| Sephira | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Carrickmacross/Dublin, Ireland |
| Genres | Classical Crossover/Soundtrack |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Cicero |
| Website | http://www.sephira.ie |
| Members | |
| Joyce O'Leary Ruth O'Leary |
|
Sephira is an Irish band comprising sisters Joyce and Ruth O'Leary, who both play the violin and provide vocals. They released their debut album Believe in 2006. The combination of the sisters' vocals and violins is the essence of the Sephira sound, which is largely classical/crossover with traditional Irish influences.
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The O'Leary sisters are from Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, Ireland. Both learned music from an early age: Joyce was two and a half and Ruth was six when they first started learning violin. Joyce performed in the National Concert Hall, Dublin aged just three, playing a Bach minuet, and was named Ireland’s Most Promising Violinist when she was nine.
Ruth studied music performance at London's Guildhall School of Music to study for a BA in Music Performance. She continued her studies in Dublin, where she received her first class honours B.A. with a performance of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto at the National Concert Hall,Dublin. During her years of study Ruth performed with world-class acts such as Rodrigo y Gabriela and featured on their 'Live in Manchester and Dublin' album.
The band's first album Believe was released in 2006. Since then Sephira have completed two successful Irish tours, performed live on the Irish television station (TG4) and appeared as special guests for artists at a number of Ireland’s major concert venues, including the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, the INEC in Killarney, the Cork Opera House and the Millennium Forum in Derry.
In January 2007 they supported Clannad at Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall as part of the Celtic Connections festival televised by the BBC. In March 2007 they performed on Lithuanian TV as part of the Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations in Vilnius, and in April they appeared on (RTE2 with Brian McFadden. In December of that year they joined Kanye West for concerts in Dublin's Phoenix Park and The Odyssey in Belfast, and then flew to Nigeria to perform with West at two large-scale stadium concerts.
In March of this year Sephira appeared as special guests for Clannad on their extensive UK Revival Tour performing in prestigious venues throughout the UK including The Sage in Gateshead, The London Palladium and The Brighton Dome. In May '08 Sephira performed at a private function for Larry Hagman, the actor better known as J.R Ewing from the hit TV series Dallas. Later that year, the girls flew to LA to perform at the Hagman's Hollywood home. Other celebrities with whom they have appeared on TV are Michael Bublé, Westlife, Kanye West, Alison Moyet, Tom Baxter, Katherine Jenkins, Brian Kennedy, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Andrea Corr and Paul Harrington.
Since fall 2008, the O'Leary sisters have been touring USA and Canada with the show Celtic Thunder. 2010 has brought Sephira to New York City where they now reside. They have been working with producer Dave Williams - Deviations Project throughout the past few years working on and recording new material. A new album is in the works and scheduled for release in 2011.
Believe (2006) was the band's debut album. It features eleven original compositions and a version of 'If' by David Gates. The album was recorded in The Cauldron Studios, Dublin, and was produced by producer and instrumentalist Bill Shanley.[1] Other musicians featured on the album include Ruby Ashley, William Butt, Noel Eccles, Karen Hamill and former band member Colm Henry.