Tania Opland

With so much to choose from - songs, dulcimer, violin, recorders, hurdy-gurdy; solo, duet, trio, quartet; Irish, Scottish, eastern European, medieval or renaissance music - you'll just have to talk with Tania about what you have in mind.

Fourty self-employed years doing a mixture of concert and private work have honed a solid, dependable, ego-free professionalism.

If you give her free rein for a concert, you'll get a tapestry of melodic and lyrical textures blending intriguing cross-cultural influences, from soaring melodies on a solo instrument to powerful vocals backed by solid rhythm guitar or intricate fingerpicking. Her repertoire starts from a base in the traditional musics of North America and the British Isles, spreads through most of Northern Europe and touches on other cultures around the globe. Her array of musical instruments includes an unusual five-string violin/viola, cittern (or octave mandolin), hammered dulcimer, ocarina and hurdy-gurdy, along with more common instruments such as guitar, recorder, and, of course, voice.

These days, most of her time is spent touring with music partner and husband Mike Freeman, but when their travel schedules diverge from time to time, she steps easily back into solo performances. They can also kick up the powerhouse quotient by joining forces with formidable duo William Pint and Felicia Dale - usually around St Pat's and the Winter holiday season.

Tania Opland - born and raised in Alaska and now often found in western Washington, in southeast Ireland, and on the road - has recorded four solo albums to date, to excellent reviews in acoustic music magazines on both sides of the Atlantic. She also has a duo album with her husband/music partner Mike Freeman, and two collaborations with Freeman and award-winning author Anne McCaffrey.

Tania has been touring and recording for four decades, and has appeared on radio and television in the U.S., Canada, Russia, Uzbekistan, Scotland, Ireland and England. She began her performing career as a break from undergraduate programs in engineering and physics. Her initial goal was simply to get by without a day job for a year and focus exclusively on making music. Fourty years later, after recording seven albums, keeping up a transatlantic touring schedule for thirty years, appearing on radio and television in seven countries, and winning fans around the globe, it can safely be said that she has exceeded her expectations (though the degrees remain unfinished).