New Voices: Madeleine Stewart

Madeleine Stewart is a fiddle player who has made her home in Glasgow in the last decade, originally from New England and its Scottish, Irish and contra dance traditions. Her interest in genres outside trad is reflected in the range of bands she has played in: The Routes Quartet (string quartet playing trad tunes), Swinging on Birches (original songs and tunes), Eriska (trad/rock fusion) and her own trio (modern trad instrumental). Her emotive compositions weave through these influences to create a highly personal musical voice.

Madeleine’s New Voices work marks the start of a new musical chapter for her, as her first commission and opportunity to develop her own voice. The music takes us on a personal journey navigating the highs and lows of her life of the last few years, including the challenge of becoming a citizen in the country which has become her home, dealing with depression, and building the friendships which are at the heart of her music. She will be joined in performance by some of these friends, and with them she will explore improvisation and its incorporation in fiddle tunes as a means to communicate and evoke emotion.