Saturday, November 20, 2010

Holidays!

Hi Everyone!

Just wanted to send one last blog before the Holidays and wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving coming up.

As you all know, the Australian Tour just done is our last tour with the lovely Lynn. She has a lovely message at www.celticwoman.com which I'm sure you have all seen.
Her elegance, purity of voice and fun loving personality will be missed by everyone and I wish her the very best of everything in the future. You never know, she might come out and visit us on tour!

It's a busy time coming up with some recording and promo to do nearer to home in the coming two weeks so look at the Celtic Woman website for updates and to my own website for some new pics!

On another note, I wanted to let everyone know, in case you have been swayed by some strange posts on my guestbook in the last few weeks, that I have never been more happy than I am now. These posts have been removed as it is a guestbook for relevance and truth and is always seen by me, friends and family as well as you who are so supportive in everything. I did not want you and the people I care about to worry needlessly. They were as much of a surprise to me as they were to you and I just wanted to clear that up and thank everyone for their continued love and friendship and wish you all Peace, Love, Happiness and Health for the holiday Season and the New Year.

It's a very exciting time of the year now and I love being at home getting to do all the cool normal things! Decorations are starting to go up in the towns and cities here and there's a buzz happening!
Thank you to the maireadnesbittforum for raising such a generous amount of money for Oxfam Ireland Unwrapped. It's especially at this time of year that this help is hugely beneficial to people in need and it not only alleviates pressures from day to day, but also in the long term with life sustaining programs.
So thank you for that.

Have a great Holiday Season and I will see you all in the New Year on our tour and thanks again for all the support!

Le grá,

Máiréad.





Sunday, November 7, 2010

Australian Tour and Home!

Hi Everyone!

Again it's been a long time!
It's been mental since the end of our U.S. Tour! It was an awesome night in red Rocks Colorado which marked the end of our tour in the U.S. The audience were incredible and of course the venue is unsurpassed by anywhere in my book!

We had a short time at home which was spend relaxing a bit, and catching up on unopened post, things that had been put on the long finger, and family and friends.

Then it was off to Australia for our first tour there as Celtic Woman.
It was amazing! We started off in Newcastle rehearsing and had our first show there. Every show in every city rocked and the Australian Girls Choir certainly helped that to happen! It is also an honor for us to be Ambassadors for National Breast Cancer Foundation and we wear our pink ribbons and t-shirts proudly in support of the research that they are doing.
There are lots of pics and info on www.celticwoman.com
We were constantly tweeting so check those out on twitter too! There's a direct link on my website www.maireadnesbitt.com
There was a day off in Brisbane and it was great! We went to the Lone Pine Sanctuary and got to be near very beautiful and exotics creatures. I have some pics up on twitter of my chance to hold a koala, a snake and a raptor ( not all at the same time, ha!) and it was deadly altogether!
The next day was the show in Brisbane and as if all the other cities didn't rock hugely, Brisbane was not to be outdone. It was an incredible last show and the audience really made it happen for us. What a night!

Then it was on the plane the next day for the first of three flights home!
Home now, and I get to relax with family and friends, do the things that have been on the long finger! and I suppose I'll open my post too!
Thank you to all the lovely people we met, to those who came to our shows and supported us so well and gave us such a huge welcome.

Thank you to our marvelous management and crew who did an awesome job!


And lastly, a huge thanks to a great friend and colleague, Des Moore, who has been with us from the beginning. His last show with us was Brisbane. He is an incredible musician. I've never come across anyone who is such a calm, sensitive, musical, virtuoso.
His playing is always perfection and I will miss him on stage and as a friend off stage. I grew up working and listening to Des featuring in the Concert Orchestra from when I was 15 years old. I've learned a huge amount from him as a player and a person. I will continue to do so. So, thanks Des and I will come to see you in concert soon!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Holidays and an amazing rest of the year.
See you in the New Year!

Le grá,

Máiréad.


Monday, August 9, 2010

Halfway through Songs From The Heart Summer Tour!





















Hi Everyone!


I can't believe we are halfway through our Summer Tour which started off in Canada through to Omaha where we are now!

There are two places that have stood out for me so far. One is
our day and show at the Bethel Woods Amphitheater.
This is next door to the original site where Woodstock happened in 1969! It was incredible to be standing there where so many our heroes played that weekend, like my man Jimi Hendrix!
We were looked after by Duke who showed us around the site area.
Here are a few pics of the stage area, the marker, and Duke, holding up a pic of all the people who were at the same area in '69!

The other time so far on this tour was
last night in Sioux City at the Tyson Events Center where we had storms, rain and amazing looking skies throughout the show! Some fierce weather sound effects were to be heard and gave the show an extra dimension!
Here's a pic!

Thanks to all of you for making our nights so special.
The audiences have been fantastic on this tour with people coming back time and time again.
The energy that I get from you when I'm on stage really becomes part of me and the performance, so thank you for that and for all your support!

Le grá,

Máiréad.


Wednesday, June 30, 2010

End of U.S. Tour/Australia and New Canadian & U.S. Tour!

Hi Everyone!

I'm doing my blog from Melbourne Australia and what a busy time it has been!

After our tour of the States, we got a little bit of time off and got to catch up with family and friends.
It was an amazing tour and quite intensive taking in a lot of cities and getting to meet all of you lovely supportive people along the way!

It was also our last tour with the wonderful Alex who we miss dearly. It was an honor to work with her and it is wonderful to know her as a friend. I wish her the very best in everything and I know she will be brilliant in anything she does in the future as that's her way, she's a diamond!

We then came to Australia a few days ago and have been on a whirlwind promo trip here for our first ever tour here in October! Lots of radio, TV and press interviews have been the norm and it's been hectic and fun! Last night we did the 'Hey Hey It's Saturday' live show even though it was a Wednesday! It was really great and we loved singing and playing with the house band. We go home tomorrow evening and it's bye for the moment to everyone here until October!

We will have a few days at home before we head off to Canada and the States for our next tour and we are really looking forward to seeing you all again! It's almost like going home for us at this stage!

We will see you all then and how great will it be to have the last concert of our next tour in Red Rocks again?! It has to be my favorite place to play, so special!

See you all very soon!

Le grá,

Máiréad.





Friday, April 16, 2010

Halfway on Songs from the Heart Tour!

Hi Everyone!

So sorry it's been so long again!

We are a little more than halfway through our tour and it has been non-stop for us!
We are now in Pensacola, Florida and have hit the great weather.
So nice to have sun at last and a breeze! My favorite!

We've had a busy and great tour so far. From being in NYC doing promo for our new tour Songs from the Heart in February, to our rehearsals and tour starting off in Roanoke Virginia, it has been a whirlwind!
We had been in beautiful venues from the Fox Theaters to Radio City Music Hall, interspersed with lots of TV shows along the way mainly in NYC, the highlight being Regis and Kelly for St. Patrick's Day!
Again your support has been second to none and it's so nice to see people we now know well coming back again and again to our concerts.
We are still excited about our new show. Everything from the songs, the staging, the gowns, the lighting, have really come into it's own and it makes it all worthwhile when everyone is saying to us that it's their favorite show so far!
It's hard to believe that we only have five weeks left but we will be back in July!
We are also going to Australia to do promo and a tour so it is a busy time coming up!

Thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes in advance!
While I do appreciate the generosity of gifts and thank you for that, I would be really grateful if, instead of gifts to me, to support a good friend of mine, Darragh Fisher, who is going to Haiti shortly to build houses for the people there. With the Irish based charity, Haven Partnership, and his engineering degree and years of experience, he is going to put all that to the best use in helping people who are in great need.
Go to
https://www.havenpartnership.com/html/donate/donateonline.php
Click on Donate; and in the spaces, fill in Darragh Fisher.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at www.maireadnesbittforum.com for their auctions and their efforts in raising $2000 for Oxfam Ireland Unwrapped. This is an incredible thing to have achieved and very giving of time and effort.
I was very moved by this and very glad to have been included in this generous act and
I know that Oxfam Ireland Unwrapped are very thankful, as am I.

Thank you everyone for your well wishes and support for the IMA awards to Celtic Woman for best group and myself for best Fiddle. I was very honored and we had a very nice time being presented with the awards in St. Louis on March 30th.

Well, I hope you all enjoy our new shows and there's always updated info on www.maireadnesbitt.com and www.celticwoman.com with our new webisodes added every few days and dates of our new tours!

Take care,

Slán,

Máiréad.

















Sunday, February 28, 2010

Songs From The Heart!

Hi Everyone!!

O, it's been a while I know!

We're almost at the end of our first three weeks of our tour with our new show, Songs From The Heart.
It has really flown!
Shortly after my concert in Switzerland with the BSO, it was into the groove again with David in Ireland rehearsing for the upcoming tour and for fittings with the brilliant Sy O' Mahony for our amazing gowns for our new show.

We were in New York doing some promo for a week before our rehearsals in Roanoke,Virginia from the 3rd to the 8th, and then our concert there on the 9th. Our tour had officially started!

I have to say, I am really enjoying the new show with it's new set, stage, lighting, sound and especially the music and the way it is spaced during the concert.
The stage is a dream for me and perfect for what I love to do.
Musically, I love the way the numbers flow and I'm so constantly amazed by Lisa, Chloe, Lynn and Alex during every show that, as engrossed as I am listening at the side of the stage, I sometimes have to run on for my solos!

We have had the most fulfilling three weeks, most of all the last few days in New York.
We had the honor of having the PS22 Chorus sing with us in Radio City Music Hall and the experience was magical! What lovely, beautiful kids and what beautiful music they sing, with their teacher Gregg Breinberg.
Check out their blog and some pics and clips of them starring with us in New York on Youtube singing 'You Raise Me Up' and 'Spanish Lady'!

http://www.ps22chorus.blogspot.com/

It was such a wonderful experience listening to them alongside us on the stage of Radio City Music Hall and also when we went to their school to rehearse and really get to enjoy each others' company!
We had so much fun!

Check out the pics and performances of 'Empire State of Mind PT. XXII' and 'When You Believe'.
NY1 were at PS22 the day we went there to meet and make some music with the PS22 Chorus-
Check this out!

http://www.ny1.com/9-staten-island-news-content/top_stories/114349/graniteville-school-choir-to-share-stage-with-celtic-woman

It's fair to say that we are PS22's biggest fans and will never forget our experience with them!
Their lovely singing and arrangements are still in our heads and even at our show tonight in Manchester,when we came to 'You Raise Me Up', we all had the arrangement in our heads! We missed you all so much tonight PS22!!
Thank you Gregg for being such an inspiration to them and thank you all for being such an inspiration to us!

Keep safe everyone and hope to see you all on our tour, thank you for all your support!

Le grá,

Máiréad.










Pics by Ms.Lisa and Mrs.Johnson@
http://www.ps22chorus.blogspot.com/