The founding members of Fretless Femmes, Angela Smart and Maria Vander Hoek, came together through a mutual love of music of all genres, and a passion for making classical music accessible and relatable to the average listener. Both began their music journeys at a very young age, and grew up playing in various classical orchestras and chamber groups. Now as professional freelancers, they have merged their talents to form Fretless Femmes- an all-female string collective- in 2021. In addition to their own concert initiatives, they regularly play with Bridgeland Quartet, Revolucion party band, Revv52, Calgary Civic Symphony, and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra among other local groups.