Celtic Woman makes stop in Bridgeport

[Don]

Connecticut Post Online

Article Last Updated:06/19/2007 06:59:24 AM EDT

Given the phenomenal success Celtic Woman has enjoyed ? selling millions of albums and DVDs and playing to sold-out venues all over the world ? it's easy to forget that the group has been together for less than three years.

"I know, it's mad because we seem to have been around for a long time," singer and harpist Orla Fallon said with a laugh during a recent phone conversation from a tour stop in Boston. Celtic Woman, which performs Thursday night at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, is on its fifth tour of the United States and, according to Fallon, it is going "absolutely great."

"We're into our final months now," she added. "We started in Tampa, Fla., on the 14th of February with 88 shows ahead of us and we're on the last leg of the tour now and we've been totally astounded by how well it's going. It's flying by.

"We've had great crowds. Everybody has been really responsive and they're really, really loving it and we're having a great time, as well. We're just delighted with everything and how well it's going.

"As a performer, I'm so fortunate to be involved in such a lovely project and getting such a wonderful opportunity to sing such lovely songs. I'm singing songs I grew up with and have been singing all my life and it's fabulous that I get the chance to sing them in such beautiful stages and theaters all over America and all over the world. I'm loving every minute of it."

A lot of the success of Celtic Woman can be attributed to the chemistry that Fallon and her cohorts singers Meav Ni Mhaolchatha, Lisa Kelly and Chloe Agnew and violinist Mairead Nesbitt developed in a short period of time. The group was initially formed by musical director David Downes to film a live concert for PBS. The rest, as they say, is history.

"David . . . called one day and mentioned the possibility that they would be recording a show for PBS," Fallon recalled. "He had heard a demo of mine with Chloe's dad [oboist David Agnew] and he asked me if I'd like to get involved in Celtic Woman.

"I had known of all the girls, but I hadn't actually worked with any of them before. We all just came together two nights before we filmed the show and we kind of clicked. There was a little bit of magic there."

The performers in Celtic Woman have all done solo projects before and after the group formed, but the "magic" Fallon spoke of really kicks in when they come together.

"There's such a variety of music in the show and on the CD and DVD that there really is something for everybody's taste," she said. "We cover a wide spectrum of styles, going from the traditional to contemporary to the light classical stuff to the original songs by David Downes. There's such a lovely variety of pieces that it reaches out to everybody.

"And all the music is very uplifting and there's a great message of hope in a lot of the pieces. I think people's lives today are so busy and time is so precious and there's something in our music that touches people's hearts. A lot of people tell us that they find our music to be really relaxing."

The success of Celtic Woman could have had the effect of halting each performer's solo career, but the opposite has proven true. Downes has worked each artist's specialties into solo showcases during the live concerts and several solo projects have been released under the Celtic Woman banner.

"We're very fortunate in that each of us is given a platform in a solo capacity to do what we do best as a solo artist and then, of course, we come together for the ensemble pieces," Fallon said. "As an artist, it's wonderful to be a part of this project because it gets your face out there.

"I can't speak for the rest of the girls, but, for me, it's important to be yourself and to be true to yourself. I think it's great that David wanted us to represent our individual styles in the show."

One style that fans of the group won't get to experience is that of newcomer Hayley Westenra, a New Zealander who joined the group for the recording of the latest Celtic Woman album, A New Journey, and the DVD "A New Journey: Live at Slane Castle, Ireland." Westenra, an international star in her own right, is not with Celtic Woman for this leg of the tour.

Fallon, for one, wouldn't dream of missing out on the touring experience.

"We cover a lot of ground with these tours, so it's kind of non-stop, but it's great and we all love it so much," she said. "And it shows because people always say to us after the show, 'You all seem to have a great time up there,' and we do. We have a ball every night.

"Every night brings a little bit of magic. The audiences are so great and we actually feel their energy and that bounces off us. We get so much from them and we give it all back to them."

Magic is a theme that popped up several times in the interview and it's obvious that Fallon firmly believes in the spiritual power of music and where it can take you. In her case, one of those places was the Vatican in 2000 to perform for Pope John Paul II.

"Somebody from the Vatican had been over to Ireland and he saw me play and he asked would I like to come along and play in the Pope's private chapel," Fallon said. "That's the great thing about music ? and I said this after we played for George Bush in the White House in March of this year ? that music carries you places that you can only dream about.

"Whether it's the Vatican or the White House or Carnegie Hall or Radio City Music Hall, with music, you can dream and the dream can come true."

Celtic Woman performs Thursday night at 7:30 at Arena at Harbor Yard, 600 Main St., Bridgeport. Tickets are $60.25-$75.25 are available through all Ticketmaster outlets or by phone at 368-1000 (Bridgeport) or 624-0033 (New Haven).

SEAN SPILLANE sspillane@ctpost.com
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Always Remember All Things Are Possible With God !!