Nora Brown & Stephanie Coleman

Rooted in southern Appalachian tradition, Nora Brown brings banjo and guitar pieces where the melody carries the story and the voice draws out the narrative. Her recent solo record, Long Time To Be Gone, leans into traditional laments and finely shaped instrumentals. On 26 May 2026 at The Attic in Leeds, she appears in duo for an intimate set built on tone, pulse and tune choice.

Brought together by Brooklyn’s old-time community, Brown and award-winning fiddler Stephanie Coleman have formed a close musical partnership that sidesteps their 20-year age gap. Coleman’s seasoned fiddle lines, honed on international stages and alongside the trailblazing string band Uncle Earl, weave tightly with Brown’s banjo, opening space for crooked tunes, dance rhythms and unhurried ballads.

Beginning at six under the guidance of the late Shlomo Pestcoe, Brown also learned from Alice Gerrard, George Gibson, and the late John Cohen, Lee Sexton and John Haywood. By 19 she had released three albums, a single and an EP on Jalopy Records, each entering the Billboard Bluegrass charts, with playing marked by clarity and restraint.

Their live credentials stretch across the US, Europe and Japan, with stops at the Newport Folk Festival, Cambridge Folk Festival, Roskilde, Winnipeg and Live Magic! in Tokyo, plus NPR’s Tiny Desk, TED Salon and an official AmericanaFest showcase. This duo brings that road-tested rapport to Leeds for a night of close-knit fiddle-banjo conversation.