Faerie Music: Mediaeval Baebes

Katherine Blake is a founding member who is also the group's musical director, lead composer and arranger. She sings contralto and plays violin and recorders. Prior to the Mediaeval Baebes, Katherine was a founding member, lead singer, songwriter and lyricist of the avant garde gothic rock band Miranda Sex Garden. That group released five albums and toured in Europe and North America.

Bev Lee Harding sings alto and plays violin and djembe. She started out studying classical violin, then switched to studying jazz voice. She's been involved in a number of different musical endeavors including playing violin for an Argentinian tango group, fiddle for a Celtic band, and conducting a string orchestra.

Emily Ovenden sings alto and plays recorders. In addition to her work with the Baebes, she is also the composer and vocalist with the Cornish group Celtic Legend and the Gothic power metal band Pythia. She's also the author of the novel The Ice Room.

Esther Dee sings soprano and plays percussion. She has sung in several international shows including Riverdance which took her all over the world. She is also pursuing a career as a solo singer songwriter.

Melpomeni sings alto and mezzo soprano. She is an Australian with Greek parents. The Baebes bio page for her says, "Melpomeni is the muse of tragedy in ancient Greek mythology. A drama queen." She is also working on a solo recording to be titled "8 Tragedies, 3 Love Songs and a Breakdown." It is described as "an exploration of the darker side of paradise."

Sarah Kayte Foster sings mezzo soprano and is the newest member of the Mediaeval Baebes. She began singing as a teenager in local productions of Broadway musicals, then spent two years with a gospel choir. She then studied theater in London, which resulted in roles on stage in BBC and ITV television productions and film projects. She's even provided the squeaking for an animated mouse.

One of the founding members of the Mediaeval Baebes was American hammered dulcimer and hurdy gurdy player Dorothy Carter who died of a stroke in 2003. When I saw the name, it rang a bell. Back in the mid-'70s I saw a hammered dulcimer player busking in Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA. I'd never heard the hammered dulcimer before and I was instantly captivated by the sound. I bought a copy of her LP from her and saw her play several times. With a little Internet searching, I realized Dorothy Carter was that hammered dulcimer player. Sometimes it's a small world.

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