about

About Fine blue thread

Fine Blue Thread is an exciting collaboration of three creative musicians from very different worlds: Helen Mountfort ('cello, My Friend the Chocolate Cake, Cosmo Cosmolino), Ria Soemardjo (voice and viola) and Sam Evans (multiple tabla and percussion). This distinctly Melbourne trio plays finely crafted, fresh and intriguing compositions that are grounded in the traditions of Indian, Javanese and Western classical music.

The music of Fine Blue Thread has been featured along side Ravi Shankar, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Nitin Sawhney in a BBC world music compilation CD, A Beginners Guide to the Music of India, as an example of a contemporary approach to the use of Indian instruments.

Since their sold-out debut performance at the Melbourne International Arts Festival, Fine Blue Thread have been surprising audiences throughout Australia with performances of their own original music that is sometimes haunting, uplifting and breathtakingly intimate.

Fine Blue Thread received rave reviews for their debut album RED MOUNTAIN and as well as the follow up album BLUEPRINT. The music of Fine Blue Thread is moody, open, sweet and surprising - generating a distinctive modern Melbourne sound. Recent performance highlights include the Melbourne International Arts Festival, The Victorian Arts Centre, The Melbourne Recital Centre, The Famous Spiegeltents in Melbourne and Sydney and other festivals throughout Australia.

media reviews

"Based in tradition but decidedly modern, their delicate mix of influences unfolds gently, revealing a rich collage of enchanting melodies and rhythmic nuances... A marvellous debut, Red Mountain heralds the arrival of a fresh new Australian world music trio"
ABC Lightlight Magazine

"...all three have an ability to absorb ideas and influences from outside their chosen field, allowing them to create music that is as fresh as it is beguiling....…beautifully pure-toned voice…snapping rhythms…expressive colour”
Jessica Nicholas - The Age, Melbourne

"A gorgeous new collaboration between three innovative Melbourne-based musos, their mix of styles and influences unfolds gently, revealing a rich collage of enchanting melodies and rhythmic nuances. A marvellous recording debut."
Seth Jordan - Music Journalist & Artisitic Consultant Bellingen Global Carnival

“You hear melody, texture, rhythm and feel in ways that sound different from most music we get here these days and that in itself gives this CD a gold star. Thoroughly recommended.”
David Bridie - Internationally Acclaimed Musician

"Their music is not about blurring boundaries but rather a snapshot of their local high street...an expression of the world we live in. Their musical prowess and passion for improvisation has produced a perfect backdrop for what is simply, really good music!"
Lopa Kothari BBC Radio3, London

“Fine Blue Thread is a welcome addition to Australian music. Three very talented musicians creating a sublime, exquisite and dynamic musical world with voice, cello and tabla”.
Paul Petran - ABC Radio National

“New music or old music – there are elements of both combined in Fine Blue Thread’s new CD, and this creates a music form that is outside time and uniquely their own.”
Roger Holdsworth - The Global Village, PBS-FM, Melbourne

Artists biographies

Ria Soemardjo – Voice and Viola

Ria Soemardjo is a Melbourne based musician with a passion for collaborating with artists across diverse range of genres and artforms. Her distinct, haunting vocal style reflects her Australian/Indonesian cultural heritage and she draws on her love for Balinese and Javanese musical traditions in her song writing and collaborative projects. Her most recent work with 'The Echoes Project' for Mapping Melbourne Festival - brings together an extraordinary and culturally diverse group of artists to devise contemporary performance/rituals, in response to urban sites Ria has received Green Room nominations for her compositions and live music performance for dance works – including Enfold (2016) and Opal Vapour (2013) – and an award with Helen Mountfort for ‘Tower Suites’(2012), with dancer Ros Warby. She continues to learn and perform different styles of gamelan and percussion from Indonesia, and recently qualified as a certified facilitator of an embodied rhythm/voice education approach - TaKeTiNa

Sam Evans – Tabla and Percussion

Sam Evans is a contemporary Australian musician and tabla player who works as performer, composer and educator in Melbourne. He is a regular international performer of both contemporary world music and traditional Indian music. He he has many albums and projects to his name from a wide variety of genres, including Indian and Western classical music, world music, jazz, pop, rock, film, documentaries, TV shows and live television. He composes music for film and documentaries, is the founding director of the Melbourne Tabla School and is the first Australian to hold a PhD in tabla performance.

Helen Mountfort - 'Cello

Helen Mountfort studied ‘cello and composition at Victoria University Wellington New Zealand. Helen moved to Australia in 1986 and soon after joined the band Not drowning,waving. Helen was a founding member of the band My Friend the Chocolate Cake with whom she still records and performs, and is also a member of gypsy/tango band Cosmo Cosmolino. Helen writes music for film, television, dance and theatre and is in demand as a session musician having recorded with many Australian artists including Missy Higgins, Archie Roach, Paul Kelly, Midnight Oil, Renee Geyer, and the John Butler Trio.