Wave Riders

A storytelling/music performance commissioned by
​ Scottish International Storytelling Festival 2023

Journey back in time with storyteller Jan Bee Brown and musician Renzo Spiteri as they share a series of saga-driven stories of Viking pioneers: Unn the Deep-minded, Gudrid the Far-traveller and Melkorka the Silent. Setting sail in small boats, our heroines forged better ways to live in peace with rights, freedoms and respect, standing shoulder to shoulder.

Stories: Jan Bee Brown
Music: Renzo Spiteri
Wave Riders was launched at Netherbow Theatre (Scottish Storytelling Centre), Edinburgh, and was commissioned by the Scottish International Storytelling Festival 2023 on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Collaborators

Renzo Spiteri

Jan Bee Brown

Multi-percussion player, arts collaborator, improviser, composer and multi-media artist Renzo Spiteri has been active on the international arts circuit for more than thirty years, collaborating and leading his own projects. Renzo’s work over the past two decades has focused on merging improvisation, electronics and field recordings within his artistic collaborations with musicians, contemporary dance choreographers, visual artists, theatre directors, spoken word artists and filmmakers. The diversity within Renzo’s artistic spectrum has taken him to over thirty countries.  Originally from the Mediterranean island of Malta, Renzo’s use of percussion is influenced by the Mediterranean, North African and Eastern cultures while his immersive sonic textures draw from Nordic minimalism. His engagement with natural phenomena, with special emphasis on the sea, coastlines, water and the natural world are a main source of inspiration while the combination of field recordings, percussion and electronics shape most of his work.

A professional storyteller living in Shetland, Jan is inspired by a sense of place and loves telling nautical stories and singing songs of the sea. Passionate about inclusion and the power of story and song in the community and in care settings, Jan is skipper of the dementia-inclusive singing group The Shalder Shanty Crew in Scalloway. Jan is also regular contributor at Scottish Shanty Festivals sharing the stories behind famous shanties and of women who brave the seas. 
Jan regularly collaborates with percussionist Renzo Spiteri on live events and workshops with Leviathan for the SISF 2022 and Nordic Nights in 2021.