Dreamers' Circus

How could we celebrate our 70th anniversary year without inviting Dreamers’ Circus? If you’ve seen them on the Lane Series (or elsewhere, since their fans tend to follow them around like they are Phish or the Grateful Dead), you know they are creatively and musically one-of-a-kind. If you aren’t familiar, Dreamers' Circus is the brainchild of three consummate musicians - Nikolaj Busk (piano, accordion), Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen (violin), and Ale Carr (cittern). Late one night in 2009, Nikolaj pushed open the door of a bar in Copenhagen and chanced upon Rune and Ale playing some traditional Nordic tunes. Spotting a piano in the corner of the room, he joined the pair, and within minutes their musical chemistry became clear. Rune grew up in a household where traditional dance and music was important, but also studied classical music. He continues to play as a member of the world-class Danish String Quartet. Nikolaj’s background in jazz is evident in his fluid and melodic playing. Ale hails from a well-known family of traditional musicians and teachers in his native southern Sweden and his rhythmic drive forms the backbone of the band. They are often asked what kind of music they play, which is a hard question to answer. Even if it is music that does not readily lend itself to instant classification, they encourage people to view it as artistic expression that transcends genres. The name of the band is no accident; Dreamers’ Circus music strives to invoke a place of freedom, somewhere for our imagination to play and a space for dreaming.