Ari & Mia, Boston’s Americana sister act, will present a concert at the Nelson Town Hall on Sunday, June 12.
Referencing the traditions of Southern and Northeastern fiddle music and the early American songbook, Ari and Mia create a place where their own compositions cross paths with older traditions.
Both sisters studied at Boston’s New England Conservatory in its Contemporary Improvisation department. Their newest album “Unruly Heart” ranked high on the national folk radio charts for 2011 and Mia’s song “Across the Water,” won the 2010 John Lennon Songwriting Contest in the folk category. Their new album “Land on Shore” was released in 2013.
Ariel Friedman, a classically trained cellist, is challenging the boundaries of cello-playing. She graduated from Northwestern University in 2008 where she studied cello performance and earned a master’s of music in contemporary improvisation from New England Conservatory in 2011. She is exploring American roots traditions, early jazz, a range of classical repertoire, and in composing songs and pieces influenced by her diverse musical tastes. She tours internationally with Scottish National Fiddle champion Hanneke Cassel, plays with New England’s fiddle band Childsplay, and has taught at music camps and programs from New England to New Zealand.
Mia Friedman began playing violin and singing at an early age. She is largely influenced by American roots music and old-time Appalachian traditions, and blends this with contemporary experimental music in her compositions. She graduated from New England Conservatory in 2012. She is an active composer, performer, and educator. Her song “Across the Water” won the 2011 John Lennon Songwriting Contest in the folk category. She tours around the United States with Ari and has her own solo act.
The concert will begin at 7 p.m., presented by the Monadnock Folklore Society.
Admission is $12 and $9 for seniors, students or advance purchase.
To reserve tickets or for more information, visit www.monadnockfolk.org.