Fiddler Louise Bichan and mandolinist Ethan Setiawan will perform as Hildaland in chesterville. SUBMITTED PHOTO
CHESTERVILLE — Orcadian fiddler Louise Bichan and American mandolinist Ethan Setiawan will perform as Hildaland at 7:00 p.m. Saturday, July 13 at the Chesterville Center Union Meeting House in Chesterville. Fellow graduates of the Berklee College of Music and current residents of Portland, Maine, Bichan and Setiawan reinvent traditional music as Hildaland, weaving together original compositions with musical elements from both sides of the Atlantic, including Scottish, Old Time, Bluegrass, and Swedish traditions.
Louise Bichan’s musical story begins in Orkney, Scotland with her teacher, renowned Scots fiddler Douglas Montgomery and Saturday classes with the Orkney Traditional Music Project. Besides Montgomery, she lists fiddlers Brittany Haas, Darol Anger, and Bruce Molsky as major influences.
Ethan Setiawan’s first instrument was the cello, but he embraced mandolin at age 13 and studied with legendary jazz mandolinist Don Stiernberg. Other influences in his music include jazz guitarist Julian Lage, mandolinist Jacob Joliff, and composer J. S. Bach.
Bichan and Setiawan’s Hildaland project comes together to create arcing melodic lines, rhythmic counterpoint, and harmonic depth, telling intricate and beautiful musical stories – from Scotland to Appalachia and most of the roots in between. Hildaland has recorded two albums, Sule Skerry in 2023 and their self-titled debut in 2019. Having approached the Meeting House about a show more than a year ago, organizers are grateful and excited the time has finally come.
The Chesterville Center Union Meeting House is a non-profit community resource located at 3 Borough Road in Chesterville. The building is ADA accessible and refreshments will be available between sets. Admission to the performance is by donation at the door; recommended donation $20. For more information visit hildaland.com, go to chestervillemeetinghouse.org, or call 207 779-0660.
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