b. Jo-Anne Rachel Newmarch Fraser, 4 December 1960, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England. One of the leading figures in the UK folk revival of the late twentieth century, Freya is equally adept on saxophone, clarinet and whistles, and is also a singer and composer. Originally appearing under her birth name, she began performing live with the pioneering country dance ensemble the Old Swan Band at the age of 13, joining at the same time as her sister Fi Fraser. When the Old Swan Band was put on hiatus in the mid-80s, Freya began working with the equally innovative Blowzabella and its spin-off act Scarp. Freya was particularly productive during the following decade, releasing her solo debut, Traditional Songs Of England, in 1993, recording duo albums with her sister (as the Fraser Sisters), cellist Kathryn Locke and singer-songwriter Pete Morton, and forming the all-female bands Token Women and Freyja. In the early years of the new millennium, she recorded an album as part of Tanteeka and collaborated with Coope, Boyes And Simpson, Fi Fraser and Georgina Boyes on the 2006 seasonal collection Voices At The Door: Midwinter Songs & Carols. She also ventured into world music territory with Locke, Mohinder Singh (tabla/percussion), Dave Sturt (bass) and Matt Anderson (guitar/keyboards) in the Freya Federation. Her second solo album, a celebration of the work of the late folk singer Lal Waterson, was released in 2007.