Extraordinary instruments and heartwarming music rooted in Nordic and Celtic traditions.
Science tells us that cross pollination can result in hybrid vigor that transcends the sum of its parts. In a parallel vein, the vibrant West Coast traditional music community has given birth to the New World String Project. Four highly skilled and well known multi-instrumentalists – John Weed, Aryeh Frankfurter, Lisa Lynne, and Stuart Mason – have joined forces to create an exciting weave of music rooted in the Celtic, Nordic and American folk traditions. Ancient and modern sounds mingle freely on Swedish nyckelharpa, Celtic harp, fiddle, guitar, cittern, mandola and more. Join the New World String Project for a musical ride that will shake your boots, uplift your spirit, and warm your heart.
John Weed is a traditional-style fiddler who has spent the last 20 years learning and teaching various fiddle styles. As a classically trained violinist, he expertly leverages his understanding of the instrument to coax emotion from every tune. John has lived in Ireland and immersed himself in the regional styles of Clare and Donegal and has returned several times to hone his skills and collect tunes at their source. An accomplished fiddler across genres with an affinity for American fiddle styles, John explores the connections between Irish, Scottish, and old time fiddle. The result is a fiddling style that compliments his forays into bluegrass, Appalachian, swing, and Scandinavian music. John is the fiddler for Molly’s Revenge and tours with Story Road, Little Black Train, in a duo with Stuart Mason, and has performed on festival stages from Scotland to Australia to Shanghai, as well as in many of the United States.
Aryeh Frankfurter’s musical endeavors began at the age of three when he undertook classical training on the violin. His musical development led him to explore various ethnic and international musical genres, particularly Celtic folk music, and at the age of fifteen he discovered the Celtic harp which has become the focal point of his musical inspiration and expression. In addition, Aryeh taught himself to play a variety of instruments including electric violin, viola, cello, guitar, cittern, mandolin, lap and hammered dulcimers, bowed and plucked psaltry, penny whistle, baroque flute, recorder, and more recently the Swedish Nyckelharpa. He works full time as both a performer and audio engineer. He has 18 albums to his credit and two books. He tours full time as a solo artist and also with Lisa Lynne, Patrick Ball, and the Windham Hill Winter Solstice Tours.
Lisa Lynne is a multi-instrumentalist who has gained worldwide recognition for her original music featuring the Celtic Harp. She is widely acclaimed for composing memorable and heartwarming melodies on the Windham Hiill/Sony music labels that have repeatedly placed in the Top 10 and Top 20 on the Billboard New age music charts. Lisa tours year round performing at US festivals and performing art centers. Her work in therapeutic music has gained recognition from NBC, CNN, Fox News Atlanta, and numerous newspaper and magazine articles including Wall Street Journal. Lisa’s music is heard throughout the award winning PBS special “Alone in the Wilderness,” and in other television and film soundtracks. She performs regularly as a solo artist, and also with Aryeh Frankfurter, Patrick Ball, and the Windham Hill tours. She was recently named one of the 50 most inspiring women by Los Angeles Magazine.
Veteran artist Stuart Mason is known for his authentic vocals and nimble skills on guitar, mandola, and clawhammer banjo and has been collecting, performing, and teaching traditional music for over 40 years. He has appeared on stage from Ireland to China performing Celtic, old-time bluegrass, and his original compositions which have won awards from the West Coast Songwriters Association. He has also won awards for traditional singing from the Goleta Old-Time Fiddler’s Convention and mandola performance at the Topanga Banjo and Fiddle Contest. Stuart is a member of the Celtic band Molly’s Revenge and has performed at festivals in China, Scotland, Ireland, and in many of the United States. Stuart teaches at various workshops and music camps and tours with old-time bluegrass band Little Black Train, singer Colleen Raney, Celtic band Story Road, and in a duo with fiddler John Weed.
Additional Sights and Sounds
For more information about the New World String Project, please visit the group website newworldstringproject.com and their individual websites: stuartmasonmusic.com lisalynne.com lionharp.com
Here is the jam that got this group started as they realized that something special was happening: youtube.com/watch?v=Cp4Fpir-H9Q
A video showcasing Aryeh Frankfurter and Lisa Lynne and the variety of instruments they play: youtube.com/watch?v=ojdHUOKSYhM
House Concert Details
SLO House Concerts are by invitation and reservation only. Please click here to request an invitation and indicate how many seats you would like to reserve. We will then send you an email with directions and other helpful information.
7:00pm show: Doors open at 6:30pm. Concert starts at 7:00pm.
Suggested donation: $20. ALL of the money goes directly to the performers.
SLO House Concerts 