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PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 2:29 pm    Post subject: Irish eyes Reply with quote

New group member Lynn Hilary gives us a peek at the story be hind the international sensation Celtic Woman




Lynn Hilary, Celtic Woman's newest member, didn't start singing until her late teens.


In less than a week, the Bell Auditorium will fill with pulsing drums, singing strings and the frolicking dance of shimmering hair.

Though it sounds like a Milli Vanilli reunion tour, it’s actually the internationally acclaimed music group Celtic Woman.

For those of you who have been in a tragic coma for five years, Celtic Woman is a quintet of professionally trained Irish singers who, along with music director David Downes of Riverdance fame, perform Irish songs from the “trad” standard “Dulaman,” to more contemporary ballads like“Scarborough Fair.”

Their shows offer a journey to a mystical isle where fair maidens in flowing dresses conquer hearts with the beauty of their voice and the grace of their dance.

On this particular tour,dedicated fans will be greatly pleased with newcomers Lynn Hilary and Alex Sharpe, who have replaced original members Méav Ní Mhaolchatha and Lisa Kelly.

Mhaolchatha left to pursue a solo career and Kelly is on maternity leave, with rumors circling around that she’ll be having a “Celtic Baby” soon. However, fans will not be disappointed with Hilaryand Sharpe.

Hilary, a native of Dublin,previously visited Augusta with the touring production of “Riverdance.” She says she remembers things as being “a bit cowboy-ish.” Perhaps she was here the same time the Futurity was galloping away.

She was also the lead vocalist for “Riverdance” and performed with them in front of 86,000 people at the 2003 Special Olympics and World Summer Games opening ceremony.

Although now one of the most sought-after Irish vocalists, in a recent interview, Hilary said that she didn’t start singing until her late teens.

“You see, I was very shy when I was younger, so I started singing in our local church, in the back, until I gained enough confidence to move towards the front,” she said.

She may have begun her public career with hymns, but among her greatest singing influences she rattled off a surprising “Michael Jackson… and I’m a huge fan and The Carpenters. I loved The Carpenters. Even still today I listen to their music.”

Hilary is both fun and charming on the phone, laughing spiritedly when asked if it’s hard to smile and sing at the same time.

“I had to work at it, and when they told me to smile and dance around in rehearsal,” she said, “I was like ‘no way.’ I was trained to just stand and sing. But actually, I found that smiling while singing really affects the sound of one’s voice. I learned a lot about how to do it from watching the other girls — especially Chloe. She’s so beautiful.”

Hilary is set to finish up a solo album in time for the upcoming The New Journey tour.
Celtic Woman has quickly conquered the hearts of millions across the globe.

Their 2005 self-titled debut album, “Celtic Woman,” reached platinum (1 million sold) and their latest, 2007’s “A New Journey: Live From Slane Castle Ireland,” has already reached double platinum (2 million sold). And wouldn’t you know it? Their most recent, “Christmas Album,” has been selling like IHOP pancakes, and is awaiting its gold certification (500,000 sold).

Platinum and gold — that’s a lot of heavy metal for a traditional-Irish-folk-choir to be associated with. But we get the point; they’ve sold a lot of records.

In fact, their popularity, at least in the U.S., is greatly indebted to their first PBS special, which to date has aired over 3,400 times on over 300 PBS stations. That’s the type of publicity any of our presidential candidates would absolutely drool over.

Why there is such a large audience for Celtic music in the U.S., we may never know for sure. True, we have a lot of Irish-Americans who still strongly hold to their traditions, holidays and celebrations.

Yet musically, among many non-Irish Americans, there remains an ever-growing niche for the strange movements and melodies birthed out of the joys and struggles experienced by ancient Celts.

“Perhaps it’s a little dream of what most people think Ireland is like: peaceful, lush, green,” Hilary said. “Maybe in times like these, with so many wars, such music offers an image of peace to the listener.”

BY JEREMY RUGGEGBERG
Metro Spirit - Augusta,GA
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