Janice Burns & Jon Doran
Janice Burns & Jon Doran are an Anglo-Scottish duo who came together after discovering a shared love of traditional music. They find their songs in archives that span the depths of our history – songs that tell vivid stories about the nature of life and our place in the world.
Janice & Jon’s compelling storytelling comes alive through tight vocal harmonies and sensitive interplay between mandolin, bouzouki, and guitar. Their arrangements have a spellbinding presence and an understated energy that transports their songs from the pages of books and manuscripts into the imagination of the listener.
Since meeting in 2017 the duo have moved from strength to strength with recent performances at the likes of Sage Gateshead, Cambridge Folk Festival, and Edinburgh Tradfest. Their self-titled EP was released in 2020 to overwhelmingly positive feedback, including airplay on BBC Radio 2.
Folk songs have always travelled, put down new roots, borrowed and evolved. Janice & Jon’s upcoming album, set for release in October 2022, brings together songs that have survived through the ages, shapeshifting and adapting to changing environments as they’ve been passed from singer to singer. Exploring man’s relationship with nature, love and loss, these are songs with an enduring resonance.
They play lovely strings, they have gorgeous harmony arrangements. Really well crafted, intimate, beautifully understated. – Karine Polwart
Janice and Jon are both delightful singers with wonderfully musical voices. Their performances of traditional folk songs have a pleasing authenticity and they make delicious harmonies. They are also both fine instrumentalists of great skill and talent. Any appearance of theirs in a folk club or on the concert platform will guarantee you an experience you’ll remember.
– Sandra Kerr