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PostPosted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 9:35 pm    Post subject: Celtic Woman Hits Tallahassee This Week. Reply with quote

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. ? An Irish invasion is about to descend upon north Florida as Celtic Woman hits Tallahassee this week.

The six-woman ensemble that mixes traditional Irish tunes and popular songs that are tweaked with a Celtic spin will take to the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center stage Tuesday night.

In anticipation of the concert, Celtic Woman vocalist Lynn Hilary recently spoke with The Herald in a telephone interview from the road. The newcomer, whose resume includes singing with Celtic choir Anuna and serving as ?Riverdance? lead vocalist, discussed how she?s adjusted since joining Celtic Woman last fall, life on tour and her musical influences.

Q: For people who have never seen a Celtic Woman concert, what should they expect?

A: They can probably expect to hear some of their favorite Celtic songs performed in a very visual show with really elaborate costumes.

Q: Do you have a favorite song that you all perform?

A: I suppose my favorite would be ?Scarborough Fair.? It?s got a beautiful arrangement.

Q: You?re relatively new to Celtic Woman. Is that right?

A: Yes. I got here last year. For two months, I went all over the states with the tour and I spent 10 days on the tour in Japan.

Q: How did you come to join the group?

A: I used to sing in the show, ?Riverdance.?

David (Downes, Celtic Woman creator,) and I used to work together in the Gaelic Theatre.

Then I went on to sing with ?Riverdance.? While I was doing that, he was starting Celtic Woman.

I thought it was a great idea, and I wanted to be a part of it. I actually thought, ?If I could only be in the choir, that?d be great.?

But a position with the actual group opened up.

Q: So you?ve been singing the majority of your life?

A: Well, I was kind of a late starter. I didn?t start singing until I was 17.

I was a bit of a shy child. But once I started, I got a bug for it. I started singing in church. I loved the acoustics. Then I started singing for weddings and things like that.

Q: How were those experiences different from singing with Celtic Woman?

A: Very different. I?ve never been allowed to move around on stage before. I?ve had to get used to being able to jig around. It was hard to let go.

In ?Riverdance,? singing wasn?t a very big part of the show. And now, I?m still not used to all the attention we get. It?s kind of overwhelming. Never, in my life, have I seen audiences be so appreciative.

Q: And you?re classically trained as a vocalist?

A: In Dublin, (Ireland,) I went to the Dublin Institute of Technology and they had a Conservatory of Music. I went there.

Q: You sing soprano, right?

A: Yeah, I guess so.

Me and all the girls have very different voices and styles. For example, Chlo? is more of a pop singer.

Q: Who are your own musical influences?

A: I grew up listening to Michael Jackson, Joni Mitchell, Karen Carpenter. And my own mother was a beautiful singer. But she never sang in public. I?ve got my talent from her.

Q: Where is your favorite place to visit while touring?

A: In San Antonio, Texas. That was really cool and different and a little bit of a Mexican town.

But that?s the great thing about America, every place is different and there?s so much space.

Oh, and another favorite stop was the Mall of America.

Q: Is there a place you haven?t been to yet that you?d like to visit?

A: I suppose... I was in Boston when I was very young, and I would like to go back there.

Q: What?s been your most memorable touring experience?

A: I suppose one of my first times going out on stage (in Celtic Woman). I didn?t anticipate their (the audience?s) reaction. They went mad for it, and you can?t help but be appreciative.

Q: What?s been your strangest touring experience?

A: It?s all gone pretty smoothly, so far.

But we had a big rain storm during one performance. It was raining so hard that you could barely hear us, and the people in the audience were sniggering.

Q: What do you find most challenging about touring?

A: I suppose it?s living out of a suitcase.

Sometimes it?s hard because we travel on a tour bus. We sleep on the bus while we?re driving to our next destination. And then we have to get up at 4 and 5 the next day to go to our hotel rooms. So we end up with a broken night?s sleep.

Q: What?s next for Celtic Woman?

A: More touring. I don?t think there?s any signs of stopping.

They might be cooking up something else, but I?m not aware of it yet.

CHECK IT OUT

? WHAT: Celtic Woman concert

? WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

? WHERE: Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center, 505 W. Pensacola St., Tallahassee, Fla.

? TICKETS: $30-$60 (civic center parking $6 extra)

? MORE INFORMATION: Call 1-800-322-3602 or visit www.ticketmaster.com or www.celticwoman.com



Celtic Woman, which includes fiddler M?ir?ad, vocalists Lisa, Chlo? vocalist and harpist ?rlagh and new vocalists Lynn and Alex, brings music inspired by Gaelic tradition into the 21st century with its visually appealing concerts.



Tuesday?s concert will include an all-female chorus backing Celtic Woman members as they sing both contemporary favorites and traditional Celtic tunes.



Even a year after its release, Celtic Woman?s ?A New Journey? is one of Amazon?s top 200 selling albums.

Celtic Woman CD takes easy-listening ?Journey?

As a person of Scots-Irish descent, I?m naturally predisposed to have an affinity for Celtic music.

Give me a melancholy tale or a toe-tapping jig backed by Highland-inspired fiddle work, and I?m good.

I also like the fun rock interpretations of the centuries-old Gaelic folk songs out there, especially from such groups as the Young Dubliners.

Maybe that?s why I?m not so moved by the Irish ensemble Celtic Woman and their latest album ?A New Journey.?

The Manhattan Records release features 16 songs of what I?ll call easy-listening Celtic music. The tracks include remakes of familiar songs such as ?Over the Rainbow? and ?Beyond the Sea.?

They?re fine if you like that really, really light rock feel. Think along the lines of Linda Rondstadt.

I did, however, enjoy Celtic Woman?s versions of the Gaelic classics, with ?Granuaile?s Dance? and ?Dulaman? being my favorites. But still, they didn?t have enough of an edge to them for my taste.

Hey, I don?t think I?m expecting too much as both the Irish and Scottish have always been vigorous people. So it?s reasonable to expect the music should have a little oomph to it to reflect that.

But what do I know? Two weeks after ?A Journey? was released in 2007, it peaked at No. 4 on Billboard magazine?s album chart.

And it?s still selling a year later, as at press time it was No. 167 on Amazon?s music-sales list.

And Celtic Woman has sold out stadiums all over the world since the group first took to the stage in 2004.

So, apparently, lighter is appealing to the masses.

Cathy Higgins
The Albany Herald
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.
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