Sheila Chandra first found fame as an actress - in Grange Hill - but I heard her first performing an astonishing piece of mouth-music inspired by tabla playing. That was 15 years ago, and she has continued to follow her own path musically, exploring aspects of Asian and European vocal traditions en route. Her fascination with drones has brought her close to the piping traditions of Scotland, and she had a great success with her recording of McCrimmond's Lament. Her performance at East Neuk Festival contributes to a mini-strand of contrasting vocal traditions - the others being English (The Orlando Consort and Tuvan (Huun Huur Tu). They are programmed to complement and contrast with each other.
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