MAIREAD Nesbitt, one of the five members of the hit ensemble Celtic Woman, has talent to die for. She's a fiddle virtuoso who can play anything and everything, and she's made a successful living from her music since leaving college in the 1990s.
By Debbie McGoldrick
Irish Abroad Online Magazine
MAIREAD Nesbitt, one of the five members of the hit ensemble Celtic Woman, has talent to die for. She's a fiddle virtuoso who can play anything and everything, and she's made a successful living from her music since leaving college in the 1990s.
Her degree? Music, of course.
"It's what I always wanted to do," Nesbitt, a native of Co. Tipperary, tells the Irish Voice during a recent Celtic Woman publicity stop in New York City.
The success of Celtic Woman has been immensely gratifying for Mairead and her fellow female musicians. Their career trajectory takes them to Radio City Music Hall to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with two performances - March 17 is sold out, some tickets remain for Saturday the 18th.
"It just keeps getting better and better for us," says Nesbitt. "We were so thrilled to play Carnegie Hall last year, and now Radio City on St. Patrick's night. It doesn't get any better."
Though she's thrilled with how the Celtic Woman phenomenon has taken off throughout the world, Nesbitt's skills as a musician have put her in the limelight before.
She's been part of Riverdance, and for three world tours was the lead fiddle player for Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames shows. "Working with Michael was great. He's quite demanding of the people around him, but even more demanding of himself," Mairead says.
The grind of touring for so many years can be wearing, she says, but the audience response makes it all worthwhile. "It would be nice to stay in one place for a while," she says, "but we love what we do so much. To get the amazing feedback from the audience that we get each night is something special."
It's no surprise that music runs through Nesbitt's veins. Her parents John and Kathleen are noted traditional Irish musicians, as are her siblings. Music was always in the household, and one of the biggest thrills of her career, Nesbitt says, is being able to keep up with her highly talented family.
Winner of an All-Ireland fiddle championship, Nesbitt is equally comfortable playing classical music as well. "I knew from an early age that I wanted to play in both styles so I developed different bow-holds for each," she says.
"Then I learned to compartmentalize everything in order to play both styles to the level that I wanted to. Once you get to a certain level you can bring a few elements from Irish music into classical music and vice versa."
Her versatility has allowed Nesbitt to work with top musicians, including Sinead O'Connor, Van Morrison, Clannad and Emmylou Harris.
Each member of Celtic Woman recently released a solo CD. Nesbitt's is titled Raining Up, and it features the mix of musical styles that she's so fond of.
"Everything about Celtic Woman and the opportunities have been fantastic," she says. "I like things to be very exciting and fiery but I like it to be done in a certain way. People have been so supportive, and that means you're doing something right."