News

Welcome to the official web site of Emma Reid!

29 January 2010
What a snowy start to the new year! So far my 2010 has mainly been concerned with skiing and ice-skating outings... But January is also a good month to glance forwards and ponder which direction the year will take. This spring I will continue working on a relatively new collaboration with fantastic storyteller Mats Rehnman. Tandoori Hill will be making exclusive appearances in April, and Daniel Carlsson and I will be working on a new duo repertoire for a summer tour of churches in southern Sweden. The autumn promises a new CD launch and tour by Methera, a Christmas album together with Lunds Academic Choir, and maybe the return of John McCusker's Under One Sky. There are many ideas in the pipeline, so stay tuned and I will keep the news and dates pages up to date!

26 November 2009
The dark winter is back, and with it a wonderful season of warming music, dance and storrytelling. In December there will be two more nights of Vintergatan: a sparkling tale from the north by storyteller Mats Rehnman and myself on fiddle and viola. I am also playing in this years' production of Folkjul - Christmas music for choir, fiddle, solo voice and organ in folk arrangements by Gunnar Idenstam. On 28th November from 7pm there is a folk music party at Tonsalen in Huddinge with sessions, dancing and a bar. Bring instruments, dancing shoes and your friends, all are welcome!

4 September 2009
Hello! A whole summer has passed and I've been itching to update my website, but have only just got my website program running again - sorry for the delay. Later in September I will be recording with Swedish singer Malin Foxdal, and in October I will be on tour with Methera and Sofia Karlsson. Tandoori Hill will be featured in the next issue of Swedish folk mag 'Lira', which will be out on 17th Sep. There will soon be exclusive Tandoori Hill T-shirts available from the shop page!

30 May 2009
NEW ALBUM RELEASE! On 15th May Tandoori Hill released their debut album Brave Shyness at Stallet in Stockholm. Tandoori Hill's music has been described as "gripping", "emotive", "film music", "uplifting". The album is now available for purchase from the album page.

3 April 2009
March has been a busy month with a 2-week Sweden tour with Sofia Karlsson, a great dance evening in Stockholm playing with Kalle Almlöf and Roger Tallroth, a gig in Skåne with malin Foxdal, Petter Berndalen's Masters concert, a birthday, moving house, and the constant alternation between snowfall and an attempt at the start of spring..! April brings blue skies and crocuses to Stockholm, and soon I'll be basking in the fully-fledged spring in England (fingers crossed!). Look out for UK Easter gigs with my hero and former teacher Ellika Frisell, and also with Methera. Go to the dates page now!

5 January 2009
Happy New Year! Now that the lakes around Stockholm have frozen to perfect enormous ice-skating rinks, the winter seems saved! Other highlights for me this winter and spring will be playing together with Kalle Almlöf and Roger Tallroth towards a concert and dance evening at Stallet in Stockholm, being reunited with Midnight May Monday again - this time in Finland, more playful music-making with Ellika Frisell, and tours with Methera and Malin Foxdal Band. Oh, and I almost forgot.. another attempt at the 90km cross-country ski race in Dalarna in February..! Please visit the dates page for more information about concerts and workshops.

13 November 2008
Ditt Ditt Darium is currently on an Autumn tour in Sweden. We had two great dance gigs in Gothenburg and Jönköping, and this weekend we're heading north to Hälsingland for workshops and concerts.

Next week I set off for another tour in Britain. This time it's with John McCusker's 'Under One Sky', a new commission for six Scottish and six English folk musicians. Lots of singing and lots of toones.. We're touring all over England and Scotland - come join the party along the way!

14 July 2008
Methera's album has received a rave review in the Oxford-based magazine 'FiddleOn'.

This autumn Mia Gustafsson and Emma Reid are launching two new courses in folk music ensemble in Stockholm. A fantastic oportunity to study arrangement, ensemble playing, instrument technique, style and repertoire with some of the country's best folk musicians. Guest tutors for the autumn term are Roger Tallroth and Mikael Marin. Download the flyer (in Swedish) here. The final application date is 1st September.

16 June 2008
Methera's debut album is now available from the albums page. We had a great tour in May, thanks to lovely venues, lovely audiences and lovely weather! Methera will be back on the road in October, on a double bill tour with the fantastic trio Kerr Fagan Harbron.

This summer I am staying in Sweden to play at festivals with Ditt Ditt Darium and Malin Foxdal. I am also getting loads of fresh air and gardening inspiration from working at the Botanical Gardens in Stockholm - well worth a visit!

15 April 2008
Methera is shortly heading out on a national tour, with gigs in Northumberland and Cumbria in the north to Suffolk and Somerset in the south. The tour heralds the launch of our long-awaited debut album! We are really excited about going on the road with our new CD and hope that you will be able to join us somewhere along the way. Gig details can be found on the dates page. If you miss the chance to hear us live, you will be able to purchase our eponymous album from May 6th at the Methera website.

6 April 2008
Later in April I will be playing two concerts with singer Malin Foxdal whose debut solo album has received rave reviews.

I will also be heading to Norway for a week to perform at the Fartein Valen Festival. There I will be teaming up with old friend Chris Stout for a duo concert of Shetland and Swedish music, and also playing in a string ensemble performing an exciting program of Baroque and newly commissioned pieces.

22 February 2008
My website has been renovated and redesigned...away with the red! This new look is designed by Stockholm-based artist Andy Redman and programmed by Nicci Novemo. It is presently being tweaked, so if you spot any mistakes, or have comments, please get in touch.

The Midnight May Monday (Karen Tweed, Timo Alakotila, Roger Tallroth, Emma Reid) album is out now! Available for purchase from the album page.

The Bezzas are touring England this spring, see the dates page or our MySpace site.

20 December 2007
Ditt Ditt Darium has received great reviews in the Swedish press for its debut album 'Ifrån främmande land'. Read more at our new website.

Straight after new year I will be heading out on a little tour of England and Scotland with Karen Tweed and Timo Alakotila who are releasing their second album together: Midnight May Monday. This superb new release from Finland's premier pianist / composer and England's queen of the accordion features Roger Tallroth (Sweden - guitars) and myself, with guest appearances by Ursula Leveaux (bassoon), John Dipper (fiddle), Neil Yates (flugelhorn), Gerard Kilbride (fiddle) and Bernard Kilbride (fiddle). A feast of traditional and newly composed material, including new work by Tweed, Alakotila, Tallroth, Reid, Antti Jarvela, Andy Cutting and Chris Wood. Music to make your heart sing! The new album will be featured on Wed 2nd Jan 2008 on BBC Radio 3 late Junction with Verity Sharp.

A very merry yuletide to all friends, fans, and readers of this page! I hope we meet in 2008.

1 November 2007
Autumn 2007 is the season of album releases! Tomorrow Ditt Ditt Darium release their debut album, Ifrån främmande land, with a concert at Stallet in Stockholm. We also have a brand new website, www.dittdittdarium.se, where you can order the CD straight to your letter box!

On Monday Malin Foxdal released her first solo album, on which I am a guest musician. Her live band performed a beautiful concert at the Music Museum in Stockholm, and the album has already received rave reviews. For more information go to Malin's homepage.

Another artist with a recent album release is Roger Wilson, who makes up half of The Bezzas. His third solo album concists of 10 new songs, featuring guests musicians such as Martin Carthy, Ian Carr and Martin Green. It's fantastic, buy it from Roger's homepage!

16 September 2007
On Wednesday Björnsdotter • Reid is heading out on our fourth US tour! We kick of by re-visiting the summer in California and providing support for Swedish super-group Väsen. After several concerts, workshops, and evenings of dancing we will return to some of our favourite gigs on the east coast, in Philadelphia and New York.

In October The Bezzas (Emma Reid and Roger Wilson) will be doing a short tour in Sweden, and Emma o Ellika will be playing for dancing in Sunne (Värmland) and at Linköpings folkmusikfestival. Check out the dates page for more details.

13 June 2007
I have recently returned from my first visit to Italy where Karen Tweed and I performed our premier duo gig. Great fun, and delicious food and capuccino. My tan, though, had to wait till I got to Gower Folk Festival in sunny Wales! A festival I would highly recommend, it's in the beautiful and fascinating grounds of Gower Heritage Centre, with a duck pond, goats, corracles, a water mill - what more could you ask for to entertain yourself between festival acts?! Robert Harbron & Emma Reid performed there this year, and I was also honoured to guest on one of Roger Wilson's songs.

Emma Reid & Roger Wilson have recently teamed up to become The Bezzas, a unique duo that allows Hank Williams to mingle with erratic Bingsjö polskas... The Bezzas will be performing at Stainsby Festival in July and touring Sweden in October. Check out our MySpace site and watch this space!

1 April 2007
Methera is involved in several exciting projects in April, see the dates page for more details. Methera also has a brand new MySpace site with several sound samples. See you in cyberspace!

3 March 2007
Björnsdotter • Reid Rough and Shiny has received rave reviews from top Swedish folk magazines Lira and Dalarnas Spelmansblad. The album is now available online from our CDbaby site.

3 January 2007
Happy new year! I hope we meet some time this spring... in Glasgow, Nailsworth, Stockholm, or travelling around Sweden with the magical story character Nils Holgersson. I will be touring with the Swedish National Theatre in February and March, playing music for a two-person production of Selma Lagerlöf's masterpiece. Aside from the theatre, the spring also promises musical work with Roger Wilson, John McCusker, Karen Tweed and Ellika Frisell. Keep a look out and fare well...

27 November 2006
Methera is touring England in December: Check the dates page for a venue near you!

New Dogs, Old Tricks has received rave reviews and features in the fRoots November playlist.

29 September 2006
NEW CD! Rough and Shiny is the much anticipated album by innovative young fiddlers Alicia Björnsdotter and Emma Reid. Their debut album presents traditional and contemporary fiddle music from Sweden and the British Isles. Elegant polskas are flavoured with blue notes and raw counter-melodies, and the arrangements for two fiddles give a Swedish touch to compositions by Chris Wood and Robert Harbron.

On Tues 3 Oct Ditt Ditt Darium is performing at the opening of parliament in Stockholm! Live on Swedish television, SVT2 and SVT24 at 1.40pm.

30 August 2006
It's been a great summer full of new meetings with eager course students and fellow artists, magical and inspirational sessions, rehearsals and recording sessions in beautiful surroundings, and lots of travelling... Now plenty of exciting projects await this autumn including an album release tour in the US, some work with my musical hero, Roger Wilson, and more UK touring with Robert Harbron and Methera.

In June Björnsdotter • Reid recorded their debut album Rough and Shiny at a beautiful cottage in Östergötland. It will be released in conjunction with their US tour which starts on 10 September. Soon you will be able to buy the album from this site.

A new season of the acoustic concert series Hemma hos Izzy is starting on 28 September. Artists this autumn include the superb singer, guitarist and fiddle player Roger Wilson from England.

Tandoori is currently rehearsing their musical show for children, Miranda and Tellus in a New World. It combines a story featuring the four elemnets with newly composed music by Tandoori member Bengan Jonasson. In october we will be touring schools in Stockholm in collaboration with RFoD and Stockholm County Music.

1 June 2006
NEW CD! Robert Harbron & Emma Reid New Dogs, Old Tricks
Hot off the press - Rob & Emma's new CD - an honest, fresh-sounding collection of traditional and original tunes along with a couple of songs. The material and style reflects Rob & Emma's shared roots in the traditions of the north of England, and the feel is live and upbeat. Now available...

Tuulikki Bartosik & Emma Reid are teaching and performing in South Wales on 10th and 11th June. Check the dates page.

20 April 2006
Sunday 23 April is St. George's day, and this is being celebrated with an English Music Day on BBC Radio 3 from 7am till midnight. Methera will feature in the program England in Ribbons with Verity Sharp, from 10pm till midnight. Other contributors in the program include Hugh Lupton, Martin Carthy, Eliza Carthy, Chris Wood, Robert Harbron, the English Acoustic Collective, John Spiers and Jon Boden, Andy Cutting and Kathryn Tickell. Don't miss it!

May 2006 sees the premier England tours of two duos:

28 April-12 May
Björnsdotter • Reid – traditional Swedish fiddle music. Since their debut US tour in 2004 Alicia and Emma have been performing and teaching regularly on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

15-26 May
House Concerts with Robert Harbron & Emma Reid
In conjunction with the release of their album, Rob & Emma are giving a series of acoustic concerts at local hosts: the perfect chance to hear these artists in a warm and intimate setting. Contact your nearest host for more information.

7 April 2006
New release! Tuulikki Bartosik & Emma Reid Truculent ladies was released in Orsa, Dalecarlia, 1 April 2006.

31 January 2006
Just in time to wish you all a happy New Year! 2006 began with a few wonderful and weird (in that order) days at Celtic Connections in Glasgow. A BIG festival with a BIG vibe! And in the company of BIG people for one intense day of rehearsals... Karen Tweed, Timo Alakotila, Roger Wilson, Elvie Miller, John Dipper, Niall Keegan, Sandra Joyce and Ursula Leveaux. One-off gigs are definately worth it, and so are a couple of gritty fiddle tunes in the bar before catching a flight home at 6am!

Methera is about to embark on their debut England tour. We're only going to the cosiest, friendliest, most intimate venues - a crucial element in our ambition for the music we create to live in the moment. Check out the diary for Feb!

If you've read my previous news you will have noticed my enthusiasm for House Concerts. The last few months have been characterised by sleepless nights conjuring up dreams of setting up an active scene for House Concerts, both in Sweden and England. Well luckily enthusiasm and dreams sow seeds, and 2006 looks to be a year full of House Concerts, yipee! Hemma hos Izzy is a new series of acoustic evenings at Folklore Centrum in Stockholm, run by Izzy Young and myself. We kicked off on the 19th Jan with a café-style setting - Izzy's regular visitors hardly recognised the place! Thanks loads to my dear friends in Ditt Ditt Darium who stepped in at the last minute and made it a night to remember. Thanks also to all those who have expressed their support for a new, informal stage in Stockholm. And...If you're passing through Stockholm on a Thursday night, make a stop at Mariatorget to meet an artist as if in your own living room!

Rob Harbron and I are giving a series of house concerts in Britain in May.

6 November 2005
The latest edition of the Welsh folk magazine Taplas (no. 132, Oct/Nov 2005) includes a feature article entitled
Swedish Passion: Keith Hudson looks at the life of fiddler Emma Reid. In the same magazine, Snake Bow received a very positive review.

2 October 2005
Back in Stockholm in time to greet the autumn colours and the crisp air! Ditt Ditt Darium has been three weeks on the road on their premier tour of the US. A great experience; we gave concerts and workshops to a wide range of audiences at an equally wide range of venues: open-air, folk clubs, theatres, churches, concert halls, radio studios and an old cinema. There often seemed to be new American-Swedish crowds not previously acquainted with traditional music, but who really appreciated a glimpse of their cultural history. We began and ended in Philadelphia, and drove as far west as Madison, Wisconsin, and as far north as Brattleboro, Vermont. On the map these distances look innocent; in the car they are immense! Luckily we stopped off for gigs en route, thanks to the amazing work and skill of Alicia, our very own US tour manager (and our beloved fiddler, viola player and foot-percussionist).

Check out the latest Snake Bow reviews, and the review of Fiddles on Fire at Queen Elizabeth Hall that appeared in The Strad.

This autumn I will be focusing on recording work and expanding my repertoire of English dance tunes. I also hope to find time for a late summer holiday in Northumberland...

30 June 2005
Två has returned from a three-week tour of Minnesota and the northeast coast of America. Plain fiddle duos aren't nearly as common or easily digested in the US as in Sweden, but I think we found some new enthusiasts (after a thorough discussion we also added a couple of songs to our repertoire!). We had a couple of house concerts - my new favourite concert setting. These are intimate concerts in someone's sitting room - the perfect atmosphere for sharing and combining music with coffee and socialising - what more could you desire of an evening?! En route we met many people proud to have four Swedish grandparents (and we both only have two!), swam in many lakes and rivers to escape from the humid heat, had many a good meal and song with our hosts, and heard some great music. Alicia and I are already looking forward to returning in September with the whole of Ditt Ditt Darium.

Next week I will be rehearsing with free-bass accordionist Tuulikki Bartosik towards a recording of Orsa music in the autumn. The CD will be released in 2006 on Sibelius Academy's label - watch this space!

22 May 2005
Back in Stockholm after the incredibly inspiring Folkworks Fiddles on Fire UK tour. Two fantastic weeks in the company of legendary fiddlers; the American Fiddlers 4, Shetland fiddler Catriona Macdonald (one of my first fiddle teachers!), Cathal Hayden of Four Men and a Dog, and Hungarian virtuoso Beáta Salamon.

Read a review of the concert in Penrith and the last gig in Basingstoke.

Watch a video clip from the Basingstoke gig of Fiddlers 4 and myself.

My debut solo album Snake Bow is now released! Thanks to all those who came to The Sage Gateshead and Stallet to celebrate with me. Read more and find out how you can purchase Snake Bow / Ormstråk

Two are about to head off to the USA for a three week tour. Check out the diary dates – more to be added soon!