Blue Mountains News

Frenetic Bulgarian dances, haunting Appalachian twangs, droning Irish reels, Swedish polskas and songs that speak into existence the ephemeral mysteries of life, all effortlessly yet meticulously woven together by the vast shared history of the fiddle and accordion as musical companions. This irresistible Canadian-Australian collaboration shape-shifts between traditions, occasionally to the point that the instruments themselves transform; a fiddle to viol d’amore or fretless guitar, an accordion to modular synthesiser, all driven by the infectious clatter, thunder and swish of a drum that serves as both a trampoline for the imagination and morse code from the brain to the body.

After first meeting at the infamous Stringmania Camp in 2018, Warbuton Australia, this highly anticipated collaboration has finally come to fruition (after the unavoidable pandemic delay). In August of 2023 Emily-Rose and Jaron spent time in Toronto, recording, composing, performing and scheming.

More about Jaron

Reared in the mountains of Canada’s northwest, and steeped in study under the great traditional musicians of India, Scandinavia, Siberia, and Bulgaria, Jaron Freeman-Fox forms a new narrative of what the violin is capable of, and compels the listener to take his unique refraction of world music on it’s own terms.

Jaron’s singular style was encouraged from an early age as an apprentice of Canada’s renowned fiddle pioneer, the late Oliver Shroer who’s violin Jaron still plays.

Jaron went on to study Carnatic classical music in South India, hardanger fiddle in Norway, Morin Khuur in Mongolia, and Gadulka in Bulgaria. Synthesizing his myriad influences, Jaron’s own band Jaron Freeman-Fox & The Opposite of Everything, toured tirelessly from 2011-2017 across North America, Eastern and Western Europe, Asia and Australia.

The band’s self-titled album garnered 3 Canadian folk Music Awards, the instrumental category for the Independent Music Awards and the International Songwriting Contest.  Since receiving the the KM Hunter Award for excellence in Music, in 2017, Jaron has been busy producing records for many projects including his own, while developing a new repertoire and electro-acoustic performance environment, based around his customized 12-string viola d’amore and fretless guitar.

More about Emily-Rose

Emily-Rose Sarkova is one of Australia’s most vivacious musical chameleons. Her songs and soundscapes are a kaleidoscope dream of contemporary folk, where songwriting meets world jazz and electro-acoustic experiments. 

Most recently a finalist in the prestigious Art Music Awards Best Jazz Work for her album ‘Upon These Open Skins’ with ‘Emily-Rose & The Wild Things’, Emily-Rose’s music is always highly crafted and boundary pushing. She graduated from Sydney Conservatorium in classical piano (2010) having studied in Germany on a Baden-Wurtenburg scholarship, and in France with renowned professor John Paul Sevilla. In expanding her instrumental palette to include accordion, bandoneon, synthesisers and voice, her co-creation and management of several musical groups have included: Tango group ‘Tángalo’, who received a 2014 Australia Council for the Arts JUMP mentorship, allowing Emily-Rose to study in Argentina, and tour with Latin Grammy nominated “Duo Ramirez-Satorre”, and world-music project ‘Chaika’, whose third studio album ‘Arrow’ was nominated for the 2019 ARIA Best World Music Album. 

VENUE: KATOOMBA LIGHTHOUSE
126 Victoria St, Katoomba, Blue Mountains NSW 278

Katoomba Lighthouse is a family friendly venue!
*Minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian and supervised. This is a “listening space” concert and it is at carer’s discretion as to whether the minor can maintain this requirement for the performance so that it is a respectful environment for the performer and guests. Minors do require a standard ticket for entry.

Please note that Katoomba Lighthouse is a smoke/drug/alcohol free zone.
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Ticket Link: here