Celtic Series '26: Hildaland
Thursday Nov. 19 @7pm
Scottish fiddle tradition meets American roots music, progressive bluegrass and contemporary acoustic composition when Hildaland arrives at the LCCC on Thursday, November 19.
Hildaland is the musical partnership of Orkney-born fiddler Louise Bichan and American mandolinist Ethan Setiawan. Together, the two musicians explore what happens when distinctive traditional backgrounds meet a shared interest in improvisation, composition and musical experimentation.
Bichan comes from Orkney, the group of islands off Scotland’s northern coast known for a strong and distinctive fiddle tradition. Her music reflects both her upbringing there and the experience of carrying that tradition into an international musical life.
Setiawan, originally from Indiana, has developed a reputation as one of the most adventurous young mandolinists in American acoustic music. His playing draws from bluegrass and old-time music while reaching naturally toward jazz, contemporary composition and traditional music from outside the United States.
The two met while studying at Berklee College of Music and first performed together as members of the quartet Corner House. As Hildaland, they reduce the sound to fiddle and mandolin, giving both instruments the freedom to shift between melody, accompaniment and improvisation.
Their debut album, Sule Skerry, combines traditional material with original compositions inspired by landscape, travel and the experience of living between places.
The duo’s performance should appeal equally to longtime Celtic music fans and listeners drawn to contemporary acoustic music. The melodies may be old or newly composed, but the approach is consistently curious and forward-looking.