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Leaf Music and Bela String Quartet present their latest EP 

(Halifax/Kjipuktuk, NS) Leaf Music and Bela String Quartet announce the March 28 release of their new EP (LM2047). 

Sharing with its release title, Bela String Quartet presents a collection of Nordic folk melodies reimagined through the lens of classical and folk traditions. Inspired by the Danish String Quartet’s celebrated collections Wood Works and Last Leaf, this EP captures the joy, camaraderie, and timeless beauty of traditional Nordic tunes. They recorded three beloved arrangements by the Danish String Quartet: Waltz after Lasse in Lyby, Stædelil, and Sønderho Bridal Trilogy, Pt. 2 at the St. George’s Round Church, a National Historic Site built in 1812.

From left to right: Catherine Little (cello), Anna Wedlock (violin), Carrie VanSlyke (viola), Anthony Rissesco (violin) 

For over a decade, the Bela String Quartet has delighted audiences across Canada’s East Coast. They blend their diverse musical backgrounds to create heartfelt and refined performances. 

Anna Wedlock is a fiddler and violinist. She’s collaborated with many pop and folk artists, including India Gailey, Cassie Josephine, and The Big Country Ramblers. As the leader of the Bela String Quartet, Anna has arranged and performed work with Terra Spencer, Jenn Grant, and Gianna Lauren. She lives in Halifax with her partner and dog.  

Anthony Rissesco is a versatile violin player and teacher who tours regularly with award-winning singer-songwriter Lennie Gallant and with roots-rock band Pogey. As a member of the neo-traditional trio Papilio, Anthony has garnered ECMA and Nova Scotia Music Awards nominations. He is also a member of the popular Halifax band The Gig Dogs. Anthony has played with Symphony Nova Scotia, Anne Murray, and Peggy Seeger. 

Carrie VanSlyke is a classical violist who has performed worldwide, from the Sydney Opera House to Aspen and Banff Music Festivals. A regular with Symphony Nova Scotia since 2014, she has collaborated with Rod Stewart, Nelly Furtado, and Weezer. She relocated to Nashville after over a decade in Nova Scotia. Carrie holds Viola Performance degrees from the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati and McGill University. 

Nova Scotia-born cellist Catherine Little is dedicated to bridging classical music with diverse audiences. She has performed with Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Symphony Nova Scotia, and the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia. As part of Trio KLM, she engages her audiences by performing arrangements of classical greats, as well as well-loved pop and rock. Catherine’s discography includes two albums with pianist Gregory Myra – the 2022 Nova Scotia Music Award-winning “Taking Five” (2021) and “Light & Dark” (2024). Catherine holds an Honours Bachelor of Music degree from Wilfrid Laurier University (2007) and a Master’s in Music Performance from the Université de Montréal (2010). 

Leaf Music is an independent recording label based in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Nashville, Tennessee, making and distributing high-quality classical music recordings by artists and composers across North America. Our growing catalogue of solo, orchestral, and chamber music is distributed by Naxos of America to the world’s most important music retailers, download providers, and streaming services. Leaf is also a provider of professional audio and video production, post-production services and integrated music marketing and distribution in Canada. 

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MEDIA CONTACT: 

For more information/photos or to arrange interviews, please contact Peggy Walt,   

peggy@leaf-music.ca 

(902) 422-5403 (office) or (902) 476-1096 (cell). 

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Leaf Music and Skye Consort with Emma Björling Present “Ode & Ballade”

(Halifax/Kjipuktuk, NS) Leaf Music and trans-Atlantic chamber folk ensemble Skye Consort & Emma Björling announce the launch of Ode & Ballade (LM287), available May 17 in both digital and physical versions. Ode & Ballade by Skye Consort & Emma Björling presents stories of medieval saints and sacred wells, fair maidens outsmarting presumptuous knights, beautiful or boisterous drinking songs, thieves meeting their fate, heartbreaking love songs, groovy dance tunes, and celebrations of the return of Spring. The album combines elements from world music and classical traditions to narrate poems, tales, legends, and sonnets from Sweden, Ireland, Scotland, France and more. 

Skye Consort & Emma Björling (skyeconsort.org) was formed in 1999 to bring an art-music aesthetic to the folk music of different world traditions. The ensemble performs music from Scandinavia, Ireland and the British Isles, French Canada, and tunes of their own devising. They find enchanting stories and melodies, bringing them into the 21st century with worldly chamber-folk settings. The band has performed and toured extensively with various collaborators and released seven full-length albums. In November and December of 2018, in collaboration with Emma Björling, Skye Consort created a new repertoire sourced from Scandinavian, Québecois, and Celtic roots. Skye Consort & Emma Björling won the OPUS award for Best World Music Album 2019.  

Ode & Ballade features Emma Björling (lead voice, percussion), Seán Dagher (lead voice, Irish bouzouki, banjo), Amanda Keesmaat (cello, voice), Alex Kehler (nyckelharpa, violin, voice) and Simon Alexandre (nyckelharpa, violin, voice). The musicians sing in three languages (Swedish, French, English), and the words “ode” and “ballade” resonate with meaning in all three: poem, song, tale, sonnet, folly, chant, and dance. The music of this album combines elements from world music and classical traditions to offer audiences thoughtful arrangements and creative compositions: a Swedish Polska accompanied by Québec foot percussion and 18th-century Scottish-style chords, a French song with Norwegian-sounding interludes between the verses, a Purcell/Playford-style dance tune with Swedish texts and accompanied on the banjo. 

The album was recorded in July and August of 2023 at Alchemist Studio in Montreal, with recording, editing, and mixing by Stratsimir Dimitrov and Jeremy VanSlyke as Executive Producer. The recording was produced with assistance from the Canada Council for the Arts.

Leaf Music is an independent recording label based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, making and distributing high-quality classical music recordings by artists and composers from across Canada. Our growing catalogue of solo, orchestral, and chamber music is distributed by Naxos of America to the world’s most important music retailers, download providers, and streaming services. Leaf is also a provider of professional audio and video production, post-production services and integrated music marketing and distribution in Canada.

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MEDIA CONTACT: 

For more information/photos or to arrange interviews, please contact Peggy Walt,  peggy@leaf-music.ca (902) 422-5403 (office) or (902) 476-1096 (cell).