MIKE FREEMAN

Mike Freeman's roots are in Eastern Europe, with grandparents from Russia, Roumania and Hungary. Born and raised in Manchester, England, he spent many years in Norwich working as a designer, cabinet maker and teacher before moving to County Kilkenny, Ireland. He has played guitar and percussion with an assortment of bands, accompanied Middle Eastern and African dance troupes, performed at countless festivals throughout Britain, and featured on recordings in the roles of musician, arranger and producer. Mike's main instrument is the Gambian djembe, from which he draws an amazing variety of sounds, but he plays everything from dholak and darabouka to bones, bodhran and congas, and composes tunes on guitar and mandolin.

Mike has also built a reputation on both sides of the Atlantic as a dance caller and concert M.C., with a charming, irreverent stage presence.

(photo by Jacey Bedford)

TANIA OPLAND

Originally from Alaska, Tania Opland has travelled extensively in the U.S., Canada, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Britain. She now lives on an Indian reservation in Washington State, her vast repertoire reflecting the diversity of the communities whose music she has shared. She has appeared on radio and television in the U.S., Canada, Russia, Uzbekistan, Scotland, Ireland and England. Her five solo albums have received excellent reviews in acoustic music magazines on both sides of the Atlantic.

From early classical training on piano, cello and violin, Tania moved on to explore many different fiddle styles and a wide range of wind instruments, and even to experiment with such exotic instruments as chang, gidjak and doira, giving her a style rich in techniques and traditions. She still treasures the unusual blond violin, a handmade instrument by Eskimo craftsman Frank Hobson, which she has played since she was nine years old, but has recently switched to a c.1920 German violin converted to five-string for concert work. Other instruments include an early handmade Larrivee guitar, Flatiron octave mandolin, hammered dulcimer by Dusty Strings, Kiowa Native American flutes by Allan Guffey and Stellar Flutes, and a tiny ocarina by Clayzeness Whistleworks.

Tania's voice has been described as "a voice of gentle strength that adapts well to suit various vocal stylings" (Rock-n-Reel, England).