“Strikingly beautiful, distinctive and exhilarating, with expressive vocals that will find a way into hearts and minds” (No Depression), Ari & Mia reference the styles of Southern and Northeastern fiddle music and the early American songbook to create a realm where their own compositions cross paths with older traditions. Their stylish and sophisticated music honors the sounds of Appalachian cottages, rural dance floors, and urban concert halls. Combine this with their innovative approach to songwriting and the result is a captivating sound.
Since 2008 the sisters have toured all across the U.S., Canada, and Australia and are both graduates of New England Conservatory's Contemporary Musical Arts department. They've performed alongside Sarah Jarosz, opened for Cheryl Wheeler and Catie Curtis, and played at venues such as Shalin Liu Performing Arts Center, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival's Mainstage Emerging Artist Showcase, Club Passim, the Parlor Room, New Bedford Folk Festival, and Jordan Hall. Both award winning songwriters and composers, most notably Mia’s song “Across the Water” won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in the folk category and Ari was a winner of the 2020 Women Composers Festival of Hartford's call for scores for her string quartet, Out of the Flowers.
“Ari & Mia are not creating a new music; they are taking it to another level and exploring areas that have not been attempted in decades. Their all-acoustic, pure and honest approach has significance. Treading the edges of traditional folk in a more faithful manner, they share the lyrical wizardry of 70’s bands Steeleye Span, Tir-na-Nog, and the Incredible String Band, with searing harmony as good as The Beach Boys. The sisters sing in unison like two violins,” continues No Depression. Their most recent album, “Sew the City” was premiered on Billboard Magazine and has been met with critical acclaim. Their new album, “Learning Your Name,” is out now.
Ariel Friedman is a multi-genre cellist, songwriter, composer, and poet. A winner of the 2020 Women Composers Festival of Hartford's call for scores and a recipient of New England Conservatory's 2018 Alumni Award, she is steeped both in the music of American roots traditions and a broad range of classical repertoire and has performed nationally and internationally with many other ensembles. An advocate of new music and a composer herself, Ariel performs with Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Boston Festival Orchestra, and has written music for and collaborated with many ensembles and soloists.
Ariel has been on faculty at Point Counterpoint, the Northeast Massachusetts Youth Orchestras, and Brookline Music School. She has taught at music camps and workshops from New England to New Zealand.
As a poet, Ariel is the 2026/27 Poetry Fellow for the Writers’ Room of Boston and is the author of a chapbook, the universe digests her stars (Bottlecap Press, 2024). Her work has been published or is forthcoming in Pangyrus, Literary Mama, Lucky Jefferson, Literally, Mixtape Review, and Bodega among others. She is a winner of the 2023 Boston Mayor’s Poetry Program and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and Best New Poets.
Ariel received her Bachelors of Music from Northwestern University in 2008 and her Masters of Music from New England Conservatory’s Contemporary Musical Arts program in 2011. Find her at www.arielfriedmanmusic.com.
Mia Friedman is a virtuosic fiddler and singer as well as a composer and educator. Her song “Across the Water” won the 2010 John Lennon Songwriting Contest in the folk category, and she was the 2006 New Hampshire Highland Games Scottish Fiddle Champion.
She is largely influenced by American roots music and old-time Appalachian traditions, and blends this with contemporary music in her compositions. Mia plays with Hollow Deck—a duo of tape collage, vocals, and woodwinds—and avant-garde rock band, Creative Healing. She teaches at the Community Music School of Springfield, and leads elementary and high school string programs in five public schools in Springfield, MA.
Mia graduated from New England Conservatory in 2012 where she studied with Anthony Coleman, Carla Kihlstedt, and Hankus Netsky. Find her at www.miafriedmanmusic.com