Giesta is one of the most common bushes in Iberian Peninsula. It invades hills growing in every possible surface.
As a duo, Giesta focuses on the overlap between early western notated music and oral traditions of the Iberian Peninsula. Joana and Irene use their voices, recorders and traditional percussion as tools to transform and reinvent these repertoires. With an historical performance background, they tap into the overlap between these traditions and deconstruct them through composing and arranging, improvisation and contemporary techniques.
Coming from Portugal and Spain, the duo is based in the Netherlands where they met while studying. Both Joana and Irene graduated from a Bachelor in Recorder in the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Afterwards Joana studied a bachelor in singing in the Utrechts Conservatorium HKU Utrecht with Selma Harkink and Irene studied a masters in singing in the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Xenia Meijer.
Giesta has performed in several venues in Amsterdam: Splendor (2017), Encuentro 4 (2021), Oosterkerk
Giesta has performed this program live in the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal. Among other venues, it was presented in Oosterkerk, Oude Muziek Fringe Festival Utrecht, Gaudeamus Huize, Museo Etnográfico de Castilla y León (Spain), CDIL – Centro de Diálogo Intercultural de Leiria and Fábrica de Braço de Prata (Portugal).In 2022 they were selected to participate in IYAP – International Young Artist Presentation, where they premiered their newest program “El camino se hace cantando” in AMUZ – Antwerp, as part of the festival Laus Polyphoniae. In the same year they performed their program “Mulher, quién eres tú” in Oude Muziek Utrecht as part of the Fringe program.
Depending on the program, Giesta invites other musicians and artists to collaborate with them. For the program El camino se hace cantando, they have previously performed with David Mackor on lute and are currently collaborating with cellist and gambist Xander Baker.
