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February 2010
Note from Lily:
Hello! I just got off the road after a few weeks in the U.K. and Ireland. I really can't say it enough - thank you so very much to all of you who came to hear my performances! I had a great time teaching, researching music, performing and, in my (very little!) time off, indulging my interest in art! One of the highlights of the trip was unexpectedly finding myself in Broadway, in the hills of the Cotswolds, where the painting for which I'm named was painted - John Singer Sargent's "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose" (which, incidentally, gets its title from a song)! Anyone in the U.K. this summer who loves art should check out the Arts Festival that will take place in Broadway in June.
My performances were great fun (especially fun was the impromptu 2 a.m. gig in Bewdley)! I had a brilliant time playing alongside singer/songwriter Deborah Hodgson for a few shows and it was also a pleasure to be able to reprise some of the magic from my gigs last summer in Italy and once more share the stage with the wonderful accordionist Karen Tweed in Ashover! An added bonus was being able to invite BBC Folk Award nominee Hannah James to join me for a few sets! Thanks to Dave Eyre for having me on his show, "Thank Goodness It's Folk" that same morning!
The film in which my harp playing is featured, "Holler" by Cassius Matthias, also had another screening at the British Academy of Film and Television. It was very exciting to see it again (and to get to hear the score on the fantastic BAFTA speakers!). Also lovely was to perform in London in Clerkenwell alongside Matthew Ord and Oliver Talkes as well as finish up my tour in Camden Town at the Green Note with Paul Micklethwaite opening for me. Those who stayed there late got to hear a few off-the-cuff Beatles and Stones covers!
I'd like to particularly thank Hannah, Andy, Alan, Julie, Karen, Chiara, Laurence, Vic, Deborah, Dan, Pip, Claire, Veronica, William, Inga, Tim, Clive, Graham, Marcia and Tiny Dancer for helping me out along the tour in their own ways - I appreciate it immensely!
Btw - keep a lookout for some of the photos taken by Tracy Jean Shields in Highgate, London. Tracy's an incredible photographer and the pictures will soon be up on Myspace and Facebook!
Lily
January 2010
A big thanks to everyone who came to hear Lily's performances with Kerfuffle and with Kíla in December! Kerfuffle's CD "Lighten the Dark" is available here for anyone interested in hearing the collaboration - it's a great album!
And, for anyone who would like to hear tracks from "Holler", Lily's collaboration with film director Cassius Matthias and composer Miguel Mera, you can visit the film's web-site here. "Holler" is the first in a projected trilogy of films that deal with life in modern day London. Take a look at the site to see stills from the film and have a listen to the music!
Info about Lily's upcoming performances in the U.K. has been added to the tour page. On January 29th she'll be playing a double-bill concert with accordionist Karen Tweed, followed by performances in London and Warwickshire. Hope to see some of you there!
December 2009
Note from Lily:
Hello! Just a quick note to wish everyone happy holidays and give you an update on what I've been up to lately....
This autumn I've been focusing on writing and arranging new music for my CD and so far so good- it's starting to take shape! It's going to feature a lot of my new compositions and I'm very excited about it! I also had a great time playing with the fantastic Irish band Kíla when they were on tour in Helsinki in October! In fact, for anyone who is in Dublin, come out to see Kíla at Vicar Street on 19.12 and you may see me with them there too....
I also gave my first performance in Russia, in Moscow, in November. It was an incredible experience and thank you so very much to all the friends there who made my visit so memorable!
On December 14th, Cassius Matthias' film "Holler" will be premiered! I'm very excited about this as my harp playing is featured on the soundtrack, composed by Miguel Mera!
My harp playing is also featured on three tracks on English folk band Kerfuffle's newest CD, "Lighten The Dark", and I'll join them in Leicester on 17.12 for their performance at "The Musician" - it'll be great fun to make music with them again!
I'll be in the U.K. again in January/February for several performances, so please check back for more details about those shows. In the meantime, happy holidays to everyone!
Lily
September 2009
Thanks to everyone who followed Lily's work over the summer! It's been a while since the last update so it's high time for another!
Lily was back in the U.K. in July, playing at the Ashover Well-Dressed Festival, which was fantastic and featured many other amazing performers! Gay Bolton wrote of lovely review of one of Lily's concerts at the Ashover festival, saying;
" [...] the night belonged to American harpist Lily Neill whose music was perfect for the setting of the concert. This awe-inspiring player was as mesmerising to watch as she was to listen to, gently plucking the strings with her right hand, stroking or tapping others with her left and at one point stamping her feet to provide percussion. I was amazed how many different sounds Lily could conjure out of her 30-string lever harp, including a very appropriate peal of bells, jigs and a march. Anyone at the concert must have felt that they were truly in the presence of greatness - after all, this was a young woman who had played for ex-president Bill Clinton and folk luminaries The Chieftains".
To read the full review from the Derbyshire Times, you can visit this link.
While in the U.K. Lily also performed in London at a fundraiser for the Flying Seagull Project, a group of young performers, artists and musicians who provide aid to children in Romania.
The end of July/start of August saw Lily in Italy, performing in Forlì along with great musicians, Karen Tweed, Calum Stewart, Heikki Bourgault and Rallion. Some photos from the festival can be seen on Lily's Myspace page - it was a beautiful explosion of music!
Lily returned to the U.K. in August, where she had the honour of performing at Farringford, Alfred Lord Tennyson's home, on the Isle of Wight for the celebration of his 200th birthday. It was a truly magical night, ending appropriately, with fireworks! Anyone visiting the Isle should make a point of going to Farringford, which is as utterly enchanting as Tennyson's poems! While in the U.K., Lily also recorded music for a film. Another wonderful experience with some great people... more details about this will be posted soon!
At the moment, Lily is working on some new projects and on music for her CD. These will be keeping her busy but she'll be in Turku, Finland, next month for the Nordic Harp Meeting 2!
As always, thanks for the support and thanks to everyone who's been listening to and working with Lily! A special thanks to those who helped Lily to navigate the worlds of trains, planes, boats, buses, trolleys and bicycles (yes!) with her harp over the summer!
June 2009
Thanks to those of you who made it out to hear Lily's performances in the States! Her performance for the Institute of Musical Tradition's (IMT) Swift Run concert series received a terrific review in CityPaper!
Brandon Wu writes: " [...] IMT concerts show a broad interest in a variety of folk musics, and Lily Neill was a perfect showcase. Neill seems to have a foundation in Irish and Scottish music, but the concert she played on Saturday also included tunes from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Israel, and Australia, as well as some of her own creation (and a riff from The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" for good measure). Neill's talent goes beyond technical skill, which she has in spades, to include a remarkable ability to take all these diverse musical traditions and adapt them into her own distinct style".
To read the full review, and to learn more about the concert series, please visit this link
Lily will also be in the U.K. in Ashover and London and in Forli, Italy, to give a few performances in July/August - please check the tour page for more details!
June 2009
Another note from Lily:
As always, I’d like to thank everyone who came and supported my concerts! I gave performances in Cardiff and Blackwood in Wales and went on to perform on England’s beautiful Isle of Wight. Between shows I did studio work for the fantastic English band, Kerfuffle. Anyone interested hearing Kerfuffle’s music can check out their website, www.kerfuffleonline.co.uk. Their new Christmas-themed album will be released around the holiday and I’m very excited to be a part of it!
While in Wales I gave a workshop for the Clarsach Society and it was so great to meet other harp players there. Many thanks to the society for having me - it was a pleasure! Thanks also to Kate and Alex, Helen (for managing me!), Marcia, the James and Sweeney families, Tom, Sue, Catherine and Paul, Kadialy and, of course, to Vic and Pete for arranging everything! I really enjoyed this tour and was absolutely thrilled to finish it by having my 19th century fascinations indulged by taking tours of some of the places made famous by my favourite literary and artist heroes!
I’ll give two concerts that are open to the public in the States in June; for the Swift Run Concert Series in Fairfax Station, VA, and for the Blue Curtain Concert Series at Pettoranello Gardens in Princeton, NJ. I'll return to the U.K. in July for the folk festival in Ashford and the end of summer will take me back to Finland to work on material for my new CD…
May 2009
Please see below for an update about Lily’s upcoming work!
Note from Lily:
It was wonderful to perform in Paris in March! Thanks to all involved with the Festival Irlandays for inviting me and to everyone who came to listen! It was especially lovely to be remembered by some of you who had heard me at the Festival Interceltique de Lorient - thank you for coming to hear me again!
I’m going to be in Wales and England next, where I’ll be to teaching, giving a few concerts and recording. For anyone interested in attending my concerts and/or workshop, please check my ‘tour’ page, as it was recently updated! The concerts I’m giving on the Isle of Wight will be double-bill performances with kora player Kadialy Kouyate, from Senegal. It’ll be our first time performing together and I’m very excited about the shows!
I’ll also be in the States for a two shows in Virginia and in Princeton, NJ, in June. These will be my only shows in the States and info about them has already been added to my tour schedule. After these shows I’m going to be spending time in Finland working on new material to record… watch this space for more info….
Lily
February 2009
A huge thank you to everyone involved with the Old Brogue's Concert Series and most especially to everyone who turned out for the three shows! How wonderful to be welcomed so warmly and SO enthusiastically by so many! Yes, the suggestions for the new CD are being taken seriously - keep the comments coming please! Remember, there's a new Guestbook here and the comments and suggestions really are read and considered! Lily expects to return to the States in June after performing in Helsinki, Paris, Wales and the U.K. so check the site often and come support the harp!
January 2009
Thank you so much to everyone who attended Lily Neill's performances over the past few months. Lily performed solo in Europe this past autumn in Finland in both Helsinki's legendary club, Tavastia and at Oulu's Irish Festival along with several outstanding Finnish groups, the great Andy Irvine, Grada and the voice of Bosco, Miriam Lambert (let's hear it for the puppets!!!). Sweden was host to the first ever International Nordic Harp Meeting and Lily was a presenter and performer - the range of styles and harps was just amazing. November found Lily on the Isle of Wight being treated to tremendous tours and hospitality after her performance. London, Dublin City and Wexford were great too - thank you all!
In the States there were gigs in Washington, D.C. with dancer Cartier Williams and with the hip hop group Triflava (check them out at one of their shows every month at Mocha Hut on U Street!). These shows were followed by a solo performance in New York City where Lily was reunited with the artists who worked on her CD as well as a musical reunion with Princeton-based rock band "Rackett", with whom she had performed in Helsinki.
The web-site has been updated for the new year; info about upcoming gigs is posted on the tour page and more info about future tours will be listed very soon. (French fans keep checking - she's going to be in Paris!) Pictures from Lily's recent shows, as well as from early gigs - yes, that's Lily! - and from her performance for former U.S. President Bill Clinton, have been added to the gallery. You will also see that the Italian version of her biography has been added, courtesy of Diana Migliano - grazie molto Diana! Additionally, there is now a guest book, so please feel free to leave comments. Lily is arranging and writing music to be recorded for her next album, so feedback about her material is welcome and encouraged.
As always, thank you so much to everyone who has come to support the live shows! Lily has three concerts at the Old Brogue, in Virginia, before she heads back to Europe. Please come out and support these shows in the Metro-area where it all started!!!
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