About Us

Photo by Randi Thompson

Mirinisa, born and raised in Albuquerque, NM, plays mostly fiddle for this band but also adds other strings, percussion, and vocals. Other musical collaborators have included Albuquerque’s Eileen and the In-Betweens, Eli del Puerto, Felix Peralta of Felix y Los Gatos, and Silver String Band. She was brought up as a classical violinist since childhood and began branching out into various other instruments and styles in her teenage years. A lifelong dancer, she often is to be found enjoying international folk or belly dance, and is rather grateful for the thriving music, dance, and other arts communities that exist in the state.

Photo by Crystal Tompkins

With a fearless curiosity and multi-instrumental virtuosity (clarinet, accordion, keyboard, electronics), Clara Byom has forged a successful musical career as a versatile performer, composer, and arts administrator whose work stretches across multiple genres—from classical (new and old) to traditional folk, indie rock to electronic music. Clara has premiered over 40 new classical works as soloist, collaborator, or with the New Mexico Contemporary Ensemble, which she co-founded in 2016 with Dalton Harris. Since 2020, Clara produced three solo albums of electronic/electroacoustic music, two collaborative albums with lo-fi hip hop/experimental artist Dan Dan, and an experimental improvisation album with Patrick DeBonis. Clara frequently plays for contra, English Country, and International Folk Dance as a soloist and with The Parson Sisters. She is a founding member of the award winning folk rock band Dust City Opera. Clara serves as Development Director for the Klezmer Institute. She holds a Master of Music degree from the University of New Mexico in Clarinet Performance and Musicology (2017) and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Luther College (2012).