Vermont based duo, Rachel Clemente – member of harp duo Two Shores and US National Scottish Harp champion (’16) – and Dan Houghton – member of Cantrip, Pipers’ Den and former member of Salsa Celtica – bring together an unlikely pairing of bagpipes and harp. While firmly rooted in the fertile ground of Scottish traditional music, their gritty, avant-garde musical interpretations put them at the forefront of Celtic folk musicians in New England. They are both avid tunesmiths and their repertoire reflects this as it features many original compositions as well as traditional melodies.

Aura Shards is a new experimental fusion project based in Brattleboro, Vermont. The group consists of Anders Burrows, primarily on handpan, and Jed Blume, primarily on tabla.

The instrumental music created by this combination of sounds is a blend and balance of Eastern and Western approaches. The tabla, rooted in the Indian classical tradition, has a rich heritage and lineage dating back thousands of years. Tabla are used to lay down complex rhythmic cycles and embellishing accompaniment. Playing melodic lines over these cycles, the handpan (also known as a Hang drum, a recent Swiss invention dating back to the turn of the twenty-first century) is a new age instrument with a crisp tonal timbre that evokes trance-like, ethereal reverberations.

Both of these instruments utilize rhythmic and tonal elements, creating a sound-scape that rivals a full ensemble of instruments. The original compositions of Aura Shards span across genres, and appeal to audiences with a wide variety of musical tastes.

Masks are required when moving about the space.