“savage beauty." ★★★★★ Northern Sky
“tasty fiddling” Folking
Tagline
Louise Bichan: photography and music, inspired by nature and stories of connection
Louise Bichan is a USA-based Scottish musician and photographer who uses both mediums to tell stories old and new. Growing up in the remote but culturally rich Orkney islands, a place where creativity abounds and playing music has been a part of the social fabric for centuries, gave Louise a solid grounding in music.
Masterfully blending traditional and classical arrangements, her music is thoughtful, and complex, curious and playful. She composes in response to her roots and the world around her; weaving through stories of connection, to people, nature, the past and the possibility of the future.
BIOGRAPHY (SHORT)
Louise Bichan is a USA-based Scottish musician and photographer who uses both mediums to tell stories old and new.
Growing up in the remote but culturally rich Orkney islands, a place where creativity abounds and playing music has been a part of the social fabric for centuries, gave Louise a solid grounding in music. She started playing fiddle at the age of 7 after witnessing the magic of live music: “I remember the butterflies in the tummy feeling when watching concerts at the Orkney Folk Festival as a kid, wanting to be a part of it all.” The sense of community and belonging it gave her was infectious; she pestered her parents to let her learn.
In the years since, she has honed her craft, first amongst the cream of Scottish folk at Glasgow’s renowned session scene and performances with talent like Orkney group Fara and award-winning singer-songwriter Rachel Sermanni, before a scholarship to Berklee College of Music, Boston, where she developed her style further.
Masterfully blending traditional and classical arrangements, her music is thoughtful, and complex, curious and playful. She composes in response to her roots and the world around her; weaving through stories of connection, to people, nature, the past and the possibility of the future.
BIOGRAPHY (LONG)
THE LOST SUMMER
Adhyâropa Records
“sophisticated” ★★★★ Jon Bennett, RnR Magazine
"demon fiddling" Ian Anderson, Podwireless
Released 5th April 2024.
Long listed for the 2024 Album of the Year at the Scottish Traditional Music Awards
TOUR
Recent tour highlights
2024
Groton Hill Music Center, Groton MA
The Deane Center for the Performing Arts, Wellsboro PA
Sellersville Theater, Sellersville PA
Avalon Theater, Easton MD (sold out)
The Foundry, West Stockbridge MA (sold out)
Brian O’Donovan Legacy Series at The Burren, Somerville MA
Old Songs, Voorheesville NY
Baltimore Folk Club, Baltimore MD (sold out)
Old South Church, Farmington ME
Acoustic Brew, State College PA
Tolbooth, Stirling, Scotland
Sutherland Sessions, Rogart, Scotland
2023
One Longfellow Square, Portland ME
The Dance Hall, Kittery ME
Seven Stars Arts Center, Sharon VT
Arts at the Armory, Somerville MA
2025
The Gem Theater, Bethel ME (sold out)
Club Passim, Cambridge MA (sold out)
The Word Barn, Exeter NH (sold out)
One Longfellow Square, Portland ME
Artistree, South Pomfret VT
The View Arts Center, Old Forge NY
The Park Theater, Glens Falls NY
Warwick Public Library, Warwick RI
PRESS
Press for The Lost Summer
“One of the very best practitioners of bow and strings” Seuras Og, At the Barrier
“From stately to poignant to capering to charmingly easygoing” Megan Westberg, Strings Magazine
"taking trad material to new places" Stuart Munro, Boston Globe
“captures the beauty of Scotland sonically” Len Holton, From Albion and Beyond
“sophisticated” ★★★★ Jon Bennett, RnR Magazine
"demon fiddling" Ian Anderson, Podwireless
"curious and playful" Cindy Howes, Folk Alley
"grittily majestic groove" Sean Smith, Boston Irish Reporter
"glorious" Jonathan Aird, Americana UK
"crackin’, fantastic stuff” Tim Walker, BBC Radio Lincolnshire
“outstanding, fabulous” Gareth Patterson, Both Sides the Tweed Folk Show
“lilting” Michael Witthaus, The Hippo
“beautiful” Anna Massie, BBC Radio Scotland
“tasty fiddling” Dai Jeffries, Folking
“wonderful” Nick McMaster, Radio Lewes
“a fine set” ★★★ Tim Cumming, Songlines
“terrific” Stephen Ottner, Folk Ace, Kennet Radio
"The fiddle rocks low, and the mandolin laps like surf on the shore" Katherine Abbott, The Berkshire Eagle
“outstanding, fabulous” Gareth Patterson, Both Sides the Tweed Folk Show
“a rich, immersive listening experience” David Noel Edwards, The Berkshire Edge
press for out of My Own Light
"Sketching with sound in a way that is truly cinematic...stately chamber music, evoking travel and turmoil with savage beauty." ★★★★★ Northern Sky
“Powerful and evocative” ★★★★ Sunday Express
"This is a truly beautiful piece of art." ★★★★ Billy Rough, Songlines Magazine
"Wistful and heartfelt." ★★★ Neil Spencer, The Guardian
“builds a musical bridge between memory and motherland and it’s a powerful document.” ★★★★ Louise Gray, New Internationalist
"It's vividly evocative." ★★★ The Independent
“Here's a record to wrong-foot expectations! Captivating." ★★★★ Oz Hardwick, R2
“Vividly expressive and evocative” Sue Wilson, Scotsman
“Evocative chamber-folk” FRoots
"Abstract, emotive and atmospheric" Jim McCourt, The Living Tradition
"A stand out talent" Darol Anger
“dexterous and, big-toned” Jim Gilchrist, The Scotsman
-
Rochester International Jazz Festival, NY, USA
Grotonhill Music Center, MA, USA
The Deane Center, PA, USA
Sellersville Theater, PA, USA
The Gem Theater, ME, USA
Tolbooth, Stirling, Scotland
Sutherland Sessions, Rogart, Scotland
BBC TV’s Hogmanay LiveShow, 2012
Tønder Festival, Denmark
Sony Centre for the Performing Arts (Meridian Hall), Toronto, Canada
Reading Festival BBC Introducing Stage, England
Celtic Connections Festival, Scotland
Hebridean Celtic Festival, Scotland
Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Scotland
Sligo Live Festival, Ireland
Shetland Folk Festival, Scotland
Orkney Folk Festival, Scotland
Union Chapel, London, England
Lorient Interceltique Festival, France
Milwaukee Irish Festival, WI, USA
Freshgrass Festival, MA, USA
Red Wing Roots Music Festival, VA, USA -
2026 Winner of The Dan R MacDonald Memorial Prize for Scottish Fiddle and Best Interpretation of a Robert ‘Red” Mackintosh Fiddle Tune at the 2026 Scottish Performing Arts Classic, as part of the Piccolo Spoleto festival series.
2024 Centennial March (Glen Burnie Lodge) nominated for Original Work of the Year at the Scottish Traditional Music Awards2024 The Lost Summer long listed for Album of the Year at the Scottish Traditional Music Awards
2024 The Spooky Night Cat won an Honourable Mention in the International Songwriting Competition, Instrumental category (top 1% of entries)
2022 Freshgrass Festival & Berklee American Roots Program Bluegrass Concerto commission (with Corner House)
2019 Making Tracks Fellowship
2019 Berklee College of Music String Department Chair Award
2017 Berklee College of Music American Roots Award
2015 Berklee College of Music Worldwide Scholarship Tour Award
2015 BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Award semi-finalist
2005 Ronnie Aim Memorial Prize for composition -
Sigrid Sibly Old Faithful Dreams 2025
Liz Simmons Wander Free (single) 2024
Louise Bichan The Lost Summer (Adhyâropa Records) 2024
Hildaland Sule Skerry (Adhyâropa Records) 2023
Ethan Setiawan Gambit (Adhyâropa Records) 2023
Corner House How Beautiful It's Been 2022
Corner House Caribou Party 2021
Between Islands Between Islands 2020
Bellwether EP 2020
Making Tracks 2019 Live Tour 2020
Martin Butler Poems and Songs from the Woodlands Edge 2020
Louise Bichan & Ethan Setiawan Self Titled EP 2019
Peter Eldridge, Kenny Werner Somewhere (Rosebud Music) 2019
Corner House Smart Folks 2019
Corner House Corner House 2018
Various Un-Herd Volume 61 2017
Louise Bichan Out of My Own Light 2016
Orkney Folk Festival Fiddle Gathering 2016
Fara EP 2014
God Help The Girl God Help The Girl (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Milan) 2014
Richy Carey All at Sea 2013
French Wives Dreams of the Inbetween (Electric Honey) 2012
Rachel Sermanni Underneath Mountains (Middle of Nowhere) 2012, Eggshells single (Middle of Nowhere) 2012, Blackcurrents (Middle of Nowhere) 2012, Bothy Sessions (Middle of Nowhere) 2011
Skalder Cora 2009
Hadhirgaan Keep it Up 2003
PROJECTS
Spring 2024 saw the release of (Scottish Trad Music Awards Album of the Year long-listed) The Lost Summer (Adyhâropa Records) a new record of instrumentals, featuring Ethan Setiawan on mandolins, Brendan Hearn on cello and Conor Hearn on guitar, with special guest musicians Jennifer Austin in piano, Alice Tait on fiddle, Ali Levack on whistle, Brad Kolodner on claw hamme banjo, Simon Chrisman on hammered dulcimer and Dan Klingsberg on double bass.
THE LOST SUMMER
Album released on the 5th April 2024
Louise's first release depicts the story of Margaret Tait's 1950 voyage to Canada and back, in order to decide between two suitors. Retracing her steps, some 60 years later, Louise tells the story of her late Grandmother through original music, photography and video. Featuring Su-a Lee on cello, Jennifer Austin on piano, Mike Vass on fiddle and tenor guitar, Signy Jacobsdottir on percussion and Duncan Lyall on double bass, the album was engineered and produced by Angus Lyon.
outofmyownlight.com
OUT OF MY OWN LIGHT
Album released 2nd December 2016
Live
Louise Bichan
Louise performs with Ethan Setiawan on mandolin and octave mandolin, Brendan Hearn on cello and Conor Hearn on guitar. The story of Louise’s grandmother’s journey across Canada to decide between 2 marriage proposals (as depicted in Louise’s album Out Of My Own Light) is told throughout the show, with lively new music from The Lost Summer included as well. 2 sets are generally preferred, as the audience gets left on a cliffhanger after the 1st set! Louise appreciates the ability to project imagery from Out Of My Own Light where possible.
Music and Stories from Scotland
Join Orkney fiddler and photographer Louise Bichan as she embarks on a unique musical and sentimental journey, between her native northern Scottish isles and coast-to-coast Canada, in the footsteps of her late paternal grandmother Margaret, née Tait (1925-2008). With a dilemma of the heart to solve, Tait, herself a beautiful singer, spent six months in Canada in 1950, before returning to Orkney to wed.
Now carving her own path in New England’s vibrant music scene, Bichan released her second record, The Lost Summer this spring. She takes to the road with Conor Hearn playing guitar, Brendan Hearn on cello, and Ethan Setiawan on mandolins, to present an evening of lively fiddle tunes from Scotland and beyond, weaving through stories of connection, to people, nature, the past and the possibility of the future.
Show blurb
Festival set
Performing with Ethan Setiawan on mandolin and octave mandolin, Brendan Hearn on cello and Conor Hearn on guitar, Louise offers a lively festival set. Featuring music from The Lost Summer, Out of My Own Light, and brand-new material, the band are ready to entice festival audiences to their feet!
Spooky Tunes, songs, & tales from Scotland
All Hallows’ Eve
Louise performs with her usual band comprising Ethan, Brendan and Conor and special guests can be added, depending on the venue and financial possibilities. In 2025 guests included fiddlers Katie McNally and Hannah Rose Baker, and pianist Neil Pearlman. Featuring folk tales, stories of Scottish traditions and field recordings from the School of Scottish Studies, as well as murder ballads and tunes of a spooky nature. 2026 will see the release of a new record of this material.
This show is also adaptable to any time of year.
Orkney, Scotland fiddler Louise Bichan presents a performance of Halloween music and fun from the Celtic Isles. Featuring Samhain traditions, folk tales and songs of trowies, sea serpents, and selkies. Come as yourself or disguised in your best costume to fool the evil spirits, and bring your most frighteningly carved neep (turnip) or pumpkin to win a prize! Children are welcome, however the show contains a handful of murder ballads (as any respectable folk show does).
SHOW BLURB
“This is the best way to spend All Hallows Eve!! Music, murder ballads, and all things weird”
AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
“What a treat!”
“This show is something we decided to come to on a whim and is the BEST surprise. Thank you for sharing your art with the world.”
“What a delight!”
“We love your music, and we love your innovative jazzy numbers”
CONNECT
Resounding Strategies
Kevin Garcia
kevin@resoundingstrategies.com
+1-(718)-813-5347
Booking
UK
Innes & Campbell Communications
Hannah Innes
hannah@innesandcampbell.co.uk
PRESS
Us
McGuckin Entertainment PR
Heidi Labensart
heidi@mcguckinpr.com
LABEL
Adhyâropa Records
Joe Brent
adhyaroparecords@gmail.com
FOLLOWING
MAILING LIST
~800
~2100
~3550
TIKTOK
~1050
DOWNLOADS
Louise would love the ability to project video and images during the show, should that be a possibility. Ideally, imagery could be projected over the heads of the band, who would be standing for the performance. A laptop could be provided, to play the videos from, or a USB drive with the necessary files.
TECH RIDER
IMAGES
Please only use images from this folder in advertising etc. Any other images found online are not permissible, unless otherwise approved by Louise.
Thank you!
Customizable posters in various formats are available to download from this link.
Poster blanks
MEDIA
PHOTOS
VIDEO
