MEDUSA

Medusa is a chamber-folk band that blends the Western string quartet with Polish knee fiddles, Greek lira, and Swedish Nyckelharpa. We weave together Eastern European, Scandinavian, Celtic, and Middle Eastern sounds to create something entirely new. 

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One of the most misunderstood figures in mythology, Medusa has been known for her frightful ugliness, and her lithifying gaze. In fact, Medusa was wrongfully punished and cast out for being the victim of a violent act. 

 

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The instruments we play, in addition to violin, viola, and cello, are traditional bowed fiddles that were rejected for centuries in their home countries of Poland and Sweden, their sounds considered too ugly for polite audiences. 

 

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Our band was formed during the pandemic, a time when the whole world was forced to stop, look within, and shed old skin. Instead of a snake-haired Gorgon, we see Medusa as a symbol of vision, power, and inclusivity, and a source of inspiration for anyone who has been denied their true self.

 

Medusa is Georgia Hathaway (they/them, violin), Lea Kirstein (she/they, viola, cello), Marta Solek (she/her, Polish knee fiddles, Greek lira, cello), and Saskia Tomkins (she/her, Nyckelharpa, violin).