Norwegian Hardinger Fiddle | Seattle, Washington
Sølvstål | Silversteel is a new project from hardanger fiddle player Mira Coquina Dickey and viola d’amore and fiddle player Lennart Jansson exploring the novel musical territory at the intersection of Norwegian fiddling and Irish traditional music. Their duet playing combines Mira’s expertise in the hardanger fiddle tradition with Lennart’s knowledge and creativity in Irish fiddling. The 9-string hardanger fiddle and 12-string baroque viola d’amore are a natural match for each other, both with a range of unusual tunings and otherworldly resonance thanks to sympathetic strings. Their sound ranges from delicate and tender to brilliant and symphonic, with a repertoire spanning traditional dance tunes both popular and obscure, as well as recently-composed pieces. For their performance at Montana Folk Festival, they will be primarily focusing on Scandinavian repertoire to showcase this rich and unique musical tradition.
Mira Dickey is a hardanger fiddle player based in Seattle, WA. Having grown up playing classical violin, she eventually became interested in folk music; first playing American old-time, then exploring Scottish and Irish music, and finally discovering Scandinavian music after hearing a recording of hardanger fiddle music from Setesdal in 2016. The next year she began learning hardanger fiddle herself, spurring a long journey of musical study, first through scandinavian fiddle camps in the US, and eventually through a year of study of traditional music at the University of Southeastern Norway in Rauland, NO. Since then she has been active in the US Scandinavian music scene both performing with groups or solo, playing for traditional folk dance events, and teaching private lessons and workshops. She has taught at workshops such as the Hardanger Fiddle Association of America’s summer and winter workshops, Salt Lake City’s fall fest, and Seattle’s Skandia folk society workshops. Most recently she has performed at Seattle’s Nordic Museum Julefest, Bellingham Folk Festival and Seattle’s Folklife festival.
Lennart Jansson is an Irish traditional musician from Seattle, WA. A multi-instrumentalist, Lennart plays fiddle, uilleann pipes, concertina, and tin whistle, and is known for championing the use of the viola d’amore in Irish music. Lennart has extensive experience as a classical cellist, and holds a B.A. in music performance from Stanford University, where he performed both baroque cello repertoire as well as unaccompanied contemporary works by living composers. Since 2021, Lennart has shifted his focus primarily to Irish traditional music. Currently, he is a frequent performer of traditional music and a mainstay of the Irish session scene in Seattle. His recent performance appearances include the West Coast Tionól in Seattle, the Cascade Celtic Festival in Leavenworth, WA, and the Acadia Festival of Traditional Music and Dance in Bar Harbor, Maine.
The Scandinavian and Irish fiddle traditions are certainly distinct and each rich in their own right, but Sølvstål showcases the rare and unusual musical beauty that arises from the interpretation of tunes from one tradition through the lens of the other. This is Irish and Norwegian music like you’ve never heard it before!