Siobhan Owen

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Siobhan Owen

Photographer: Tenille Muscat of Flare Photography
Background information
Born (1993-10-04) 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.

Early life

At a young age, Owen was encouraged to join the Adelaide Girls Choir (now Young Adelaide Voices) and the (St Aloysius College, Adelaide) school choir, where she became a regular soloist. Owen began her classical voice training at age nine, with singing teachers Naomi Hede and Norma Knight. She entered her first Eisteddfod around this time winning an Honourable Mention in the nine to thirteen age group. It wasn't long before Owen started winning Eisteddfods,[2] most notably the Classical Voice sections.

First performances

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 three years. In August 2007, aged 13, Owen gave her first solo concert for Recitals Australia. She continues to perform for Recitals Australia every year.

Harp

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:

Career

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".[8]

2010 – Owen was one of ten finalists in the Australian National Young Folk Awards.[9] 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.[10]

2011 – Owen won two Irish Music Awards[11][12] – "Best New Irish Music Artist" and "Top Harpist".

2012 - March, Owen was soprano soloist in Ennio Morricone's debut Australian concert in Elder Park for the Adelaide Festival of Arts. June 23, Owen sang the Welsh National Anthem (Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau) at the Australia vs Wales Rugby Test Match at Allianz Stadium, Sydney.[13] Also in June, Owen released her fourth studio album Storybook Journey.[14] The album was named BBC Radio Wales "Album of the Week" in September, and in December was awarded 2012 Classical Crossover UK "Album of the Year".

2013 - Owen made her UK debut in January, performing concerts in Wales, London and Devon. In March Owen made her US debut, headlining the Los Angeles St David's Day Festival. She presented her own Adelaide Fringe Festival shows "Storybook Journey" at Ayers House, Adelaide.

Discography

Purely Celtic (released May 2008)
  1. Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau (Land of My Fathers – Welsh)
  2. Suo Gân (Lullaby – Welsh)
  3. My Lagan Love (Ireland)
  4. A Lullaby (Ireland)
  5. The Skye Boat Song (Scotland)
  6. My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose (Scotland)
  7. Amazing Grace (England)
  8. Siúil A Rúin (Walk My Love – Irish Gaelic)
  9. She Moved Through the Fair (Ireland)
  10. My Little Welsh Home (Wales)
  11. The Ash Grove (Wales)
  12. Danny Boy (Ireland)
  13. Lilium (Lily – Latin)
Celestial Echoes (released September 2009)
  1. Dark Iniseoghan
  2. In a Garden so Green
  3. Ar Hyd y Nos
  4. Twilight Fancies
  5. Nocturne
  6. Down by the Salley Gardens
  7. Pie Jesu (Fauré)
  8. Ye Banks and Braes of Bonny Doon
  9. Lisa Lân
  10. En Prière
  11. An Eriskay Love Lilt
  12. Ave Maria (Schubert)
  13. She Moved Through the Fair
  14. Der Nussbaum (Robert Schumann)
  15. A Fairy's Love Song
  16. We'll Keep a Welcome
Lilium (released December 2010)
  1. My Little Welsh Home
  2. Del Cabello Más Sutil
  3. Dafydd y Garreg Wen
  4. I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls
  5. Cyfri'r Geifr
  6. If I Were a Blackbird
  7. O mio babbino caro
  8. Gartan Mother's Lullaby
  9. Mondnacht (Robert Schumann)
  10. Lilium
  11. You'll Never Walk Alone
  12. Greensleeves
  13. Isle of Innisfree
  14. May It Be
  15. It's Only a Paper Moon
Storybook Journey (released June 2012)
  1. Cariad
  2. Scarborough Fair
  3. The Rose
  4. A Ei Di'r Deryn Du
  5. Walking in the Air
  6. Fields of St Etienne
  7. Llangollen Market
  8. Siúil a Rún
  9. Bring Him Home
  10. Black Is the Colour
  11. Nearer My God to Thee
  12. Dream a Dream
  13. Caledonia
  14. Calon Lân
  15. Prayer
  16. Sora Wo Aruku (Walking in the Air in Japanese)
  17. Storybook Journey

References

  1. ↑ Classical Crossover: Siobhan Owen
  2. ↑ Adelaide Eisteddfod Results
  3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuQzyjc-CSQ
  4. ↑ Cathedral Choir Magazine
  5. ↑ "Online friends go onstage" by Sam Kelton, The Advertiser (Adelaide), 13 February 2008
  6. ↑ Siobhan Owen at the Australian Celtic Festival
  7. ↑ http://www.sacomment.com/aes%202009.htm
  8. ↑ "Siobhan Owen". musicsa.com.au. Retrieved 2012-02-12. 
  9. ↑ National Young Folk Award
  10. ↑ "Folk singer Siobhan harps back to her Anglesey roots". BBC News. 2010-05-07. Retrieved 2012-02-12. 
  11. ↑ http://www.irishmusicawards.com
  12. ↑ "Siobhan Owen". Hayley Westenra international forum. 2010-12-02. Retrieved 2012-02-12. 
  13. ↑
  14. ↑

External links

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