Lily Neill
Encyclopedia
Lily Neill is an American-born harp
player who specialises in traditional Irish music
and related folk music traditions. She is recognised for her solo performances as well as for her collaborations with artists in genres outside the realm of folk music.
Neill was born in Maryland
, United States
and started playing the harp at the age of nine, after taking several years of piano lessons. She gave her first professional public performance the following year, earning many awards at harp competitions in the USA including the U.S. National Scottish harp competition where she was undefeated. She also earned a prize at the 1998 All-Ireland competition in Ballina
, County Mayo
. As a teenager she performed for then-President Bill Clinton
, Congressman Richard Neal
and Senators Ted Kennedy
and George Mitchell
as well as with The Chieftains
and Derek Bell
at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall in Washington DC, in his final two performances there.
Neill received a first class honours degree from the University of Limerick
's Irish World Academy and released her debut CD, Without Words, while still a student. The CD earned her the 2006 New Female Artist of the Year Award from LiveIreland.com and the Irish-American News.
She is currently based in Europe. She recorded with Finnish rock band Carmen Gray
on their debut album for Sony BMG and performs in both solo and group line-ups in Europe and the United States. She is also known for her collaboration with tap dancer Cartier Williams. She performed in Brittany
at the Festival Interceltique de Lorient
in both 2007 and 2008.
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
player who specialises in traditional Irish music
Music of Ireland
Irish Music is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres on the island of Ireland.The indigenous music of the island is termed Irish traditional music. It has remained vibrant through the 20th, and into the 21st century, despite globalizing cultural forces...
and related folk music traditions. She is recognised for her solo performances as well as for her collaborations with artists in genres outside the realm of folk music.
Neill was born in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and started playing the harp at the age of nine, after taking several years of piano lessons. She gave her first professional public performance the following year, earning many awards at harp competitions in the USA including the U.S. National Scottish harp competition where she was undefeated. She also earned a prize at the 1998 All-Ireland competition in Ballina
Ballina, County Mayo
Ballina is a large town in north County Mayo in Ireland. It lies at the mouth of the River Moy near Killala Bay, in the Moy valley and Parish of Kilmoremoy, with the Ox Mountain range to the east and the Nephin Beg mountains to the west...
, County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
. As a teenager she performed for then-President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, Congressman Richard Neal
Richard Neal
Richard Edmund Neal is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1989. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He is a former city councilor and mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts....
and Senators Ted Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
and George Mitchell
George J. Mitchell
George John Mitchell, Jr., is the former U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace under the Obama administration. A Democrat, Mitchell was a United States Senator who served as the Senate Majority Leader from 1989 to 1995...
as well as with The Chieftains
The Chieftains
The Chieftains are a Grammy-winning Irish musical group founded in 1962, best known for being one of the first bands to make Irish traditional music popular around the world.-Name:...
and Derek Bell
Derek Bell (musician)
George Derek Fleetwood Bell, MBE was an Northern Irish harpist, pianist, oboist, musicologist, and composer, best known for his accompaniment work on various instruments with The Chieftains....
at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall in Washington DC, in his final two performances there.
Neill received a first class honours degree from the University of Limerick
University of Limerick
The University of Limerick is a university in Ireland near the city of Limerick on the island's west coast. It was established in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick and became a university by statute in 1989 in accordance with the University of Limerick Act 1989...
's Irish World Academy and released her debut CD, Without Words, while still a student. The CD earned her the 2006 New Female Artist of the Year Award from LiveIreland.com and the Irish-American News.
She is currently based in Europe. She recorded with Finnish rock band Carmen Gray
Carmen Gray
-Members:*"Nicklas"*"Lappe"*"Pete"*"J.J"*"O.J"-History:Carmen Gray was formed in the summer of 2000....
on their debut album for Sony BMG and performs in both solo and group line-ups in Europe and the United States. She is also known for her collaboration with tap dancer Cartier Williams. She performed in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
at the Festival Interceltique de Lorient
Festival Interceltique de Lorient
The Festival Interceltique de Lorient or Gouelioù Etrekeltiek An Oriant was founded in Lorient, Brittany in 1971 by Polig Montjarret...
in both 2007 and 2008.