tracks from her vast music collection, spanning from freshly-released Colombian cumbia from Houston-based band Son Bayoú, to Galician folk music with the new project from Carme López, Carmela. Plus, a special session track from Ghanean Fra Fra artist Florence Adooni with her band, recorded at the BBC’s Maida Vale earlier this month.

And, for our Return Journey feature, American folk icon Peggy Seeger guides us through two of her favourite tracks - one for the road, and one that reminds her of home - ahead of embarking on her final-ever tour, celebrating more than 70 years of music and activism.

07 June 2025 Laura Wilkie & Ian Carr in session

Kathryn Tickell presents a live session from Maida Vale featuring fiddle player Laura Wilkie and guitarist Ian Carr. Originally from Tain in the Highlands, Laura is a sought-after musician rooted in the Highland fiddle tradition, with influences ranging across a wide spectrum of genres. Ian Carr, an acclaimed English folk guitarist and composer, is known for his distinctive, innovative approach to traditional music.

Together, they perform selections from Laura’s latest album, Vent, which draws inspiration from ancient waulking songs - traditional work songs sung by women in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland as they rhythmically beat tweed to soften and shrink it. Reimagined here as instrumental fiddle pieces, these melodies retain the songs’ original spirit of community, strength, humour, and shared knowledge.