At the crossroads of South American folk music and Northern Americana you will find Acoustic Nomads, a band of rising stars taking the acoustic music scene by storm. Acoustic Nomads interweaves contemporary improvisation and newgrass with folkloric traditions from North and South America, with influences spanning from Appalachia to Argentina. The band's unique sound is a result of the players harnessing these varied musical interests and joyously exploring uncharted musical territory together. Since forming in 2019, Acoustic Nomads has headlined performances at WBUR Cityspace in Boston, Club Passim in Cambridge, Hartford’s Baby Grand Jazz Series, Arts at the Armory in Somerville, Barnarts’ Feast & Field Series in Barnard VT, and performed at major bluegrass festivals including Freshgrass, Grey Fox, and Joe Val. Their performances maintain the spirit of folkloric music while delving into modern jazz improvisation and sophisticated chamber music arrangements, showing how different cultures can come together and join in the celebration of humanity through art.

Ethan Setiawan & Fine Ground is visually a bluegrass band. Born of a yearning to return to bluegrass roots, Fine Ground takes time-honored traditions and imbues them with original tunes and exceptional songwriting. The band includes Setiawan on mandolin, BB Bowness on banjo, Julian Pinelli on fiddle, Alex Rubin on guitar, and Brittany Karlson on bass.

Bluegrass quartet who met while studying at Berklee College of Music.
“Annoyingly talented” - Louise Bichan

Orkney (Scotland) born fiddler Louise Bichan and Indiana (USA) mandolinist Ethan Setiawan present a collaboration and meeting of their musical worlds in Hildaland. A path steeped in the fiddle traditions of their respective sides of the Atlantic, the journey taken wends through Scottish, oldtime, and Swedish inspired music intertwined with contemporary compositions. Bichan’s fiddle is a melodic foil to Setiawan’s counterpoint and harmonic depth, and the two weave in and out seamlessly.

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