String Sisters are a Grammy long-listed folk supergroup

Supergroup (music)

In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....

 made up six of the world's leading female fiddlers.

Formation

In January 1998 at the world-renowned Celtic Connections

Celtic Connections

The Celtic Connections festival started in 1994 in Glasgow, Scotland, and has since been held every January. Featuring over 300 concerts, ceilidhs, talks, free events, late night sessions and workshops, the festival focuses on the roots of traditional Scottish music and also features international...

 festival in Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, Shetland

Shetland Islands

Shetland is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north and east of mainland Great Britain. The islands lie some to the northeast of Orkney and southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total...

 fiddler Catriona MacDonald

Catriona MacDonald

Catriona McDonald is a musician and teacher from Shetland and is considered to be one of the world's leading traditional fiddle players.- Background :...

 was commissioned to assemble the world's leading female fiddlers. Macdonald brought together friends and collaborators from Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, USA, Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 and Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 to perform the festival's biggest concert of that year. Catriona arranged the concert set with fellow fiddle players Annbjørg Lien

Annbjørg Lien

Annbjørg Lien is a Norwegian musician. She plays the hardingfele , violin, and nyckelharpa....

, Liz Knowles, Catriona MacDonald

Catriona MacDonald

Catriona McDonald is a musician and teacher from Shetland and is considered to be one of the world's leading traditional fiddle players.- Background :...

, Liz Carroll

Liz Carroll

Liz Carroll is an Irish-American musician. She was born in Chicago of Irish parents. In 1974 she won the All-Ireland under 18 fiddle championship. The next year she won the All-Ireland Senior Fiddle Championship....

, Emma Härdelin

Emma Härdelin

Emma Härdelin is a Swedish musician. She is a violinist and lead singer in folk-rock band Garmarna, which she joined in 1993 for their first album, and also lead singer for the folk band Triakel....

 and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh

Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh

Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh is an Irish fiddler and the lead vocalist for the Irish traditional band Altan.-Biography:Ní Mhaonaigh grew up in Gweedore , County Donegal, on the northwest coast of Ireland....

, who also provides vocals for the group.

Recording career

It wasn't until 2005 that the name String Sisters was penned. Until then, the group members could not be together at once due to their solo careers, Mairéad's work with Altan and Liz Carroll's work with John Doyle

John Doyle (musician)

John Doyle is an Irish musician and songwriter. For four years he served as acoustic guitarist with the Irish/American band Solas. He is now an active solo artist...

. Almost seven years later, the group commenced a Norwegian tour, recording its début album and DVD, Live.

String Sisters toured throughout 2009, and are currently working on a new album.

"Sisters"

• Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh
  Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh
  Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh is an Irish fiddler and the lead vocalist for the Irish traditional band Altan.-Biography:Ní Mhaonaigh grew up in Gweedore , County Donegal, on the northwest coast of Ireland....
  
   — Irish fiddle, vocals (Ireland)
• Annbjørg Lien
  Annbjørg Lien
  Annbjørg Lien is a Norwegian musician. She plays the hardingfele , violin, and nyckelharpa....
  
   — Hardanger Fiddle (Norway)
• Liz Knowles — fiddle (USA)
• Catriona MacDonald
  Catriona MacDonald
  Catriona McDonald is a musician and teacher from Shetland and is considered to be one of the world's leading traditional fiddle players.- Background :...
  
   — fiddle (Shetland, Scotland)
• Liz Carroll
  Liz Carroll
  Liz Carroll is an Irish-American musician. She was born in Chicago of Irish parents. In 1974 she won the All-Ireland under 18 fiddle championship. The next year she won the All-Ireland Senior Fiddle Championship....
  
   — fiddle (USA)
• Emma Härdelin
  Emma Härdelin
  Emma Härdelin is a Swedish musician. She is a violinist and lead singer in folk-rock band Garmarna, which she joined in 1993 for their first album, and also lead singer for the folk band Triakel....
  
  — Fiddle, vocals (Sweden)

"Misters"

• David Milligan — piano (Scotland)
• Tore Bruvoll — guitar (Norway)
• Conrad Molleson — bas (Scotland)
• James Mackintosh — drums (Scotland)

External links

• Official Facebook page
• Official website (under construction)