The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc (cancelled)


Apr 04, 2020 (Sat) / 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm
Buy Tickets here: https://nordicfiddlersblocseattle.brownpapertickets.com
Venue: Phinney Center Concert Hall, Brick Building, 6532 Phinney Ave N, Seattle

We regret that this concert has been cancelled out of concern for the COVID19 virus. We hope to reschedule at a later date. Ticketbuyers will  receive a full refund or may request credit towards another concert.

Seattle Folklore and Skandia Folkdance Societies present The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc in concert.

We are truly excited to welcome back The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc! This trio is well-known and loved by many in the Pacific Northwest. From the moment Kevin Henderson, Olav Luksengård Mjelva and Anders Hall of The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc first played together in 2009 they felt chemistry in the sound they created.  Some seven hundred gigs later, playing across Scandinavia, mainland Europe, the U.S. and the UK, that chemistry continues to draw the trio together.

Passion is a word that comes up often in conversation with Henderson, Mjelva and Hall. Its a word that lies behind the trios determination to find exactly the right tunes to play and exactly the right way to play a certain phrase (Henderson has been known to find forty different examples of them playing the same motif stored on his mobile phone from rehearsals). Passion for the music they make is also what makes them endure forty-two-hour flights that should only have taken two to three hours to get to a concert rather than let the promoter and audience down.

Hundreds of tunes have been tried and laid aside in The Nordic Fiddlers Blocs quest for the music which on two albums, their self-titled debut from 2011 and Deliverance, from 2016, has charmed listeners in the same way that their live performances beguile and satisfy.

In the beginning they were intrigued. For Henderson, who grew up in the fiddle-rich tradition of the Shetland Islands, there was a mystery in hearing his Scandinavian colleagues harmonize with one another. The jamming sessions that led to the threesome coalescing into a group showed them that they could not only create a unique sound, they also had a richness, helped by their use of standard fiddles, octave fiddle, viola and Hardanger fiddle, that has led to them being likened to a string quartet rather than just a trio.

Folk music promoters and festivals internationally have picked up on the Bloc’s uniqueness. They have played at major events including Tønder Festival in Denmark, Scotlands mammoth Celtic Connections winter music festival, Cape Bretons prestigious Celtic Colours, and the annual A Celtic Christmas Sojourn in Boston.

As dedicated tradition bearers, they have also created their own annual fiddle camp, which has taken place in Norway (2018) and Sweden (2019) and is due to visit Shetland next, while seeking out the tunes that will emerge on their much-anticipated third album in 2020. Olav, Anders and Kevin are also popular instructors at other fiddle camps and have inspired hundreds of young, up-and-coming fiddlers around the world.

“On the evidence to hand, pure fiddle doesnt get much better than The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc.” Folkworld

Join us for what is to be sure a divine evening of music from these masterful musicians!

“Please note that Skandia Folkdance members qualify for a member discount for this concert.”