The Lost Summer

by Louise Bichan

Written while missing Scotland, stuck in the States in 2020, when covid hit, and I was in the midst of applying for my visa. I badly wanted to be in Orkney that summer (and the rest of the three years or so before I could get home again!) I was definitely in a bit of a self-pity rut at the time I wrote it, that summer wasn’t all bad at all, all things considered!

Louise Bichan is a USA-based Scottish musician and photographer who uses both mediums to tell stories old and new.

Growing up in the culturally rich Orkney islands gave Louise a solid grounding in music: she started playing fiddle at the age of 7. Since then she has honed her craft at Glasgow’s renowned session scene while studying at the city’s Art School, before winning a scholarship to Berklee College of Music, Boston.

Masterfully blending traditional and classical arrangements, her work is thoughtful, and complex, curious and playful. She composes in response to her roots and the world around her; weaving through stories of connection, to people, nature, the past and the possibility of the future.