Where can you find us?

St Mary's Guildhall, 385 High Street, Lincoln, LN5 7SF

When do they happen?

Every third Monday of the month, all year except for July and August.
Doors always open at 7:30
Music always starts at 8:00
The evening usually ends around 10pm as it's a school night.

We sometimes have 'On Tour' concerts outside our regular sessions.
Check the home page for the latest news and for our upcoming events!

What are the Guild Sessions?

Hosted in the beautiful St Mary's Guildhall on Lincoln's High Street, the Guild Sessions are a community building local folk and world music night.
Every month, the session invites a local act, a surprise poet and an act from beyond Lincoln.
The line-up is kept secret until the day; our only criteria for selection is quality.

How much does it cost?

We want to allow as many people to attend the Guild Sessions as possible.
We have therefore an entrance fee of only £5.
All proceeds go to the artists.

The staff is formed of volunteers and all overheads are met by the bar.

Do you organise other events?

We regularly organise events in collaboration with other festivals and venues or as commissions.
Here are a few of these special 'On Tour' editions.

Zero Degrees Festival, Louth (July 2020)
Curation of the Spout Yard 'World Music' stage
​The Blue Room, Lincoln (November 2019)
The Guild Sessions Annual Concert and Banquet with Amaraterra
Zero Degrees Festival, Louth (July 2019)
Curation of the Spout Yard 'World Music' stage
The Blue Room, Lincoln (November 2018)
The Guild Sessions Annual Banquet with the Near East Collective
Pop Out Festival, LPAC, Lincoln (October 2018)
Curation of Guild Sessions on Tour evening at the Roundabout Theatre
Zero Degrees Festival, Louth (July 2018)
Curation of the Spout Yard 'World Music' stage

What do people say about it?

Always a fantastic night, tonight was no different. A fantastic mix of live music and poetry... Summer break is sad, but eager for the return! - Anon

Absolutely wonderful music and poetry, thoroughly enjoyed it! - Sarah

Love the vibe and the mix - you're doing a great job of everything and Lincoln benefits from your enthusiasm!  - Carolyn

A magical evening with an eclectic mix of fantastic musicians and poets. It's not to be missed, the ambiance of the room is special, along wth an appreciative audience. - Ron

Who is behind it?

The Guild Sessions were founded by Cassandre Balosso-Bardin and James Irvine.
James found the venue and Cassandre illustrated the original flyer.
Both musicians, they love to bring people to Lincoln and introduce them to the locals as well as promote local talent.
Since they started in September 2017, they have been joined by other people and the Guild Sessions now feels like a small family.
Here they are:

Cassandre Balosso-Bardin
Founder/Curator
Cassandre is a musician and an ethnomusicologist. She has now left Lincoln to pursue a great international career.

James Irvine
Founder/Curator
James is an architect and a drummer. He plays with the Invisible Orchestra and knows a lot about historical buildings.

Enzo Puzzovio
Curator
Enzo is a musician who specialises in lutes and early music. He comes from a folk background and sings great songs.

Carolyn Puzzovio
Sign Designer
Carolyn is a graphic designer who has a wide area of practice, including Armenian typography and sign painting.
She now designs all the Guild Sessions publicity.

Sophie Hillman
Photographer
Sophie is a photographer and videographer. She is finishing her media studies at University of Lincoln.

Acoustic Nations
The Guild Sessions have partnered up with Acoustic Nations, a Lincoln based production company that films the sessions and creates clips from each performances. Have a look at them on our Videos page!

Steve Cawte
Poetry Curator
Steve was a school teacher and is now a full time poet. His poetry wrenches the heart and sends out ripples of laughter.

The Audience
Yes, the audience feels part of the team! With regulars coming every week and new faces turning up, we feel like The Guild Sessions is the place to be on a Monday evening...