Mairead Nesbitt

Máiréad Nesbitt Pronounced "muh-Raid" Born In Loughmore County Tipperary Ireland Is A Classical And Celtic Music Performer Most Notably As A Fiddler And Violinist. She Is Currently The Fiddler For The Group Celtic Woman. Nesbitt Was Born To John And Kathleen Nesbitt Both Well-Known Music Teachers. She Has A Sister Frances And Four Brothers Seán Michael Noel And Karl All Of Whom Are Musicians. She Has Been A Piano Player Since The Age Of Four And Began Playing The Violin At Age Six. Her Formal Musical Studies Began At The Ursuline Convent In Thurles Ireland And Progressed Through Secondary Schooling At The Waterford Institute Of Technology And The Cork School Of Music During Which Time She Participated In The National Youth Orchestra Of Ireland. Nesbitt Completed Post-Graduate Studies At London's Royal Academy Of Music And Trinity College Of Music Under Emanuel Hurwitz. Besides Her Family Nesbitt Has Stated That Her Influences Range From Itzhak Perlman And Michael Coleman To Bluegrass Artist Alison Krauss And Rock's David Bowie And Sting. After Finishing Her Post-Graduate Studies Nesbitt Joined The RTÉ Concert Orchestra. She Later Moved Into Solo Performances Working With A Variety Of Performers Including Van Morrison Clannad And Sharon Shannon. She Also Spent Some Time As Fiddler For The Irish Group Coolfin And Recorded An Album With Them. Nesbitt Got Her Break In 1996 When She Was Invited To Perform In The Michael Flatley Show Lord Of The Dance. There She Played Lead Fiddle Until 1998 At Which Time She Went With Flatley To His Second Show Feet Of Flames. She Toured In This Production Again As Lead Fiddler Until Leaving In 2001. Nesbitt Also Played On The Original Soundtracks To Both Shows As Well As For The Soundtrack To Riverdance. Nesbitt Released Her Début Solo Album In 2001 Raining Up Which Features A Broad Range Of Musical Styles Both Traditional And Contemporary. The Album Features A Number Of Guest Performers And Members Of Nesbitt's Own Family Her Mother Sister And Brothers Seán And Karl. In Promotion Of The Album She Tours With Her Own Band. In 2004 Nesbitt Was Invited To Play Violin For A Performance At The Helix Theatre In Dublin Called Celtic Woman. The Popularity Of This And Subsequent Performances On Television And Live Albums Has Led To Five Tours Across The United States. Celtic Woman Has Released A Total Of Three Albums To Date Celtic Woman Celtic Woman A Christmas Celebration And Celtic Woman A New Journey. Nesbitt Has Worked With The Bhangra Fusion Band The Dhol Foundation On Their 2005 Album Drum-Believable Has Composed The Original Music Score Alongside Tibor Kasza For The Tour Of Irish Dance Invasion A Production Based In Budapest And Has Played And Recorded With The Group Afro Celt Sound System. Nesbitt Also Performed Privately For HRH The Princess Anne During Her Visit To Dublin In September 2004. The Celtic Tenors Live In Concert DVD Released In 2006 Also Features Nesbitt On Several Tracks. Nesbitt Is Featured As A Soloist On Walt Disney's Direct To DVD Film Tinker Bell. Joel McNeely Composed Music Specifically To Fit Nesbitt's Distinctive Style And Collaborated With Her To Further Polish The Music For Celtic Authenticity. Nesbitt Is A Former Fleadh Cheoil All-Ireland Fiddle Champion And Was Named By Irish Music Magazine As Best Traditional Female In 2003. Currently Nesbitt Is Working On A Second Solo Album As Well As An Album With Her Very Musical Family. read less