The newest players in the Celtic cultural phenomenon, vocal group Celtic Woman has announced plans for an extensive tour of North America in 2009. The 72-city Isle of Hope Tour will span 20 weeks, from the February 13 opening show at the Theatre at Xcel in St. Paul, MN, through the July 1-2 closing performances at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, CO.
Nearly 20 venues will host two-night stands during the course of the trek, including a February 17-18 run at Chicago Theater in Chicago, IL, March 13-14 sets at Radio City Music Hall in New York, NY, and June 17-18 performances at the Performing Arts Center in Nashville, TN. A couple three-night engagements are also booked for March 20-22 at the Citi Performing Arts Center in Boston, MA, and May 15-17 at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, WA.
Tickets for most dates of the trek are available beginning December 15. However, public on-sales for the latter half of the tour, starting with the May 27-28 shows in Fort Myers, FL, will not be available until March 16 in many cases.
Celtic Woman’s lineup has changed over the years as various vocalists departed temporarily for personal or professional reasons. The lineup to be featured on most dates of the upcoming North American tour includes Chloe Agnew, Mairead Nesbitt, Lynn Hilary, Lisa Kelly, as well as an accompanying choir and band lead by Composer and Musical Director David Downes. According to the Celtic Woman Web site, Alex Sharpe will join the group as a fifth Celtic Woman for nearly 40 shows, from the March 24-25 shows at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, GA, through the three-night run in Seattle, WA.
“They are the songs, in many cases, and are the reason for any Celtic Woman music to happen,” Downes said of the vocalists on the group’s site. “Their voices and music bring that sound together, bring it to life.”
Ensemble tours featuring traditional Irish song and dance mixed with contemporary overtones have become increasingly popular in the last decade, beginning with the emergence of Riverdance in the mid-1990s. Irish step dancer Michael Flatley’s offshoot Lord of the Dance and male vocal group Celtic Thunder have been some of the latest additions to the craze, selling out numerous shows around the world.
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Celtic Woman itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)
| February 13 | St. Paul, MN | Theater at Xcel |
| February 14 | Milwaukee, WI | Milwaukee Theatre |
| February 15 | Grand Rapids, MI | Van Andel Arena |
| February 17 – 18 | Chicago, IL | Chicago Theater |
| February 20 | Detroit, MI | Fox Theatre |
| February 21 – 22 | Indianapolis, IN | Murat Centre |
| February 24 – 25 | Louisville, KY | Louisville Palace Theatre |
| February 27 | Columbus, OH | Ohio Theater |
| February 28 | Knoxville, TN | Knoxville Civic Auditorium |
| March 1 | Greenville, SC | Bi-Lo Center |
| March 3 – 4 | Pittsburgh, PA | Benedum Center |
| March 6 | Schenectady, NY | Proctors Theatre |
| March 7 | Uncasville, CT | Mohegan Sun Casino |
| March 8 | Manchester, NH | Verizon Wireless Arena |
| March 10 | Providence, RI | Dunkin’ Donuts Center |
| March 11 | Wilkes-Barre, PA | Wachovia Arena |
| March 13 – 14 | New York, NY | Radio City Music Hall |
| March 15 | Wallingford, CT | Chevrolet Theatre |
| March 17 – 18 | Baltimore, MD | France-Merrick Performing Arts Center |
| March 20 – 22 | Boston, MA | Citi Performing Arts Center |
| March 24 – 25 | Atlanta, GA | The Fox Theater |
| March 26 | North Charleston, SC | North Charleston Coliseum |
| March 27 | Birmingham, AL | Birmingham-Jefferson Concert Hall |
| March 28 | Tallahassee, FL | Leon County Civic Center |
| March 30 – 31 | Jacksonville, FL | Times Union Center for the Performing Arts |
| April 2 | Gainesville, FL | Stephen C. O’Connell Center |
| April 3 | Pensacola, FL | Pensacola Civic Center |
| April 4 | Orlando, FL | Amway Arena |
| April 5 | Tampa, FL | Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center |
| April 8 – 9 | Memphis, TN | The Orpheum Theatre |
| April 10 – 11 | St. Louis, MO | Fabulous Fox Theatre |
| April 16 | Baton Rouge, LA | Baton Rouge River Center |
| April 17 | Houston, TX | Toyota Center |
| April 18 | Grand Prairie, TX | Nokia Theatre |
| April 19 | Austin, TX | Frank Erwin Center |
| April 23 | Phoenix, AZ | Dodge Theatre |
| April 24 | Costa Mesa, CA | Orange County Performing Arts Center |
| April 25 | Los Angeles, CA | Greek Theatre |
| April 27 – 28 | Palm Desert, CA | McCallum Theatre |
| April 29 | San Diego, CA | San Diego Open Air Theatre |
| May 1 | Fresno, CA | Saroyan Theatre |
| May 2 | Santa Barbara, CA | Santa Barbara Bowl |
| May 3 | San Jose, CA | San Jose Civic Auditorium |
| May 5 | Sacramento, CA | Sacramento Memorial Auditorium |
| May 6 | Oakland, CA | Paramount Theatre |
| May 8 | Spokane, WA | Spokane Arena |
| May 9 | Portland, OR | Theater of the Clouds |
| May 10 | Eugene, OR | Hult Center for the Performing Arts |
| May 12 | Salt Lake City, UT | The E Center |
| May 13 | Boise, ID | Morrison Center |
| May 15 – 17 | Seattle, WA | Paramount Theatre |
| May 27 – 28 | Fort Myers, FL | Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall |
| May 29 – 30 | West Palm Beach, FL | Raymond Kravis Center for the Performing Arts |
| June 1 | Savannah, GA | Johnny Mercer Theater |
| June 2 – 3 | Charlotte, NC | Ovens Auditorium |
| June 5 | Roanoke, VA | Roanoke Civic Center |
| June 6 | Raleigh, NC | Progress Energy Center |
| June 7 | Portsmouth, VA | Ntelos Pavilion |
| June 8 | Vienna, VA | Filene Center at the Wolf Trap |
| June 10 – 11 | Cincinnati, OH | Aronoff Center |
| June 12 | Youngstown, OH | Chevrolet Centre |
| June 13 | Cleveland, OH | Playhouse Square Center |
| June 14 | Richmond, VA | Landmark Theatre |
| June 16 | Lexington, KY | Rupp Arena |
| June 17 – 18 | Nashville, TN | Performing Arts Center |
| June 20 – 21 | Philadelphia, PA | Mann Center for the Performing Arts |
| June 23 | University Park, PA | Bryce Jordan Center |
| June 24 | Fort Wayne, IN | Allen County War Memorial |
| June 26 | Kansas City, MO | Sprint Center |
| June 27 | Little Rock, AR | Alltel Arena |
| June 28 | Tulsa, OK | Mabee Center Arena |
| July 1 – 2 | Morrison, CO | Red Rocks Amphitheater |
