Tourism Ireland is delighted to announce that we are the official sponsor of 2010 CELTIC WOMAN SONGS FROM THE HEART TOUR. This famous show by composer David Downes, one of Ireland's brightest stars who also worked on Riverdance, celebrates a rich tradition of song. Making a huge impact in the U.S. with a public television special airing across the country, the show features five remarkable female talents, and will return to the US and Canada with an electrifying four month tour stretching from February to May. Singing solo or together, their unique voices will affect you, and The Celtic Woman show is an exhilarating spectacle!
Meet the girls of the Celtic Woman show!
Mairead |
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| A fiddle player since the age of 6, Mairead 's Loughmore, Co.Tipperary background is steeped in music in the way that only those who grow up in a family of accomplished musicians can be. Her parents John and Kathleen, her sister Frances and brothers Sean, Michael, Noel and Karl are all musicians and in addition to them, Mairead cites such diverse influences as classical violinist Itzakh Pearlman, Irish Fiddlers Liz Carroll, Michael Coleman and Andy McGann, Jazz musician Stephane Grappelli, Country player Alison Kraus and rock performers David Bowie, Sting, U2 and Bjork.
A former All-Ireland fiddle champion and violinist with the RTE Concert Orchestra, her unique blend of traditional Irish and classical styles has given her the opportunity to work with such illustrious acts as Nigel Kennedy, Van Morrison, Sinead O'Connor, Clannad, Emmylou Harris, Aslan, Chris De Burgh, Jimmy Webb, and Irish acts Donal Lunny's Coolfin, Sharon Shannon, Paul Brady, Frances Black, Cooney and Begley, and Jimmy McCarthy. She's played on the original soundtracks of the shows Riverdance, Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames performed in three world tours as the original lead fiddle in Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames. Due to this versatility and her intense playing and stage presence, Mairead was invited by Sharon Browne and David Downes to become a soloist in the show 'Celtic Woman'. "It's been great for me," she says. "I've been given a lot of flexibility on stage in both the way I play as well as from a visual point of view because I do a lot of moving around." |  |
Lisa |
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Best known to audiences as one of the soloists in 'Celtic Woman', Lisa's background is purely steeped in the world of musical theatre. Her parents are both heavily involved in Ireland's amateur theatre community and Lisa fit right in, staring in the musical 'Bugsy Malone' at the age of 7. A talented actress as well as a musician and singer, Lisa was working in the computer industry when she decided to take a break to perform in the Christmas Pantomime 'Jack and the Beanstalk' in Dublin's Gaiety Theatre. That decision led to her being cast in 2000 as the lead female vocalist in 'Riverdance ' The Show' and in 2002, Lisa was approached by Celtic Collections and asked to record a solo album with Music Director David Downes. When Lisa took a break from touring for the birth of her second child, Downes approached her again. This time he said asked Lisa to become part of 'Celtic Woman' which was originally conceived to be a one-night show in Dublin's Helix Theatre. 'I wasn't doing anything that day,' Lisa laughs. 'I thought it was only going to be one night but that's how wrong you can be. I didn't know any of the girls at the time but the show is blessed with the girls they've picked.'
Lisa has nothing but praise for the show's creators, Celtic Collections founder Sharon Browne and Downes. 'David and Sharon were very insistent that all the girls remained individual in 'Celtic Woman'. It's quite rare to be in a show that didn't ask us to change who we were as singers and performers.' |
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Chloe |
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| If 16-year old singer Chloe Agnew ever writes a book she says that she'll call it 'From Carnegie Hall to Lunch Duty'. 'That's the way that my life turns anyway,' she laughs. 'I played Carnegie Hall in New York one week with 'Celtic Woman'and the following week I was back at school on lunch duty.' Chloe may be young but she is already a musical veteran. Both of her parents, Adele ('Twink') King and David Agnew are successful performers and Chloe made her stage debut at 4 weeks old.
Her big break came at the age of 11 when she approached Musical Director David Downes with the idea of recording a single for charity. The single met with incredible success and not one to rest on her achievements, Chloe recorded her first album at 12 and her second at 14. Most recently, she's been touring as a soloist in 'Celtic Woman'. 'The show has opened up a huge new door for me,' she says. 'I've gotten to do things I just never dreamed I could do; traveling the States and meeting so many people. What has been the best though is working with the other girls. They're the most beautiful talented woman I've ever met and it's been a great experience.' Her angelic singing voice has earned Chloe a very active fan-base, something else that she's grateful for. 'The fans have been fantastic,' she says. 'Particularly in America, they're so open to something new. It's great to see that you can develop this new show and people will grasp onto it and give it a chance. I also love meeting people. When you get up on stage and know that at least one person who likes the show is there, you have someone to play to. ' |  |
Lynn |
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Lynn Hilary trained as a classical soprano at DIT College of Music in Dublin, graduating with honours in June 2004 and has been a member of the renowned choir 'An'na' for 5 years, performing with them as a soloist on 'Songs of Praise', 'BBC Proms in the Park', and numerous other television appearances. With 'An'na' she has traveled to all corners of the world and features as a soloist on many of their albums.
Lynn was the lead vocalist for 'Riverdance' at the Special Olympics opening ceremony, performing to a live audience of over 85,000 and a television audience of millions. She has also been the lead vocalist for 'Riverdance' at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin for a ten week run and on tour in the USA, Canada and Europe, including six consecutive full houses at Radio City Music Hall, New York. She features as a soloist on the 'Riverdance' 10th Anniversary CD and DVD and has worked with many artists such as Daniel O' Donnell, Luka Bloom, Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club, and Don Mescall, to name but a few. |
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Alex |
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At a tender age, Alex began her career in the coveted role of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin marking the beginning of what was to become an outstanding career in Musical Theatre. She played Janet in The Rocky Horror Show, Young Sally in Follies in Concert, Jenny in Aspects of Love, and Mila in Aloha Kamano by Sean Purcell. Her musical talents did not go unnoticed and she was asked to play Eponine in Les Miserables for the Cameron Mackintosh Company in England and Ireland and also in the Concert Tour of Les Miserables of which she won wide accalim.
Alex created the role of Bernadette in the Andrew Lloyd-Webber/Ben Elton Musical The Beautiful Game. On her return to Ireland she played the role of Kate Foley in The Wireman in the Gaiety Theatre Dublin. She has sung with some of the most renowned orchestra's in the world including the Icelandic Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Danish National Symphony, and the RTE Concert Orchestra and among her many recordings, her amazing voice can also be heard on the Evita film Soundtrack with Madonna. |
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