Eimear Reidy and Natalia Beylis plus guest Roslyn Steer

Eimear Reidy and Natalia Beylis

Eimear Reidy and Natalia Beylis began creating music together in 2020 for an arboreal music & research project titled ‘Whose Woods These Are.’ Based in Leitrim, the duo compose new music for keyboard instruments, cello and electronics. Together they have formed a distinctive musical language that represents a common ground between their individual practices and opens avenues for improvisation within their performances.

The title of their musical research project Whose Woods These Are is taken from Robert Frost’s ‘Stopping by Woods.’ The poem entered public domain on midnight 1 Jan 2020 and now it is owned by no one/owned by us all collectively. The aim of the project is to bring audiences into woodland settings in hopes of encouraging people to spend time amongst the trees and with the ultimate goal of allowing the public to have a hand in the conservation of our forests.

‘The woods are lovely dark and deep.’

“Cellist Reidy and experimental all-rounder Beylis conjure the otherworldly wonder of the forest in these pieces: The Sloes Made Sweet hovers like dusk light between leaves, ominous and intoxicating. ‘They Rustle And Blink In The Hawthorn’ is a kosmische moonrise: an odyssey of drones, chirruping keys and birdsong. The winding cello and organ drones of A Shelter Of Junipers’ wrap around one another like the roots of ancient trees, like Oliver Coates compositions encased in dirt. Beylis has been vocal on the subject of environmental justice, and the protection of Ireland’s woodlands”. The Quietus-Eoin Murray.

The duos second album was recorded on the Telford organ in St. George’s Church, Carrick On Shanon following a performance at Hunter’s Moon, Leitrim in June 2022 She Came Through The Window To Stand By The Door is a story told by the two voices of cello and organ. Influenced by the rhetorical style of 18th century vocal music, the inspiration for this piece came naturally to Eimear who has a background in early music and has performed alongside the organ in a variety of settings from chamber works to Bach's larger orchestral works such as St Matthew Passion. In 18th century music, the cello & organ perform a role as continuo players. Traditionally the cello and organ are both intertwined and interdependent, playing the bass line and harmonies together and providing a foundation for the rest of the ensemble while soloists come in and out.

https://nataliabeylis.bandcamp.com/album/whose-woods-these-are

https://nataliabeylis.bandcamp.com/album/she-came-through-the-window-to-stand-by-the-door

Roslyn Steer

Roslyn Steer is a Cork-based musician known for her work both as a solo artist and in collaboration with groups such as Crevice (with Elaine Howley and Irene Buckley), and the Cork Improvised Music Club.

Her sound touches on folk, pop, ambient, drone, and improvised musics and is usually well soaked in reverb. Live shows weave layers of double bass and vocals into captivating soundscapes, unique to each performance.

https://roslynsteer.bandcamp.com/album/thirteen-ways-of-looking-at-a-blackbird