Colleen McNally-Harris - Celtic & Sacred Music http://colleenharrismusic.com Official Site of Celtic Singer Colleen McNally-Harris Fri, 20 Apr 2012 18:11:58 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 A new start… http://colleenharrismusic.com/2012/04/a-new-start/ http://colleenharrismusic.com/2012/04/a-new-start/#comments Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:51:23 +0000 charris http://colleenharrismusic.com/?p=148 Continue reading →]]> Greetings!

“Spring has sprung” as we say here in NE Ohio!  Now, that does not mean it will stay warm.  Living here means you may turn on the furnace in the morning to take the “chill” out of the house, and then turn on the air conditioning when you get home from work because it is now 40 degrees warmer than when you left.  The trees are in bloom and it really is beautiful. I love living here because we really experience all four seasons; sometimes all in the same day weather-wise!!

Recently, my sister, Sharyn and I were asked asked to sing for a funeral for a family friend who passed away suddenly  It was an honor for us to be able to do so.  I was reminded, once again, of the healing power of music.  It was so important for the family that the music not be sad, but, rather, that it speak to the hope of eternal life.  The Catholic Mass was celebrated in St. Dominic Church, the parish where my mother had been the organist for many years, and my father, a cantor. I attended the parish school for 8 years, and my mom was the school secretary as well as church organist!  It truly was a second home for the McNally family.   I began singing in the choir at St. Dominic Church when I was 5 years old.  It was the beginning of my life as a church musician.  It is where David and I were married, and where all our children were baptized.  As I overlooked the very familiar church from the choir gallery, I was moved to see that the building was nearly filled to capacity with long-time friends and family who had come to be a part of this final sacrament in our friend’s life.  That bond of community and faith which was nurtured by our parents and the Dominican Friars and Sisters all those years ago, is still strong, even though many of us no longer live in the neighborhood.  How blessed are we all.  As Spring brings new life, may our friend find eternal rest and new life

“In paradisum deducant te Angeli; in tuo adventu suscipiant te martyres, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Ierusalem. Chorus angelorum te suscipiat, et cum Lazaro quondam paupere æternam habeas requiem.”

 Sláinte – Colleen

 

]]> http://colleenharrismusic.com/2012/04/a-new-start/feed/ 0 Great time on the road!! http://colleenharrismusic.com/2012/03/great-time-on-the-road-2/ http://colleenharrismusic.com/2012/03/great-time-on-the-road-2/#comments Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:25:46 +0000 charris http://colleenharrismusic.com/?p=142 Continue reading →]]>
On stage after the concert, in Marion, IL

We are back home after a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day weekend!  The weather was perfect for traveling, and we were so happy to be back in St. Patrick, MO and Marion, IL where Harper Kirk and I performed.

We played two concerts on St. Patrick’s Day in the Shrine of St. Patrick in St. Patrick, Missouri.  On March 17th each year, this tiny village in Northeast Missouri, springs to life for the Feast day.  We also took part in the music for the Mass which ended the celebration.  What a blessing it has been to get to know the wonderful, kind people of Canton and St. Patrick, MO.
On Sunday, March 18 it was on to the Marion, Cultural Civic Center, in Marion, IL.   The civic Center is a beautiful facility, and we were thrilled to see our names and photo on the jumbo-tron!!  What fun!!  I was joined for a duet on “Fields of Athenry” by our dear friend, Tom Reillly, who lives in Marion.  My sister, Sharyn Chrystal, sang with me on “Old Irish Blessing.”   The acoustics of the hall were perfect for both voice and harp, and the staff so professional working the lighting and sound that it was an awesome day all around!
I hope to soon begin work on a new album….this journey continues!  I am truly blessed.
I will upload more photos when we get them all sorted out, but here is just one taken following the concert in the beautiful Marion Cultural and Civic Center in Marion, IL.
Slainte!
Colleen
]]> http://colleenharrismusic.com/2012/03/great-time-on-the-road-2/feed/ 0 St. Patrick’s Day Weekend Performances Announced http://colleenharrismusic.com/2012/02/st-patricks-day-weekend-performances-announced/ http://colleenharrismusic.com/2012/02/st-patricks-day-weekend-performances-announced/#comments Tue, 28 Feb 2012 17:38:58 +0000 charris http://colleenharrismusic.com/?p=133 Continue reading →]]> I am so excited to be getting ready to travel, with Harper Kirk, to Saint Patrick, Missouri for Saint Patrick’s Day, March 17.  This will be the fourth year that we have been invited for the festivities at the Shrine of Saint Patrick!  Saint Patrick, Missouri is the only town in the USA with a Post Office where mail is postmarked “Saint Patrick”!  People send mail from all over the world to the post office to then be postmarked with the special Saint Commemorative Patrick Cancellation.  The day begins with a concert in the morning, tours of the Shrine, another concert in the afternoon, followed by a celebration of the Mass.  We have made so many wonderful friends in this little town in the northeast part of the State, near Canton, MO, and the Mississippi River.  Check out their website http://www.saintpatrickshrine.com/   Maybe you can send your own St. Patrick’s Day cards with the special touch of coming from “Saint Patrick”!   We would love to see you there, if you are in that “neck of the woods.”

The next day, Sunday, March, 18, we will be performing in Marion, IL at the Marion Cultural Civic Center. http://marionccc.org/  We performed at a lovely church in Marion in 2011, and one of the audience members approached us about performing at this beautiful venue.  Of course, we said “YES.”

We are working on some wonderful music, like “Ag Criost an Siol”, sung in Gaelic and English.  Kirk will be playing his ”new” 100 year old Wurlitzer Pedal Harp,(newly acquired”), along with his Celtic Harp. We are so anxious to get back out on the road to share this music we love to perform for our friends, old and new.  What a blessing!

Slainte!

Colleen

 

 

]]> http://colleenharrismusic.com/2012/02/st-patricks-day-weekend-performances-announced/feed/ 0 Salve Regina http://colleenharrismusic.com/2011/12/salve-regina/ http://colleenharrismusic.com/2011/12/salve-regina/#comments Fri, 23 Dec 2011 02:38:06 +0000 Jeff Lillibridge http://phcs1.com/?p=1 Continue reading →]]> On May 16, 2010, Kirk Kupensky and I did a world premier of a new piece for harp and voice entitled “Salve Regina”.  It was a new setting of the traditional Latin text of the Salve Regina composed for us by Kathy Henkel, a composer from Los Angeles. The composer attended the premier, and afterward sent me a lovely note. I wanted to share Kathy’s note with you all.

“The premier – WOW!  You and Kirk couldn’t have had a more beautiful performance!  When you floated your last note, you transported us all to heaven.  Thank you SO much.”
- Kathy Henkel, Composer

]]> http://colleenharrismusic.com/2011/12/salve-regina/feed/ 1 Colleen McNally-Harris & Harper Kirk “Bonny Portmore” http://colleenharrismusic.com/2011/12/colleen-mcnally-harris-harper-kirk-bonny-portmore/ http://colleenharrismusic.com/2011/12/colleen-mcnally-harris-harper-kirk-bonny-portmore/#comments Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:31:11 +0000 Jeff Lillibridge http://colleenharrismusic.com/?p=119 From our March 17, 2011, St. Patrick’s Day concert at the historic St. Boniface Church in Quincy, Illinois

Click here to view the embedded video.

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