Ellom & Serena

A natural fit if there ever was one, Estonian poet Elo-Mall Toomet (Ellom for short) and local (Port Townsend) cellist/composer Serena Tideman come together for a special one-off duo performance. Even by experimental standards, Tideman and Toomet share an affinity for the fringe, and one can only imagine that together they’ll come up with delightfully edgy results. Both have a flair for turning melodrama into sound portraits of cracked, almost disturbing beauty. In her own words, Toomet plumbs dark emotional spaces in order to draw maps for people to find their way back from them. But both artists also rely on sturdy rhythms and a winking sense of humor to warm the mood up a little and keep their work somewhat grounded. In a sense, Tideman makes poetry of her own with the cello, her lines flowing with the lyricism, tension, and punch of well-crafted verse. Having worked with staunchly original acts like Rasputina and Múm, Tideman is uniquely positioned not only to support, but also to expand upon Toomet’s one-of-a-kind vision. SABY REYES-KULKARNI

Fri., Oct. 9, 7:30 p.m., 2009