About Lodestar Trio
Three distinct musical traditions. One unmistakable sound.
Lodestar Trio is a unique collaboration between Scandinavian folk musicians Erik Rydvall and Olav Mjelva, and British-German violinist Max Baillie. Together, they bring groove, improvisation and a distinctly Nordic sound into Baroque music, combining the Swedish nyckelharpa and Norwegian Hardanger fiddle with the violin.
Since forming in 2018, the trio has performed at festivals and concert halls across Europe, including in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Hungary and the UK. In October 2024, they made their debut at London’s Barbican Centre. They have appeared live on BBC Radio and have been featured on national radio in Germany, Norway, Sweden and Ireland, as well as on Classic FM.
Their Bach to Folk programme reimagines music from Bach’s cello suites and his sonatas and partitas for solo violin in Lodestar Trio’s own arrangements. The programme also includes Baroque works by composers such as Merula, Couperin and Lully, alongside traditional and contemporary Nordic tunes.
The trio recorded Bach to Folk for Naxos, releasing the critically acclaimed album in 2022. In October 2025, they collaborated with Norwegian Baroque ensemble Barokkanerne on the premiere of an expanded ensemble version of the programme at Voss Festival in Norway.
Their latest project, Folk Odyssey, was launched in November 2024. At its heart are new arrangements of Grieg’s Holberg Suite, bringing the Nordic folk instruments and traditions that helped inspire Grieg’s musical world into dialogue with the original work.
The trio has since presented Folk Odyssey in Scotland, at Concertgebouw Brugge with the award-winning Belgian ensemble Bryggen Strings, and at Germany’s Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, including a live radio broadcast on NDR and Kultur Radio.
Individually, the three members of Lodestar Trio are leading musicians in their respective fields. They have collaborated with internationally renowned artists, appeared as soloists and chamber musicians in major concert halls, and performed on major film and television soundtracks.