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Tuesday February 2, 2010

Sentimental

Celtic Woman (Lili Forberg)

By Gwen Orel

With their flowing gowns, long hair, harmonious, orchestral arrangements of well-known (and newer) music, and their earnest, sweet expressions, you could say Celtic Woman are sentimental.

And that's all right with them.

"What's wrong with sentiment?" says soft-spoken, dark-haired Lynn Hilary, one of the singers in the popular five-piece ensemble. "It's a good word."

The five women who make up the group met with the Irish Examiner at their hotel while in New York for the launch of their latest album, Celtic Woman: Songs from the Heart. Their tour beings on 1 February (their tenth U.S. tour), and they play Radio City Music Hall on February 26th and 27th (see www.celticwoman.com/trellis/US-New-map for complete dates).

The PBS special of the same name began airing on 29 October-their fifth such special to date (it is included in the DVD companion to the album). Lynn, a classically trained soprano with a degree in music, has performed with Anuna and been lead vocalist with Riverdance, among other accomplishments. She replaced Méav Ní Mhaolchata (who goes by Méav) in 2007.

The other newer member, Alex Sharpe (New Yorkers may recognize the elegant brunette from the short-lived Broadway musical The Pirate Queen), who joined in 2008, replacing Órla Fallon, takes that idea further: "There's nothing wrong with sentiment. There's not enough of it in the world!"

The world agrees, judging by sales: since their debut in 2004, Celtic Woman have sold over four million records. They've also made five PBS TV specials, airing on 685 stations across the U.S. (which seem to be popular pledge-drive offerings). David Downes, former musical director of Riverdance, conceived the idea to bring together five women who had not performed together and present a show that would appeal to general audiences like Riverdance, blending traditional and popular music theatrically to present an idealized image of the Celtic spirit.

To sit in their presence, as a woman, is to think seriously about getting a makeover, if not plastic surgery; their big eyes, clear skin and symmetrical faces would make a store mannequin feel insecure. Each is adorable: fiddler Máireád Nesbitt is tiny, with straight long blonde hair and enormous eyes; Lisa Kelly has dark blonde hair and a gentle smile; blonde Chloe is full of fun with laughing, eager eyes; Lynn Hilary has porcelain skin set off by brown hair, and Alex Sharpe has cheekbones to die for and a coaxing smile. I can only imagine what it's like to sit facing them as a man (but don't get too excited, fellas, Lisa and Alex are married). All of the girls but Máiréad, who hails from Loughmore in County Tipperary, are Dubliners.

But beautiful as they are, their voices and, in the case of Máiréad Nesbitt, accomplished violin playing, surpass their looks. Being a Celtic Woman is not about being beautiful, though they are, nor about wearing evening dresses on stage, though they do.

"We're all the quintessential Celtic woman," says Chloe Agnew, from Dublin, who recorded her first album at age 12. "We are Irish through and through in our blood. I think that really does come across in the music we sing. The Irish turned to music in all walks of life, for the hard times, for the good times. I learned a song for milking the cow growing up. I grew up listening to my grandmother sing 'Galway Bay' and for me to have a chance to perform that all over the world is wonderful." In that case, why not call it "Irish Woman?"

For one thing, says Máireád, the music draws on more than just the Irish aspect of being Celtic. "'The Coast of Galicia' is from the Celtic area of Spain." There are contemporary songs, including arrangements of Mariah Carey's 'When You Believe' and Sting's 'Fields of Gold,' traditional offerings including 'Amazing Grace' and a song written especially for them, 'O, America!' by William Joseph and Brendan Graham. With its patriotic lyrics, 'O, America!' is a song expressing the hope of immigrants from all over, not just from Ireland. The concept of the song was, says Chloe, "to thank the American people for welcoming us into their lives." The group was created in part to bring Celtic music to American audiences.

All of the girls are very eclectic in what they listen to themselves-Beyoncé and Lady Gaga are some of what's on Chloe's iPod; Máiréad enjoys Nickel Creek and Capercaillie, among others.

Chloe clarifies, "The show is connected to old and new Ireland. We sing old Irish tunes, as well as classical songs and contemporary pop. We put a new stamp on music that's been around a long time." The new album also features, for the first time, a gospel choir, and what Chloe describes as "extreme rhythm changes."

Working with Celtic Woman has brought Lisa closer to her Irish roots. "My Irish has improved," she laughs, admitting she did not even know all the words to 'Danny Boy' before joining the group. She too was in Riverdance and her background is in musical theatre.

Thinking about the title of the show and the group, Lisa suggests, "The Celtic woman is a very strong woman. It was women who ran the home. A country woman would have been running the farm."

So does that mean they run the show?

Not exactly.

"The show is connected to old and new Ireland. We sing old Irish tunes, as well as classical songs and contemporary pop. We put a new stamp on music that's been around a long time."

David Downes is "the driving force of the show," says Máiréad. The show has a choir, a band, an uillean piper and a bagpiper. There are lighting changes and choreographed movements.

"David knows our voices and our ranges," says Sharpe. Where musicians might kick at the idea of having someone else choose and organize material, coming from musical theatre as many of the girls do means they appreciate all of the work a director takes off their shoulders, leaving them free to focus on their own artistry. For Lisa, Downes' input makes their jobs easier, and reduces competition. That said, they do contribute to the creation of the show. Chloe loves singing Billy Joel's 'Goodnight My Angel' (credited as "William Joel" on the album) because "my mum used to sing it." Her mother had always hoped the girls might sing it, and Chloe had mentioned it to Downes in passing. She was thrilled when he chose it for the latest album. She's been working with Downes since she was a little girl (she's 20 now): at just 11 she approached him about making a single that would benefit children in Afghanistan, having seen their plight on television following 9/11. Her mother Adele "Twink" King is a performer too, and Chloe first sang on her television show at age 6.

Many of the fans of "Celtic Woman" are not Celtic - at least not genetically. "We have an Irish following - there are so many emigrants here - but it's not just Irish people that can relate to the show. People connect with the beauty of the music," says Sharpe.

"Heavy metal rockers come up to us," says Agnew. People of all ages are fans, and there is a large group of people who follow them from town to town. These fans save their money so they can go from concert to concert. People have told them that their music has helped them cope with life's difficulties, which means a lot to the girls.

People in Asia have told them that their music is "healing music." Modern life is so full of stress, say the girls, that their music can help people find relief even if it's just for two hours.

With its arrangements of classical music (Dvorak's theme from the New World Symphony is the melody of Non c'e piu), popular songs and Irish traditional music, the new album aims for a broad appeal. Families attend, with parents, grandparents and small children all watching together. Audiences are different everywhere, but the reaction is always enthusiastic.

Still, say the girls, they especially love coming to America. "In America, the reaction is phenomenal; people jump on their feet and are so open," says Agnew. She thinks Irish people might be sick of listening to their own music, and there are so many people of Irish descent in America that "may not have made it to Ireland and maybe never will, but by listening, they have a connection."

Of course, there are plenty of Irish songs in the show. 'My Lagan Love' features Lynn on vocals, 'Níl Sé'n Lá' shows off all of the girls' pure voices.

That Celtic Woman is theatre, not just a musical performance, is one reason for the long dresses onstage. To those who think it gives them the air of a beauty pageant or of being less than serious about the music, the girls respond that it's really just part of the entertainment.

For Máiréad, dressing up is honoring the audience. "When someone is paying a huge amount of money to come and see us, they should see beautiful makeup and nice outfits, not jeans." With her china doll face and long blonde hair (that she whips around on stage, managing to keep it away from her bow to the admiration of fiddlers everywhere), you might think she was chosen for Celtic Woman for her looks, but think again, her violin credits include former All-Ireland fiddle champion, playing with the RTE Concert Orchestra and being named Irish Music Magazine's Best Traditional Female in 2003. From a musical family, and plays sessions whenever she gets a chance.

While the girls usually don't go mad after a concert, trying to protect their voices, Máiréad might be found at an after hours sessions after the New York gigs. Her graceful knee dips and soulful expression when she plays with Celtic Woman are part of the performance.

Kelly says that parents have often come up to them and thanked them. For every one person who spoofs them, twenty thank them. By dressing formally and looking beautiful as they play, the girls also honor the music.

Lisa adds that "people come out and they have the opportunity to dress up. It unites everybody." Chloe explains, "our sound is very ethereal, sometimes almost otherworldy. The dresses symbolize what we're doing. We're not going to come out in hot pants and little short dresses!" Synan O'Mahony, one of Ireland's top designers, creates the look for the group.

Staying united as a group of girls is not difficult - they get asked a lot if they really get along backstage. They do, and they seemed at ease, finishing one another's sentences and joking, during the interview. Touring can be wearing at times, and after a while they do miss their families, but that all falls away when they're onstage.

What about people who call them inauthentic? "They would be right," says Máiréad. "we're a blend of styles. That's always what Celtic Woman has been about."

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