Sarah Neufeld is a violinist and composer born in Vancouver and now based in Montréal, Canada. Best known as a member of Arcade Fire, she is also a founding member of the acclaimed contemporary instrumental ensemble Bell Orchestre. She also began developing pieces for solo violin in a more formal and focused sense in 2011. Neufeld counts Bela Bartok, Steve Reich, Iva Bittova and Arthur Russell among the formative influences for her solo work, in tandem with an ear for the textures and sensibilities of contemporary electro-acoustic, avant-folk and indie rock music.
Colin Stetson was born and raised in Ann Arbor, and spent a decade in San Francisco and Brooklyn working extensively live and in studio with a wide range of acts including Tom Waits, Arcade Fire, TV On The Radio, Feist, Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed, David Byrne, Angelique Kidjo, and Anthony Braxton. Meanwhile he has developed an utterly unique voice as a soloist, principally on saxophones and clarinets, his intense technical prowess matched by his exhilarating and emotionally gripping skills as a songwriter. He settled in Montreal in 2007.
Sarah Neufeld and Colin Stetson have played together in Arcade Fire and Bell Orchestre, but premiered as a duo at FIMAV (Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville) in May last year.
