Eleanor Dunsdon & Kristina Leesik

Kristina Leesik and Eleanor Dunsdon are a Glasgow based fiddle and harp duo, who met during their postgraduate studies in Traditional Music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2021. Blending their respective sounds of Swedish and Scottish/Irish traditional fiddle and clàrsach, along with multilingual vocal harmonies and influences from classical and contemporary genres, they form a creative new duo. They love sharing their traditions with audiences and making memorable moments. Their listeners can expect beautiful songs, arrangements mixed with upbeat jigs and reels, and one or two Swedish tunes and songs in their performances!

Kristina is originally from Stockholm, Sweden, and Eleanor from Slough. Before moving to Glasgow, Kristina completed her studies in Swedish traditional music at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and Eleanor a Bachelor's in music from The University of York. After finishing their degrees they were accepted as postgraduates at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where they were immersed in Scottish traditional music and the rich music scene of Glasgow. They both felt an instant spark when playing and performing their music together and it has been a joy for the duo to explore the sounds of the fiddle and clarsach and to combine their vocals together in rich and moving sounds.

The duo has performed in various places such as Celtic Connections (Danny Kyle Open Stage, named “Highly recommended”, Celtic on Campus), Tchai- Ovna concerts series, weddings, recitals and worked together on a new piece commissioned by the Edinburgh International Festival for the Grit Orchestra in 2023. The duo deliver workshops in Scottish traditional music together in primary schools across Dumfries and Galloway with Fèis Rois, and joined the forces of Live Music Now Scotland in 2024.

Kristina is a freelance musician and teacher in Scotland and Sweden. She runs sessions in Glasgow and plays in Scottish acclaimed band Tern (Danny Kyle Award Winners, Celtic Connections 2023) and Swedish duo Woodlands.

Eleanor also teaches and performs in the UK and abroad, both with her award-winning alt-folk band Ranagri, and with her duo partner, percussionist Gregor Black (Danny Kyle Award Winners, Celtic Connections 2024, Edinburgh International Harp Festival ‘Rising Stars’). She is a current UKHA Emerging Artist for 2024.

Kristina and Eleanor are very keen to increase their experience in leading groups of different ages and abilities, and in particular engage more with the wider community in Scotland. They are particularly excited by the prospect of nurturing young people’s interest and exposure to both Scottish and Swedish music in an engaging and relevant way. The duo has good experience of playing on a regular basis in care homes both in Sweden and the UK, and working closely with its residents has also played a large role in their enthusiasm for sharing music.