“Strikingly beautiful, distinctive and exhilarating, with expressive vocals that will find a way into hearts and minds” (No Depression), Ari & Mia reference the styles of Southern and Northeastern fiddle music and the early American songbook to create a realm where their own compositions cross paths with older traditions. Their stylish and sophisticated music honors the sounds of Appalachian cottages, rural dance floors, and urban concert halls. Combine this with their innovative approach to songwriting and the result is a captivating sound.
Since 2008 the sisters have toured all across the U.S., Canada, and Australia and are both graduates of New England Conservatory's Contemporary Musical Arts department. They've performed alongside Sarah Jarosz, opened for Cheryl Wheeler and Catie Curtis, and played at venues such as Shalin Liu Performing Arts Center, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival's Mainstage Emerging Artist Showcase, Club Passim, the Parlor Room, New Bedford Folk Festival, and Jordan Hall. Both award winning songwriters and composers, most notably Mia’s song “Across the Water” won the 2010 John Lennon Songwriting Contest in the folk category and Ari was a winner of the 2020 Women Composers Festival of Hartford's call for scores for her string quartet, Out of the Flowers.
“Ari & Mia are not creating a new music; they are taking it to another level and exploring areas that have not been attempted in decades. Their all-acoustic, pure and honest approach has significance. Treading the edges of traditional folk in a more faithful manner, they share the lyrical wizardry of 70’s bands Steeleye Span, Tir-na-Nog, and the Incredible String Band, with searing harmony as good as The Beach Boys. The sisters sing in unison like two violins,” continues No Depression. Their most recent album, “Sew the City” was premiered on Billboard Magazine and has been met with critical acclaim. Their previous three albums—”Out of Stone,” "Land on Shore," and "Unruly Heart"—ranked high on the national folk radio charts.
Ariel Friedman is a multi-genre cellist and composer. A winner of the Women Composers Festival of Hartford's 2020 call for scores and a recipient of New England Conservatory's 2018 Alumni Award, she is steeped both in the music of American roots traditions and a broad range of classical repertoire as both a performer and composer. She is the founding cellist of Cardamom Quartet, a Boston-based ensemble engaged in reimagining the traditional canon by performing music exclusively by women. A winner of ASTA’s Alternative Styles Award, she has performed and toured with many folk-based groups including Scottish National Fiddle champion Hanneke Cassel, the Sail Away Ladies, and Childsplay. An advocate of new music and a composer herself, she performs with Boston Modern Orchestra Project, and has written music for and collaborated with many ensembles including Palaver Strings, Box Not Found, and the young artists of the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. In demand as an educator, Ariel has taught at music camps and workshops from New England to New Zealand. She graduated from Northwestern University in 2008 and received a Masters of Music from New England Conservatory in 2011. Visit www.arielfriedmanmusic.com for more info.
Mia Friedman is a virtuosic fiddler and singer as well as a composer and educator. Her song “Across the Water” won the 2010 John Lennon Songwriting Contest in the folk category, and she was the 2006 New Hampshire Highland Games Scottish Fiddle Champion. She is largely influenced by American roots music and old-time Appalachian traditions, and blends this with contemporary music in her compositions. Mia plays with Hollow Deck—a duo of tape collage, vocals, and woodwinds—and avant-garde rock band, Creative Healing. She teaches at the Community Music School of Springfield, and leads elementary and high school string programs in five public schools in Springfield, MA. She is the orchestra teacher at The Hartsbrook Waldorf School, has a private studio of fiddle students, leads adult music classes, and teaches at many traditional fiddle music camps during the summer. Mia graduated from New England Conservatory in 2012 where she studied with Anthony Coleman, Carla Kihlstedt, and Hankus Netsky.