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Join Now - the Official Lisa Kelly Fan Club! Click for details. |
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The Irish name Cheallaigh conjures images of Old Éire: the narrow shopping streets of Galway; the Hill of Tara in Meath; the domed granite heights, deep glens and wooded valleys of the Wicklow mountains; of beautiful Dublin and Samuel Beckett. But this lovely Dubliner is 100% twenty-first century.
We caught our first glimpse of Lisa during a PBS airing of the original Celtic Woman concert, recorded in the Helix Theatre, Dublin in September 2004. Naturally, it was shown during one of the network's frequent "begathons", so it was interrupted frequently for requests for donations. But we've always loved Irish music, so we stuck it out. And we're eternally thankful that we did. The show was absolutely magical. If you've never seen it, you don't know what you've missed.
The featured performers of Celtic Woman comprise three vocalists and one extraordinary fiddler. The fiddler, vivacious Máiréad Nesbitt is from Tipperary. The singers - Lisa, Chloë Agnew and newest addition Lisa Lambe - are from Dublin.
 A great deal of credit for the success of the show must be given to David Downes, the youthful Irish composer, pianist, and musical director. Although this is an ensemble show, he has highlighted the unique individuality of each performer. Each of these ladies is a singular soloist; yet their voices blend perfectly when they sing together. Their harmonies are breathtaking.
There is far more to Celtic Woman than the four soloists. They travel with a 6-member chorus and a group of world class musicians. It's a huge undertaking. They hit the road in a parade of buses and trucks, and they do it roughly eight months a year. They are a very hard working group, and they truly love what they do. Our hats are off to everyone in this remarkable troupe.
But this site is about Lisa Kelly. To say that she stands out among this group is a disservice to the others. Each is a wonderful talent in her own right. But Lisa's background in musical theater shows in her every move and expression. She simply has a presence about her; she is so comfortable performing. You feel that she is singing for you alone. Her renditions of Downes' Send Me a Song and The Blessing are beautiful and incredibly touching. She puts a wonderful feminine slant on Dougie MacLean's anthem Caledonia, and when she plants her feet and belts out the last few lines of Brendan Graham's The Voice - well, the effect is electrifying. Lisa's newest solo, introduced on the spring 2009 Isle of Hope tour, is a cover of Sting's Fields of Gold, and it's a show stopper. If you're not moved by this performance, you probably don't have a pulse.
We're not going to go into a lengthy biographical sketch here. That ground has been covered very well elsewhere (see the links page). Suffice to say that she is a classically trained pianist as well as singer, has been performing since the tender age of 7, has appeared as Velma in Chicago, Florence in Chess, Laurie in Oklahoma and Sandy in Grease, and was cast in 2000 as the lead female vocalist in Riverdance – The Show. The Celtic Woman CDs and DVDs are available right here. In addition, Lisa has recorded a self-titled CD, featuring songs as diverse as the traditional "Siúil A Rún", "The Deer's Cry" from The Pilgrim, "May It Be" from Lord of the Rings, and the heartrending "Send Me a Song". We first got to see her live when Celtic Woman played here in Jacksonville in 2005, and we were captivated. She has the voice (and the face) of an angel, and we're certain that you will fall in love with her as we have.
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