| Siobhan Owen | |
|---|---|
Photographer: David Sharrad |
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| Background information | |
| Born | 4 October 1993 |
| Origin | Adelaide, Australia |
| Genres | Classical, Celtic, Folk, World music |
| Occupations | Singer, Harpist |
| Instruments | Voice, Harp |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | Indie |
| Website | http://www.siobhanowen.com |
Siobhan Owen is a soprano and harpist[1] from Adelaide, Australia. Owen was born on 4 October 1993 in North Wales and lived in the small Anglesey village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyllllantysiliogogogoch before moving to Australia with her family in November 1995. Owen regularly performs at Festivals, concerts and recitals around Australia. She favours classical and Celtic/folk songs, but also sings jazz on occasion.
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Owen's vocal talent was noticed at an early age and she was encouraged to join the Adelaide Girls Choir (now Young Adelaide Voices) and the (St Aloysius College, Adelaide) school choir, where she soon became a regular soloist. Owen began her classical voice training aged 9, with singing teachers Naomi Hede and Norma Knight. She entered her first Eisteddfod around this time winning an Honourable Mention in the 9 to 13 age group. It wasn't long before Owen started winning Eisteddfods,[2] most notably the Classical Voice sections.
Owen's first solo performance on stage came just after her 10th Birthday in 2003, when she sang in a Riverdance Style show called "Shades of Green", organised by the Adelaide Irish Dancing Association, which toured South Australian theatres. When she was 12, Owen gave her first major solo performance, singing a traditional Irish song at the Adelaide Festival Theatre to an audience of 2,500.[3] The same year Owen received a Music Scholarship from St Aloysius College and a Choral Scholarship from St. Francis Xavier's Cathedral Choir,[4] where she remained a soloist and chorister for over 3 years. In August 2007, aged 13, Owen gave her first solo concert for Recitals Australia. She continues to perform for Recitals Australia every year.
In 2008, Owen received media attention when asked to sing at the Adelaide Fringe Festival with French singer/harpist Cécile Corbel after they met on Myspace.[5] Owen was so inspired by Corbel's harp playing that she decided to start playing harp. She had harp lessons from renowned Adelaide singer/harpist Emma Horwood, and was soon accompanying herself with harp in Celtic and Folk Festivals, concerts and recitals.[6] Owen commissioned South Australian harp maker and luthier Tim Guster to build her a 36-string Celtic harp with special carving. This harp has travelled with Owen to the following festivals:
2009 – Owen won the Adelaide Eisteddfod Junior Vocal Championship.[7] Also in 2009, she was voted the South Australia Folk Awards "Most Outstanding Emerging Artist".
2010 – Owen was one of ten finalists in the Australian National Young Folk Awards.[8] Performances in 2010 included singing the National Anthem for the Tour Down Under, performing at the Australia Day Awards in the grounds of Government House, Adelaide, presenting her own show Celestial Echoes at the Adelaide Fringe Festival and singing at Adelaide's Carols by Candlelight. On 7 May 2010, Owen was interviewed by BBC Wales for a feature on their website.[9]
2011 – Owen won two Irish Music Awards[10] – "Best New Irish Music Artist" and "Top Harpist".