The Cumbrian Duo
Biography The Cumbrian Duo
Ed Heslam
is a classical guitarist with a keen interest in the music of Cumberland and Westmorland. Born in Cumberland, he moved away to work in the West Country only to return in 2012. He was Head of Music in a number of West Country schools. His interests in guitar music include classical, renaissance music and folk. Since his return to Cumbria he has been researching the music and history of the area and performing his own arrangements of old Cumbrian tunes copied from the original manuscripts held in local archives. The current on-going project is to arrange old local music for the solo guitar and for guitar/harp duet.
Jean Altshuler
is from America, graduating from Oberlin Conservatory on a harp scholarship. She has played with orchestras in Oklahoma and Nashville and also on the country music scene. Since moving to the Lake District, Jean has explored the wealth of Celtic music. She is also a founder of Harps Northwest and teaches the harp. Since meeting Ed, she has enjoyed learning and playing Ed’s arrangements of Cumberland and Westmorland music.
