BIOS AND PUBLICITY INFORMATION
Mike | Tania | Venues | - - | Posters & photos | Press release | Reviews | Music Samples | Videos
Hammered dulcimer, guitar, violin, cittern, Native American flute, percussion... with songs in many
languages and rhythmic roots from Siberia to Morocco.This Anglo-Alaskan duo have been on the road together
since 1995 in a unique collaboration which combines their distinctly separate musical backgrounds,
bringing their exuberant music and wild tales to audiences around the world.
They met in England in 1994, and have toured the UK from Shetland to the Channel Islands, Norfolk to
Cornwall, Scotland and Wales. Performances in North America have ranged from Maine to the Aleutian
Islands, and from British Columbia to Texas.
Tania and Mike have made guest appearances on albums by William Pint and Felicia Dale, Artisan, Hilary
Spencer, Linda Waterfall, Peg Loughran, Alicia Healey, and many others in the U.S., Canada, Ireland and
Britain.
(photo by Jacey Bedford) |
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. |
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 most of her 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, a tiny ocarina by Clayzeness Whistleworks, double ocarinas by John Langley (England) and by North Country Workshops (Alaska), and an Olympic Instruments hurdy gurdy.
Tania's voice has been described as "a voice of gentle strength that adapts well to suit
various vocal stylings" (Rock-n-Reel, England). |
(photo by Sue Porter) |
A SHORT LIST OF SAMPLE VENUES
The Lemon Tree Arts Centre, Aberdeen, Scotland
Emerson Cultural Center, Bozeman, Montana
The Lincoln Theater, Mount Vernon, Washington
Trinity Arts Centre, Gainsborough, England
The Moore Theater, Seattle, Washington
Castalia Hall, Ballytobin, Co Kilkenny, Ireland
The Crystal Theater, Missoula, Montana
Tryworks Coffeehouse, New Bedford, Massachusetts
The Albert Hole, Bristol, England
Washington Arts Centre, Tyne & Wear, England |
|
Allied Arts Festival, Yakima, Washington
Orkney Folk Festival, Orkney and Papa Westray
Alcester Folk Festival, Alcester, England
Warrenville Folk Festival, Illinois
Juan de Fuca Fest. of the Arts, Pt. Angeles, Washington
International Festival of the Sea/Trafalgar 200, England
Bude Folk Festival, Cornwall
Cyrano's Playhouse, Anchorage, Alaska
Caistor Hall, Norwich, England
Heckscher Park, Huntington, Long Island, New York |
For more past venues, click here.
