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/

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Berne Rehearsals and Happy New Year!







Hiya All! This is a very short blog but I wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year and an amazing 2010!

I am in Berne at the moment and have had two rehearsals with the Berne Symphony Orchestra and Andrey Boreyko.
It has been a great two days and we are off for New Year's Eve and tomorrow New Year's Day.

The rehearsals have gone very well so far and I have one more before the concert on the 2nd of January.
The orchestra and Andrey Borekyo are very dynamic, musical and sensitive and it is a really lovely experience.
The program for the concert can be seen on this link;

http://www.bsorchester.ch/Sites/Konzerte/XMLSearchSite.aspx?inWindow=true&date=02.01.2010

There are two links up on youtube from the rehearsals today....they are rehearsals now ok?! and I am concentrating on my playing at the rehearsals as it is such a rare and different experience to play with such an orchestra. I thought you might like to see this and to keep you posted!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkJKcgItmJ8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IdlanZczs4


Karl and all the soloists are really a joy to hear and watch.
The concert is sold out and I am delighted that I am here to spend New Year with Jim, Karl, Bláithín, Colm, Bruce and close friends.

I wish for my family, my close friends and all of you, a very Happy New Year with peace and happiness.

Le grá,

Máiréad.




Sunday, December 20, 2009

Happy Holidays and New Year!

Hi Everyone!

You must be nearly ready for Christmas and the Holidays!

It has been a busy time and I'm getting to do my blog now at last!

We had such a great tour, thanks to you all.
We had a fantastic week after our tour of promoting our new DVD
and tour Celtic Woman, Powerscourt House and Gardens, coming to the U.S. in Febuary,
We ended that week with the amazing honor of playing at the National Christmas Tree Lighting 2009 in President's Park, Washington for The First Family and all who were there AND all of you who watched online!
It was the most fantastic day and we got to meet President Obama and his family, Joe Biden and his family, and the fabulous artists that were playing that night.
Here's a link to the ceremony if you havn't seen it.

http://www.thenationaltree.org/tree-lighting/

There are some lovely photos from that day and night so keep an eye for those coming up after the holidays!
I can't describe the feeling to be playing there on such a momentous and historic occasion- it was really special.

I have my concert with the Berne Symphony Orchestra coming up on the 2nd January, 5pm, at the Grosse Salle, Kulture Casino in Berne, Switzerland.
I am very excited to be going over to spend New Year with the BSO and playing music by Joel McNeely, David Downes and
Colm Ó Foghlú.
It will be a special night with acclaimed artists performing.
I am very happy that Karl Nesbitt is performing alongside me, I'm looking forward to getting to play music with my brother again in public! It's been far too long!
Here is a link to the details of the BSO concert.

Neujahrskonzert

It just remains for me to wish you all a very Happy Christmas, Happy Holidays and an even better New Year. Thank you all for your support and keep music in your lives!
I will see you all on tour in the New Year!

Le grá,

Máiréad.









Monday, October 12, 2009

First Five Shows and Foxy Fender!












Hiya Everyone

We are well on the way into the start of the Fall leg of our Isle of Hope Tour with the first five shows done.
The shows have been going so well and the support of the audiences and our dedicated fans has been second to none! Thank you all so much!

We are on our way to Sioux Falls for our sixth show of the tour. It is supposed to be snowing there tomorrow and we're looking forward to seeing a white blanket and having our first snow ball fight this year!

Tinker Bell The Lost treasure CD is out and I had the pleasure of signing a few copies at our Meet and Greet tonight in Moline. Thank you to those who said they love it and keep an eye out for the DVD that's out very soon!
Both Lisa and myself enjoyed working on the beautiful score by Joel McNeely so much.
I can't wait to see it!

We're very excited to have our new DVD and CD Songs from the Heart coming out for the holidays. We will be having our own screening soon with the whole company. It will be so great to watch it in a relaxed space and make a night of it! Those of you who made the long trip to Powerscourt House and Gardens to see the show, know how beautiful the place is and how amazing it will look. I am very excited to see and hear the end result!

The material for my concert in the New Year with the Berne Symphony Orchestra is shaping up nicely and I am so excited about it. My brother Karl is going to grace the stage with me with his versatility on all those instruments that he plays so well.
The brilliant harpist Andreja Malir is orchestrating a suite by Colm Ó Foghlú, Joel McNeely has composed and orchestrated the stunning Tinker Bell Suite and of course David Downes has a gorgeous Suite composed and orchestrated by him. I am incredibly fortunate to have all this inspired and inspiring music to play to ring in the New Year in beautiful Berne, Switzerland.

Lastly and certainly not least, I want to thank three fantastic men who, along with the rest of our crew, work so hard with us on tour. In the middle of all this work, they organized, set up and presented me with the most amazing gift, with so much thought and detail. Larry Jacobski and Joe Fronek gave me a beautiful Fender Violin called Foxy! Those are the pics above! Foxy also has been 'blessed' by an Indian lady which the baby Eagle feathers convey. The feathers are only used when they have fallen off the Eagle. She also named me Little Running Fox, a name which I am honored to have.
Larry and Joe also went and got a Marshall Amp and a row of pedals called the Pod. This was all set up by Doug Trez in a room very secretly on our first show day!
I was, and am, completely blown away! All this in a clever road case to house everything. Being Hendrix fans like myself, they suggested that since the violin is called 'Foxy', the amp should be called 'Lady'!
That's a great idea! I will definitely be practicing my Hendrix now! I still can't believe it!
Thank you so much guys for this incredibly thoughtful gift which I will treasure forever.

That's all the news for now! Keep well and enjoy the music!

Le grá,

Máiréad.






Thursday, September 24, 2009

Songs from the Heart/ Tinker Bell The Lost Treasure/ Isle of Hope Tour/ Berne Symphony Orchestra Concert!

Hiya Everyone!

It has been quite a while since my last blog! Apologies!

It has been a busy time since our last concerts in Red Rocks!
Thank you so much to all of you and all our marvelous crew for making our long tour so special.

I have been at home catching up with family and friends, and playing music of course!
We filmed our latest DVD Songs from the Heart in the beautiful setting of Powerscourt House and Gardens in Wicklow. It was an incredible experience to be in such an historical place and we enjoyed every second of it! My parents, Seán, Caroline & Emma, Mike & Fiona, made it there, this was such a treat for me as I know how busy they all are. Frances, Noel and Karl were in Lorient, Brittany, but rang me just before I went on. Bruce, my webmaster also made it over from Germany and had a well earned break in Ireland over the next week.
It was fantastic too to see so many of our fans from America. What a trip they made and the support was incredible.We were all delighted so many made it over and I hope they enjoyed both nights despite the weather the first night!
Thanks too to all our friends from EMI, Ian Ralfini and Tara Chiari who were there cheering us on along with Dave Kavanagh, our Executive Producer, Scott Porter, our CEO, and Jonathan Hochwald of Madstone Productions.
We had huge help from Rachel Davis our Tour Manager, Scotty Ross our Production Manager and all our amazing crew from America and Ireland, who oversaw everything for us in Powerscourt. Our amazing Director Alex Coletti who, along with Tom Kenny our Lighting Designer, made it all look phenomenal. It really felt like a big family and everyone pulling together to make it work.
It was a big surprise that my parents were there and everyone knew except me!
I could not believe it when I saw them in the front row as I'm sure my expression conveyed! I was delighted and a bit nervous too, but it all went so well.
During a pause in the concert due to weather, my Mam got up from her seat and came up to us to the stage, and gave me a kiss. It was such a lovely spontaneous thing and was so moving.

Before and after our two nights in Powerscourt, it was studio time for us for the Songs from the Heart CD. David surpassed himself again with the stunning arrangements and compositions.
Andrew too was brilliant as usual with the recordings, mixing and all the other hard work that goes into making a CD. Thanks to both of them. We even got time to have lunch near my house and catch up in a more relaxed scenario!
It was great news too to hear that Celtic Woman won Best Celtic Group at Ireland's Music Awards at the World Fleadh this year, the competition was tough and we are delighted! Thank you to everyone that voted for us!

Moving on to the long awaited release of Tinker Bell The Lost Treasure! It hit the shops in the States yesterday I believe and I can't wait to see it!
It was again an honor to feature on such a beautiful score by Joel McNeely.
Lisa is singing the main title song 'If You Believe' which is really fantastic, warm and powerful.
There is beautiful work done by David and the choir on the score from the recording sessions in Dublin with Joel, David and Andrew. Alongside that, Méav, who sang in the choir, also sings 'Sunbeams', which is a lovely moving song.
I'm really excited to hear and see the movie, it's magical, and all the music and the songs are so emotive with a powerful message. It was a dream come true for me and I know you will all love it!

As I'm sure you must know, we are all heading back to the States in ten days to do our second leg of the Isle of Hope tour. We are very excited to be coming back to play and perform for you all. It gives us an opportunity to visit places that we didn't get to go to on our last tour. So the suitcase will be down in the next few days to get organized! As always your support is tremendous.
We are all doing interviews and some performances coming up to the tour and in the first week so keep tuned and look on www.celticwoman.com for info.

Other things too that have happened that are very special is that Karl's CD Vista Point is out and is available in all cool places, online and off!
Karl gave me some CD.S for the online shop at www.maireadnesbitt.com and ten are autographed! They will be up on the shop in the next few days.
It was so great to play on it and I know you will all enjoy the different tracks, compositions, arrangements and musicians that are on it.

Onto Berne in Switzerland, where I am honored to be soloist with the BSO for their New Year's Concert. This takes place on the 2nd January. I hope to be playing the premiere performance of the Tinker Bell Suite by Joel McNeely, music by David Downes, and music by Colm Ó Foghlú. More details will follow on www.maireadnesbitt.com and on the BSO site (link below).

image001.<span class=

http://www.bsorchester.ch/

There will be some new pics from the Tinker Bell The Lost Treasure sessions; the rehearsals at Powerscourt for Songs from the Heart; and pics from the World Music Festival Dunlaoighre '09, coming up on the site soon. The composer Colm Ó Foghlú has done a remix of Skidoo from Raining Up and as a thank you to all of you it will be available for free download from my site very soon! So don't forget to visit!

Thank you all for your continued support and see you on tour in ten days!

Le grá,

Máiréad.