Celtic Woman Keeps Singing From The Heart

After wrapping up a four-month, 60-date tour last weekend, the touring machine that is Celtic Woman will be back at it again in July for a 47-city trek that will take the group throughout the U.S. and Canada in addition to a number of Australian shows.

Celtic Woman, which as their name implies is made up of an all-female Irish ensemble, is touring in support of their fifth studio album, Celtic Woman: Songs from the Heart. The CD and DVD were released in January.

The second leg of the group’s 2010 group will feature vocalists Chloë Agnew, Lynn Hilary, Lisa Kelly, and fiddler Máiréad Nesbitt. Alex Sharpe, who joined Celtic Woman back in 2007, will be missing from the lineup as she recently announced she is parting ways with the group because of family commitments.

“It has been a great joy and pleasure to be a part of the Celtic Woman family these past three years but the time has come from me to be with my own family full time back at home. I would like to thank all the fans for the support they have given me from the beginning and throughout the years,” Sharpe said.

The women of Celtic Woman pose for a photo op.

The tour kicks off July 12 at Harbour Station in Saint John, New Brunswick, with Canadian dates booked through a July 21 show at K-Rock Centre in Kingston, Ontario.

August features a few more Canadian gigs including an Aug. 14 gig at Thunder Bay Community Auditorium in Ontario and an Aug. 18 show at Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

U.S. dates begin July 23 with a performance at ArtPark Festival at Earl W. Brydges Artpark in Lewiston, N.Y., and are booked through a Sept. 12 gig at Red Rock Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colo.

Additional U.S. stops include Auditorium Theatre in Rochester, N.Y. (July 25) Mann Center For Performing Arts in Philadelphia (July 31), BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. (Aug. 6) and The Mountain Winery in Saratoga, Calif. (Aug. 29).

The Australian trek kicks off Oct. 22 at Newcastle Entertainment Centre and wraps up Nov. 3 at Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Boondall.

Click here for Celtic Woman’s official website.