Madeleine Roger

Four ferocious players, masterful composition, and a genre-bending sound—Juno award-winning The Fretless is a Canadian quartet that has firmly taken its place on the map to a progressive form of “trad”. The Fretless is Trent Freeman (Fiddle/Viola), Karrnnel Sawitsky (Fiddle/Viola), Ben Plotnick(Fiddle/Viola), and Eric Wright (Cello). They not only deliver expert musicianship and an electrifying performance but a show that makes you feel the passion they have for the music. They are joined by frequent collaborator Madeleine Roger, a singer-songwriter from Winnipeg, Canada. While skillfully accompanying herself on acoustic guitar, it is her artistry as a songwriter that can silence a room, uniting her lyrical prowess with breathtaking melodies that linger long after they are sung. A supergroup of celebrated solo artists, The Fretless has been creating a singular and signature sound that dares to expand the idea of what a string music quartet can be—transforming fiddle tunes and folk melodies into intricate, beautiful, high-energy arrangements that have quickly gained a dedicated following and accolades from around the world. Within what appears to be a simple construct — two fiddles, a viola, and a cello — The Fretless has created a sound that is distinctly rich, multi-layered, and uniquely percussive. This tonal quality is pushing traditional music to new heights, producing a completely fresh approach to Folk music. Starting with its debut album in 2012, The Fretless had a breakout year winning Instrumental Album of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards and Instrumental Group of the Year and Ensemble of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards(CFMA). Their self-titled follow-up album, “The Fretless”, took home Ensemble of the Year at the CMFA’s and features the tune “Waving To Ryan”, currently approaching nearly two million Spotify plays. In 2015, they released “Bird’s Nest”, an album that solidified them as a force among the world's roots music scene and earned them a 2016 Juno award for Instrumental Album of The Year. Recorded in a historic barn, live off the floor in upstate New York, they released “Live from the Art Farm” in 2018, an expanded rhythmic, harmonic, and stylistic exploration of the many folk genres they play. This album not only won them a CFMA for Best Ensemble but earned them a second Juno nomination. Since the band’s inception in 2011, The Fretless has been successfully touring at home in Canada, as well as globally throughout Australia, South and North America, and six European tours. From iconic and intimate concert halls to some of the worlds most prestigious stages, The Fretless has had the pleasure of performing at the Cologne Philharmonic, Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra Hall, Shetland Folk Festival, Festival Internacional Cervantino, two sold-out shows at Celtic Connections, as well as sharing the bill with Canadian fiddle legend, Natalie McMaster, for Canada Scene at the National Arts Centre. A Fretless show is infectious, dynamic, and impressively relentless. They not only deliver expert musicianship and an electrifying performance but always invite the audience to feel the passion they hold for their music. The Fretless is excited as they look toward 2021 with plans to release their most ambitious recording to date — Open House: a 10 track guest singer collaboration, featuring an astounding list of powerhouse vocalists that will absolutely solidify The Fretless as an ever-evolving, truly transcendent group. Outreach and inspiring the next generation of string players is very much a part of The Fretless’ ethos. They continue to support numerous fiddle camps, masterclass’ and workshops around the world, not only as instructors but as mentors. Over the past few years, they have connected with notable organizations such as the Calgary Youth Orchestra and the Luxembourg Youth Orchestra, creating and performing full orchestral arrangements of Fretless tunes.