Wielding a sound that would turn classical music scholars to stone, these four folk musicians are reimagining the Western string quartet. By inviting back voices previously regarded as too ugly for “polite society,” Medusa tempts us to redefine what is beautiful.

With their self-titled debut album, nominated for a 2024 CFMA award, Medusa’s dynamic arrangement style cross-pollinates the sounds of global traditions with original tunes. They draw on their combined expertise in Middle Eastern, Scandinavian, Celtic, Appalachian, Eastern European and classical music, weaving connections between them to create something entirely unique. The band aims to connect audiences across dividing lines of culture and identity to reveal the common threads beneath.

Capable of making you stomp your feet and cry in the same set, UK-born Saskia Tomkins is responsible for “Celt-ifying” the hit musical “Come From Away.” She is an All-Britain Champion Irish Fiddler, and in 2022 received an award for services to Irish Music in Canada. Saskia was the official Artist in Residence in 2022 with Folk Alliance International, and is currently Artist in Residence with The Mixed Museum (Britain), which works to preserve and share the social history of racial mixing of Black and ethnic minorities for future generations. 

Marta Solek, from Poland, is the first person to hold a Master’s Degree in the Suka and Płock fiddle. She was essential in the creation of a folk music revival program at the Krakow Music Academy and was a part of the reconstruction of these unique traditional instruments. She also travelled to Pakistan to learn fiddle techniques that were forgotten in her home country of Poland. 

A powerhouse groover and innovative educator, Lea Kirstein is the founder of “World on a String” - a Toronto fiddle community that values inclusivity and celebrates different learning styles. She is a master musical arranger, and is currently creating a Fiddle Workbook for students of all brains and abilities. Georgia Hathaway has travelled to Zanzibar to learn Arabic traditional music and is known for taking audiences to outer space with their improvisations. They have also studied Klezmer and Eastern European music, and effortlessly blend many folk traditions. 

For these four seasoned string players, Medusa is a refuge for natural creation. Their electrifying connection is transmuted through a common string language, a love of enigmatic and obscure folk fiddles, and their personal stories of navigating society’s liminal spaces. One of the most misunderstood figures in ancient mythology, Medusa was wrongfully punished and shunned for being the victim of a violent act, but is remembered solely for her frightful ugliness and lithifying gaze. Through their personal narratives of alienation due to racism, sexism, immigration, queerness, and disability, Medusa the band aims to retell this story by bringing back instruments that were cast out. One of the instruments’ names is, quite literally, a derogatory word for women. Instead of a snake-haired Gorgon, they see Medusa as a symbol of vision, power, and inclusivity, and a source of inspiration for anyone who has been denied their true self.