Aerialists

Aerialists is a JUNO-nominated neo-trad quintet that alchemizes deep roots in Scottish, Irish, and Nordic folk traditions with post-rock influences into a sound that's ethereal yet precise, technical yet visceral. Formed nearly a decade ago at Berklee College of Music by harpist Màiri Chaimbeul from Scotland's Isle of Skye, fiddler Elise Boeur, and guitarist Adam Iredale-Gray, the band has toured extensively across Canada, the US, the UK and Europe since debuting in 2014. Màiri Chaimbeul is a native Gaelic speaker and in-demand harp player throughout North America and Europe, known for her distinctive improvising voice and expressive rhythmic sensibility. Fiddler Elise Boeur's extensive work as a touring sideperson with songwriters shaped her sonic sensitivity and impressionistic approach, while living in Telemark studying Nordic fiddle grounded her music in tradition. They fit best with the beautifully contradictory term "prog-trad," melding ferociously creative harmonic sensibilities with a deep love of folk traditions. October 2024 saw the release of their album "I Lost My Heart On Friday." Their 2020 album "Dear Sienna" further evolved the band's hybrid sound and centered the addition of vocals, with lyrics in English, Swedish, and Scottish Gaelic. They were nominated for a 2019 JUNO Award for Instrumental Album of the Year, and a 2018 Canadian Folk Music Award for Emerging Artist of the Year. "Dear Sienna" won the Canadian Folk Music Award for Pushing The Boundaries and received a nomination for Roots Artist of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards. Canadian highlights include Vancouver Folk Festival, Vancouver Jazz Festival, Kaslo Jazz Festival, Hillside Festival, Northern Lights Festival Boréal, and Deep Roots Festival.

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