Vanja Modigh was formed in 2015, in the Land of the Midnight Sun. Its three members, Vilja-Louise Skough Åborn, Katarina Söderlund and Anna Larsson, are  singers, composers and arrangers of songs with a background in widely different genres; and their musical creativity combines experimentation and tradition. 

 

They met at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, Sweden, where they where studying traditional Swedish folk music. During their time there they became so captivated by some old field recordings from the USA and the Republic of Georgia that that they were moved to form a trio.  Inspired by the fragility and power of the songs and with a fascination for the different timbres of the voices from past times, they set out to explore how songs and expressions could enrich each other across genre boundaries.

 

Vanja Modigh imaginatively explores the potential of the voice with intertwining harmonies, distinctive ornaments, innovative rhythms, quarter tones and a beautiful timbre. With magical arrangements and wide range of singing styles, they sing right into the listener’s heart.

 

After five years of singing together, which have included several European tours, the trio celebrates with an album debut and several singles and video releases. On their album Vocal Tradition, you’ll hear a mixture of Swedish and Nordic folk music blended with Georgian polyphony, heart-warming American old time and an ancient hymn from Corsica, as well as some compositions of their own.

 

Vanja is an anagram of the singers' first names, and Modigh, which means “brave” in Swedish, is a key word for what they want to be in their styles of singing and choice of repertoire.