Celtic Woman

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Celtic Woman
Celtic Woman debut CD cover
Background information
Origin	Ireland
Genre(s)	Celtic
Years active	2004-Present
Label(s)	EMI & Manhattan
Website	CelticWoman.com
Members
Chloë Agnew Órlagh Fallon Lisa Kelly Méav Ní Mhaolchatha Máiréad Nesbitt Hayley Westenra
Former members
Deirdre Shannon

Celtic Woman is a musical ensemble comprised of five Irish and one New Zealand female artists: vocalists Chloë Agnew, Órla Fallon, Lisa Kelly, Méav Ní Mhaolchatha and Hayley Westenra, and violinist Máiréad Nesbitt. The group's repertoire ranges from traditional Celtic tunes to modern songs. To date, the group has released three albums, Celtic Woman, Celtic Woman: A Christmas Celebration and Celtic Woman: A New Journey, and have undertaken a number of world tours.

The foundation for Celtic music's popularity outside of Ireland and Europe was previously set by artists Enya and Clannad, along with stage shows Riverdance and Lord of the Dance. To this end, Celtic Woman has been referred to as "Riverdance for the voice".^[1]

1 Albums
2 Membership
3 Discography
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Albums

Celtic Woman was filmed on 15 September 2004 for PBS Television at The Helix, Dublin, Ireland in front of a sell-out audience. Organized by producer Sharon Browne, Chairman & CEO Dave Kavanagh and musical director and composer David Downes, this performance was first broadcast on PBS during March 2005 in the United States, and within weeks the group's eponymous debut album Celtic Woman reached #1 on Billboard's World Music chart, eventually breaking a long-standing record on 22 July 2006 by staying at #1 for 68 weeks,^[2] and held that position for 81 weeks total.^[3] Much of the group's success in America has been credited to the extensive PBS publicity throughout 2005. The live performance at The Helix was released on DVD alongside the studio album.

The release of the second album, Celtic Woman: A Christmas Celebration, on 19 October 2006 knocked their first album to the #2 spot on the World Music chart.^[3]

In preparation for their third studio album, Celtic Woman performed at Slane Castle in County Meath, Ireland, on 23 August and 24 August 2006, with this show airing on PBS during December 2006. The studio album, titled Celtic Woman: A New Journey, was released on 30 January 2007, and as with their debut, the live performance was released on DVD simultaneously. This album immediately hit the Billboard 200 at #4^[4] and the Billboard World Music chart at #1,^[5] bumping their previous two releases down a spot and securing the top three positions on that chart for the group.

[edit] Membership

The original members of Celtic Woman include Agnew, Fallon, Kelly, Mhaolchatha, and Nesbitt. During Mhaolchatha's pregnancy in 2005, Deirdre Shannon was selected to fill her place during tours. After Shannon's departure in February 2006, Mhaolchatha returned to the group to record A New Journey and will continue touring with them part-time.

It was announced on 6 September 2006 that Hayley Westenra had officially joined Celtic Woman as of 24 August 2006.^[6] As well as being featured on the album and DVD for A New Journey, Westenra will alternate with Mhaolchatha during tour events to maintain the five-person lineup.^[7]