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Fiddler Máiréad Nesbitt reflects on Celtic Woman's 10th anniversary before Syracuse tour stop


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Left to right: Méav, Susan McFadden, Máiréad Carlin and Máiréad Nesbitt

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Celtic Woman will kick off the North American leg of its 10th anniversary world tour in Syracuse on Friday, March 6.

Celtic Woman made its television debut in 2005 with a sold-out performance at The Helix in Dublin. PBS filmed and broadcast the show in the United States. Although it was intended as a one-time event, the group followed with a debut concert tour in the U.S. Since then, Celtic Woman has performed every year in North America, expanding its reach across the globe to six continents and 23 countries.

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Máiréad Nesbitt of Celtic Woman performs on The Emerald World Tour at Comcast Arena in Everett, Wash. on March 25, 2014.Photo by David Conger / davidconger.com

The performers will stop in Syracuse for one night only with vocalists Susan McFadden, Máiréad Carlin, Méav (one word) and Celtic violinist Máiréad Nesbitt (pronounced like parade with an M).

Celtic Woman has always featured three or four alternating vocalists, but Nesbitt has been the only original member to play continuously with the group since its founding.

For Nesbitt, it doesn't feel like it's been 10 years since Celtic Woman began.

"It's kind of flown by, really," said Nesbitt, in a March 3 phone interview. "It's gone by so fast. It's a great achievement for our group."

Celtic Woman 10th Anniversary World Tour (https://youtu.be/GTUnpsd7vOs)

In the Celtic Woman commercial above, the anniversary tour promotes the group as more lively than ever. The thing is, Nesbitt has always brought vivacity to the show, fiddling furiously and bounding across the stage with brio. Young fans always ask Nesbitt how to move on stage the way she does.

"I always say to them, it's a bonus to do that," she said. "It's not reallCeltic Woman 10th Anniversary World Toury about that, it's about the music. For me, it's always been a natural thing to do. I wouldn't be able to do very choreographed moves in my solos. I only do what makes sense to me."

Over the last 10 years, Nesbitt said the show has become more interactive and more dynamic.

"Dynamic doesn't mean lively all the time," she said. "We're more aware of the lows -- the more intimate settings -- as well as the medium and higher levels of performance. The dynamic is much broader."

The tour's set features Irish classics as "Danny Boy" and "Mo Ghile Mhear," alongside contemporary compositions like "Scarborough Fair" and "You Raise Me Up."

The 15-member ensemble also includes Irish dancers, the Aontas Choir and a full band playing an array of traditional Celtic instruments including bodhran, hand-crafted tin whistle, bouzouki, bagpipes and Uilleann pipes.
I wouldn't be able to do very choreographed moves in my solos. I only do what makes sense to me.

The ages of the featured performers range from mid-20s to late 30s.

"For me, being there for 10 years, you always have to approach it with freshness," Nesbitt said. "You have to stay true to yourself and not follow the pack. If there are people leaving or not leaving, decide for yourself what you want to do."

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Máiréad Nesbitt of Celtic Woman.
Many vocalists have come and gone through Celtic Woman, but it's not a simple rotation. Director David Downes handpicks each "Celtic Woman" to fit in both vocally and with the chemistry of the other singers offstage and on.

"We all support each other because it's hard traveling all the time, minding yourself and being on top of things," Nesbitt said. "There's isn't room not to be. We work very hard because we like it and and we know other people like it."

For Nesbitt, the hardest part of the tours is the travel.

"From that point of view, I'm in the wrong job," Nesbitt said, laughing. "I really love being at home. I've always been that way. I used to get really bad travel sickness."

But the travel is worth it once Nesbitt meets the audiences.

"You're there only for them," she said. "You can see what music does for them, the healing aspect of it. That's very humbling and very special. It balances it all out."

The tour has been so busy that Nesbitt hasn't yet thought about how she plans to celebrate the 10th anniversary herself.

"I need to sit back and go, 'Wow,'" she said. "Some members of the band have been with us for 10 years too. I think we're just going to have a glass of champagne."

Katrina Tulloch
syracuse.com
March 04, 2015 at 8:20 AM