Rebecca Austen-Brown - fiddle, flutes, psaltery
Sophia Brumfitt - voice
Arngeir Hauksson - gittern, saz
Corrina Silvester - percussion
Leah Stuttard - harp

Bardos Band gathered in 2005, to explore the links between medieval music and storytelling.

They present the mesmerising European songs and powerful instrumental dance music from the 11th - 15th centuries, infused with the flavours of Celtic, Balkan, Sephardic and Middle-Eastern traditions.

As the bulk of their programmes comprise simply written monophonic song - with no harmony or counterpoint to draw on, Bardos Band use their combined knowledge of the musicians of the past, together with the art of improvisation to create their own soundscape to illuminate the drama of the songs.

Their exotic collection of instruments - the luxurious string sounds of saz, fiddle, oud and gittern; soft flutes and recorders, and intricate percussion timbre of tupan, daf, and rik - evoke the timeless tales of love, valour and faith.

The group's performances have received much acclaim. The musicians bring together broad experience, having played throughout the UK music festival network, in London venues such as the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room, on BBC Television, and BBC Radio 3 and 4. They have travelled around Europe, Japan, America, Hong Kong and Brazil, and Bardos Band's CD Dreamsongs has even been played on Icelandic Radio RUV 1!

Gigs:

May 17th 2007: Bury St Edmunds Festival

June 6th 2007: Songbird folk club, London

August 2nd 2007: Stamford Arts, Music in Quiet Places Series, 7.30pm

October 6th 2007: The Muwashshah – conference at SOAS, London

Bardos Band's 2005 CD Dreamsongs

A mix of medieval and traditional dreams and songs, from Brittany, England, Ireland, the Balkans, Finland, Norway, Denmark, and Spain.

Available for £10. Order by email by following this link.