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JUNO AWARD NOMINEE 2002
Eileen McGann
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Things you may not know: Although she is clearly best known
for her accomplishments in music, Renaissance woman Eileen
is also an acclaimed visual artist, (click
here to see some of her paintings), designer of Celtic
knotwork, web master, holder of four university degrees
in different subjects - and a former professional sword
fighter.
Eileen
will be teaching "SingingTraditional Songs", "Songwriting
in the Celtic tradition" and "Drawing and Designing
Celtic Knotwork".
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Eileen McGann
British
Columbia
Juno
nominee Eileen McGann is widely acclaimed as one of the best contemporary
Canadian songwriters, as well as one of the finest Celtic traditional
singers anywhere. Add to this a dynamic performance style,
an infectious sense of humour and a singing voice variously described
as "magnificent" and "hauntingly beautiful",
and you have an artist not to be missed.
Eileen was born in Canada to Irish parents. Surrounded by Irish
music in her childhood, she began performing traditional Celtic
music in her teens, and began a rapidly-expanding career that
has seen her go from strength to strength. Eileen has released
five solo recordings, (including an all-traditional CD, "Heritage"),
all of which have received international five-star reviews. Her
CD Beyond The Storm is a stunning collection of songs old
and very new, and was nominated for a 2002 Juno Award for "Best
Album: Roots & Traditional."
Soaring vocals, insightful lyrics and a powerful ability to make
both her own and traditional songs come alive for audiences: these
qualities have made Eileen McGann a mainstay at festivals across
Canada, the US and Great Britain for almost two decades.
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Ruth
has performed in high profile concerts with the likes of Leahy, John
Allan Cameron, John Renbourne, and a tribute to Stan Rogers.
Ruth
contributes her singing, songwriting, harp, and percussion talents
to Scantily Plaid. She also assisted in the mixing of their first
CD.
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Ruth
Sutherland
Ruth
Sutherland is both a great harper AND a beautiful singer. Born
and raised in Woodstock Ontario of Scottish parentage, she spent
her childhood summers travelling the highland games circuit as
a competitive dancer, while her parents ran their “Little Tartan
Shoppe”. She holds a B.A. in Voice at Wilfrid Laurier University,
and paid off her student loans by moving to Hamilton, singing
jingles and doing studio work at Daniel Lanois' Grant Avenue Studio
as a vocalist and harper.
Ruth
has travelled to Canada, Europe, and the United States. She has
twice been invited to perform as a solo artist at the Festval
Interceltique de Lorient, in France.
Ruth
sings not only traditional music, but also her own original compositions.
She has released three solo recordings, ("Journeys", "rantin'
and rovin'", and in November 2006,"bones & runes" ). Conductor
Boris Brott of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra has four times
featured Ruth in the Brott Music Festival, both as a solo performer
and in front of the National Academy Orchestra. The College of
Piping in PEI has featured Ruth on their Christmas CD entitled
"Ancestral Voices" along with Michael Burgess.
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