TWO outstanding musicians, whose repertoires span the classical and folk worlds, harpist Catrin Finch and violinist Aoife Ni Bhriain come to the Marine Theatre at Lyme Regis on Friday 16th February.

The partnership of these two great musicians, the world-renowned Welsh harpist and one of Ireland’s foremost traditional fiddle players who is also a classical violinist, follows a serendipitous meeting during a brief respite in Covid lockdown. They have released a debut album as a duo, Double You, Catrin and Aoife’s debut album as a duo, features a collection of new compositions that draw inspiration from various genres, inspired by the cultures of their home countries.

Both are true virtuosos of their respective instruments, who started young and trained hard with great dedication to achieve the highest standards of their art. Both went through rigorous classical training and grounded their careers in the classical world. Given her family heritage, it was inevitable that Dublin-born Aoife would also become a master of the Irish tradition; and given her fearless and inquisitive nature, it was equally inevitable that Catrin would seek artistic satisfaction beyond the confines of the classical world.

“Audiences just want to come away from a performance having been moved,” says Catrin. That becomes the key creative force, transcending the boundaries of genre.