PETER CANN talks to the multi-talented Luke Daniels about his latest project to be performed at the Oxford Folk Festival

Luke Daniels first made a name for himself in 1992 when, just 17, he won the BBC Radio 2's Young Tradition Award, stunning the judges with his virtuoso accordian playing. Steeped in the Irish tradition, Luke, who was born in England, has drawn comparisons with some of the leading squeeze box players in folk music such as Jackie Daly, Andy Cutting and Sharon Shannon.

He has worked with such top-drawer artists as De Dannan and Eleanor Shanley, and with the Riverdance production.

But he has made a name for himself not just as a musician but as a composer. The Tarantella CD from 2001 features Irish-style reels composed by Luke but contains classical influences such as Badinerie by J.S.Bach and Tarantella Sonate by Paganini. He has received commissions from English National Opera but likes to draw inspiration from a wide range of music, even dabbling with jazz in the fusion group Scarp.

Two years ago Lost Music of the Gaels was released. It was an album of original and traditional Irish music for classical quintet and uilleann pipes. The haunting music of the blind Irish harper of the early 18th century, Turlough O'Carolan, features strongly, and indeed, Brian Keenan, who wrote a forward to the CD, said: "I like to think that if Carolan himself were sitting listening to the music on this CD, he would raise a glass in fond appreciation."

Luke's approach to composition doesn't lie within set boundaries.

"My aim was to involve classical musicians, yet not necessarily to write music in wholly 'classical' style. I hope that there are elements of the performance for everyone to enjoy," he said.

Oxford audiences were able to enjoy this beautfully crafted music at last year's Oxford Folk Festival and Luke returns this year with a new composition, Islands, a suite which made a big impression at the Celtic Connections festival at the beginning of the year, and which explores the common traditions of Ireland, Scotland, Shetland and Northumberland.

Luke said: "The festival has now really begun to establish itself as the first major event on the folk and acoustic music calendar, both for artists and festival-goers. Since the performance last year I've been working with Tim Healy, the festival director, on the new commissioned work with partners, Celtic Connections in Glasgow and Belfast Festival at Queens.

"I co-wrote the piece with a classical violinist called Donald Grant, who found his way into the folk world through doing string arrangements for Kate Rusby and Catriona McKay.

"As Oxford Folk Festival is the lead partner in the project, that's being funded by the Performing Rights Society Foundation. The piece is about 25 minutes long and will be performed along with additional music from members of a first-rate group which includes Tiarnan Duinchin, uilleann piper with Máíre Ní Bhraonáin (Clannad) and Jenna Reid, Shetland fiddler with Dorchas."

Luke is a man on a musical mission, pursuing his own ideas and encouraging a younger generation.

"I want to open channels for musical dialogue between folk and classical musicians through new shared repertoire that would both widen folk music's popular appeal and to provide my own students who come from both backgrounds with music that they can perform together in the future. It would be a shame if the music this ensemble performs at the festival will be the last time it's played. Everyone involved must inevitably go their separate ways after the project."

He has been doing a lot of work with schools in Berkshire, where he lives. He has set up a charity, Gael Music, that helps children to learn traditional music on a range of instruments - melodeon, wooden flute, harp, ukelele, tinwhistle, bagpipes and fiddle - and is an idea that should be taken up in Oxfordshire.

"We run family ceilidhs where participants learn to play together, perform and dance to music that has a social context at its core. As an environment for children's learning, traditional music represents the best approach to the problems we have identified because it teaches us to value being part of a wider community.

"Under supervision, participants also compose new songs adding to what we see as an ever-evolving tradition of folk music within the UK."

If you want to see Luke Daniels and Donald Grant perform Islands at the Oxford Folk Festival on Sunday, April 13, at the Town Hall, call the box office on 01865 305305 or book online on www.ticketsoxford.com. Luke will also be playing with gifted young musicians of the Gael Academy on the Sunday.