PORTLAND — Skye Consort & Emma Björling bring Trans-Atlantic Chamber Folk Music to Mayo Street Arts at 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 1.
Skye Consort & Emma Björling perform trans-Atlantic arrangements of songs and tunes from Sweden, Norway, Ireland, Scotland, England, Québec, Acadia, the USA, as well as original compositions. The band was formed in 1999, has performed and toured extensively, and has eight full-length albums. The touring configuration of the band presents four musicians from the Ode & Ballade recording.
Each musician brings their own individual interpretation to these traditions to create this extraordinary collaboration, consisting of voices, fiddle, nyckelharpa, cello, bouzouki, banjo and percussion. Collectively, the band presents an assortment of whirling polskas, groovy reels, passionate love songs, breathtaking hymns and original compositions.
The genre, dubbed “trans-Atlantic Chamber Folk” by Lyra Magazine (Sweden), creates a sound that is unique among folk artists and classical chamber ensembles. Through the group’s love of different folk traditions and baroque styles, they uncover and present many haunting texts and sonic elements from different worlds that take audiences on an unforgettable journey.
Emma Björling (lead voice, shruti box, percussion) is an award-winning Swedish singer, composer, arranger, active in the renowned Scandinavian bands Kongero and Lyy. Both bands have toured the world, and are busy in the European folk-trad scene. Emma regularly teaches and conducts workshops all over the world.
Simon Alexandre (fiddle, nyckelharpa, vocals) is a member of the Orchestre symphonique du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and plays regularly with the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Ensemble Galileo, the Orchestre symphonique de Sherbrooke and folk ensemble, Andrew Wells-Oberegger.
Amanda Keesmaat (cello, vocals) principal cellist of Arion Baroque orchestra and Space Time Continuo, Amanda Keesmaat, has also performed with Les Charbonniers de L’Enfer, OktoEcho, Jean-François Bélanger and Projet ClaireObscur.
Seán Dagher (cittern/bouzouki, banjo & vocals) is the artistic director of La Nef and an active performer, arranger, and composer of music from various folk and classical music traditions. He won the OPUS “Creation of the Year” award in 2014 for Sea Songs and has been nominated for numerous Adisq awards.
Mayo Street Arts is a welcoming community arts center in the heart of Portland’s Kennedy Park neighborhood. The organization’s building serves as a performance venue, gallery, and gathering space, and offers affordable studios and rehearsal space for artists. Mayo Street Arts’ programming embraces variety, with a particular focus on puppetry and folk music and dance.
Tickets to see Skye Consort & Emma Björling are available for $20 in advance, $25 at the door and $30 for preferred seating. Pay-what-you-can options are available to support accessibility. Visitwww.mayostreetarts.org for ticket links and more information.
