The fiddle-and-guitar duo of Haugaard & Høirup came together at the behest of Danish folk DJ and writer Alan Klitgaard in 1998. Harald Haugaard was already an outstanding fiddle player who had grown up with the folk tradition and had gained recognition as a member of several bands, including the groundbreaking Sorten Muld. Morten Alfred Høirup had also grown up with folk music (his father is the folk performer Fin Alfred), and had also played in many ensembles. The pair debuted with a foreign tour, pretty much winging it at the European Broadcasting Festival, before they settled down to make their first CD, Duo for Violin and Guitar, a mix of instrumentals and songs, with Høirup the singer. Frequent touring, especially outside Denmark, secured them a reputation in several countries, especially Japan, where they found a strong fan base. Let's Dansk! followed in 2001, and then shortly after, Lys, which garnered them three Danish Folk Awards, including Folk Album of the Year. They continued to tour, probably the best-known Danish folk group, but took a recording break, not releasing Om Sommeren until 2004; it won two Danish Folk Awards. Gæstebud/Feast saw them expanding the duo format, bringing in a number of guests -- all people with whom they shared stages, and all from outside Denmark -- to play Danish music. It was an album about connections, and trying something different. After that, Rejsedage/Travelling arrived in 2008, celebrating their decade together as a duo. But it was also a swan song. Both members had other plans (Høirup with several different ensembles, and Haugaard as a solo artist), and after a final tour they went their separate ways. ~ Chris Nickson