Hildaland at Phnney center

The Seattle Folklore Society is pleased to present the duo HIldaland on Saturday, Nov 21st, 7:30 pm, at the Phinney Center.

A contemporary collage of Scottish and American traditional music, Hildaland is a duo that approaches geographic borders as markers of exploration rather than boundaries to be wary of. Fiddle player Louise Bichan, originally from Orkney, Scotland, and mandolinist Ethan Setiawan, originally from Goshen, Indiana, have taken their duo from traditional Scottish roots through to progressive bluegrass and jazz, with music inspired largely by places and the journeys between them.

Bichan and Setiawan began making music together as part of a four-piece outfit, Corner House, and have taken the opportunity to see what a stripped-down duo sound can manifest as Hildaland. Their debut album “Sule Skerry” is a collection of traditional tunes reworked, some original tunes, and a few songs, “accents to an instrumental piece of work.” Their new EP, “Fiddle Tunes”, finds the pair in pure instrumental form, exploring the many possibilities of context for the international language of fiddle music.

In defining their goal within traditional music and refining the scope of their musical territory, Hildaland has honed in on a specific, innovative, and beautiful voice as a band.