The joy of song

The supergroup, consisting of five vocalists – Méav Ní Mhaolchatha, Órla Fallon, Lisa Kelly, Chloë Agnew and Hayley Westenra – and violinist Máiréad Nesbitt, received platinum status for their debut CD/DVD Celtic Woman. Their second album Celtic Woman: A Christmas Celebration reached the top of Billboard's world music chart in December 2006, and now their newest release Celtic Woman -- New Journey scored #4 on The Billboard 200, their highest chart position ever.

The reason their music touches so many people, from young children and hipster teenagers to multi-generational families and older folks?

“Our music conveys a range of emotions from evocative-haunting to upbeat,” says Orla Fallon, solo vocalist and harpist, who gave an exclusive interview to 50Plus.com during the group’s stop in Toronto. “It’s a rat-race of a world, and people have an innate hunger for more time for themselves, and more spirituality.”

The repertoire includes Irish traditional, classical, contemporary and original works by musical director David Downes.

“Our music comes from the heart and it touches people’s hearts and souls,” says Orla. “Even for people who aren’t Irish... when we toured in Japan last year, we were surprised at the huge response. We blew the house down.”

The Celtic Woman soloists have all enjoyed successful solo careers before joining the group. They come from different backgrounds and have distinctly individual musical styles which when blended “creates a bit of magic,” Orla says.

“Singing with other women has given me a wealth of information and experience,” she adds. “For example, I come from a traditional background, and Celtic Woman has given me an opportunity to add a classical element to my music. So I feel that musically I’ve grown a great deal.”