BiographyFor this special evening of An Irish Homecoming, Maura O’Connell joins the all female Celtic ensemble Cherish The Ladies led by the Grammy award winning flutist and whistle player, Joanie Madden along with other guest musicians and an all-star dance ensemble featuring champion dancers and former dance ensemble members of Riverdance and The Chieftains. For nearly two decades, the name of a time honored Irish traditional jig has become equally well known as the name for one of the most engaging ensembles in Irish music; Cherish the Ladies. They have grown from a one-time concert concept to an Irish traditional music sensation, literally the most successful and sought-after Irish-American group in Celtic music history. Organized by folklorist/musician Mick Moloney and originally sponsored by the Ethnic Folk Arts Center and the National Endowment for the Arts, they began as a concert series featuring the brightest lights in Irish traditional music. Though initially the group won recognition as the first and only all-women traditional Irish band, they soon established themselves as musicians and performers without peer and have won many thousands of listeners and fans of their music. Maura O'Connell's website at one time brandished the subtitle "Just a Singer" but the ironic tag line was far from accurate. From her first recorded appearances with the legendary Celtic band De Dannan to her Grammy nominated solo recordings, O’Connell has always shown her unmistakable deep, rich, flexible voice and her ability to pull the listener into the heart of a song. Her musical peers have led a cheering section for this simple yet eloquent singer and her philosophy on music. She has been summoned to sing with, among others, Van Morrison, James Taylor, Nanci Griffith, Dolly Parton, Bonnie Raitt, The Chieftains and Roseanne Cash - with each becoming a genre defying stylist idea for O'Connell's liberated musical vision. She was featured on the top selling A Women's Heart recordings and the 2006 Women's Heart Tour with fellow De Dannan alumna Mary Black.
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