About this user
Mandalélé is the collaborative creation of three musical maidens and lyrical song poets whose magical weaving of delicate textures convey the listener on journeys that range from deep introspection and reflections on the beauty of nature to joyful expressions of life.
Lorraine Duisit
(vocals, mandolin, guitars)
Lorraine is best known as a long-time member of Trapezoid, the internationally-celebrated modern folk group founded by composer/arranger Paul Reisler. The Washington Post hailed her as "a respected mandolinist and an enchanting lead singer; a writer of songs that sneak up out of old traditions and surprise you with new twists." Her music has been featured on All Things Considered, A Prairie Home Companion, and Voice of America and pubnlished in Sing Out! magazine and Mandolin World News.". She has recorded and performed with a wide range of acclaimed artists including Howard Levy, John McCutcheon, and Holly Near. Upon the release of her solo debut _Hawks and Herons_, Billboard applauded the album's "ethereal vocals, acoustic instruments, and intriguing melodies that mix folk, jazz, pop, and other strains ..." and recognized her as "... an impressively original talent."
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Frances Miller
(vocals, violin, viola, PANArt hang drum)
Frances is a passionate improvisationalist, singer-songwriter, and classically-trained musician whose creative inspirations draw upon her strong musical upbringing combined with a childhood split between living in rural villages of East Africa and amongst the Mennonite community of South Central PA. She has recorded and performed with Grammy-nominated cellist David Darling and studied North Indian classical music with Humayun Khan. Frances has recorded and released three solo CDs (_Water Song_, _Full Circle_, and _River of Tears_) and one movie soundtrack. She currently teaches music in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia. Having recently completed Music for People's four-year Musicianship and Leadership Program, she is now a certified facilitator for improvisational music events, including a monthly women's vocal group based in the Shenandoah Valley. She believes in the power of music to restore balance in both individuals and community, as well as to connect us with the earth and the raw elements of our lives.
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Wendi Sirat
(vocals, ukekele, percussion)
Wendi is a self-taught native horticulturalist and emerging singer-songwriter who plays the ukulele and a wide variety of percussion instruments. She also dances traditional and modern hula, which she learns in Hawai'i where she lives part time. She has created musical scores and performed with the masked theatre group A Thousand Faces (formerly known as Friends of Gaia) since 1991. She also facilitates rhythm-based events for children's programs, community groups, and women's gatherings.
Age
42
Hometown
Sperryville, VA
Country
United States
Interests
Bluebirds singing in ancient hemlock forests, rivers cascading through cool mountain hollows, rains falling upon the fertile fields of Kenya's Great Rift Valley, ocean waves rolling in on the hidden beach at Keawaeli Bay, a horse trotting through a Virginia meadow in the peak of Spring, and the sputtering sound of Lola's biodiesel engine as she rolls down a dusty dirt road to the next gig.
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