Nora Brown with Stephanie Coleman will perform at Bergenfest 2026 Thursday, June 11.
Nora Brown and Stephanie Coleman met through the close-knit old-time community in Brooklyn, a scene dedicated to preserving traditional American fiddle and banjo music. Since then, they have developed a close musical partnership.
Nora Brown started playing as a child and has since released several albums and toured across the US, Europe and Japan. She draws particular inspiration from banjo traditions in Kentucky and Tennessee, and has learned directly from older tradition bearers. Stephanie Coleman is a sought-after fiddler who has toured internationally with artists such as Rhiannon Giddens, Uncle Earl and Aoife O’Donovan.
Together, they make stripped-down, timeless music where old songs and instrumental pieces are given new life. In 2023, they released the EP Lady of the Lake, followed by a Tiny Desk concert for NPR. Now the duo comes to Bergenfest to perform their distinctive and virtuosic music, rooted in traditions that are still very much alive.