A Celtic harp and voice in perfect symbiosis, Phil's peaceful, relaxing music transcends category and genre. This album is inspired by the sea.
A Celtic harpist/singer/songwriter, Phil Holland has performed all over Europe as a soloist.
Phil is of Irish and Scottish origin, rooted and educated in Celtic music and western classical music. Phil’s music however transcends category and genre.
Her peaceful, reflective style touches the heart and souls of people of all ages, from all walks of life, all over the world. She has to her credit 5 CDs for Celtic harp, voice and violin; “LAGAN” in 2004, “STORIES” in 2005, “GOING HOME” in 2006, “FAERIES” in 2008 and “SEASCAPES” in 2009. Her music takes inspiration from her ethnic roots, but also reflects her eclectic background. Her latest work, “Seascapes” is a musical meeting of the Greek and Celtic cultures.
In international folk festivals she has performed alongside other musicians of worldwide renown, (for example, Hevia, Alan Stivell, Sharon Shannon).
In 2008 Phil opened one of the most important music festivals in Greece, the “Lefkas Speech and Arts Festival”, performing for the president of the Greek Republic, Karolos Papoulias. In 2009, she conceived and launched the very first Sappho Festival by performing on the rock from which Sappho jumped to her death 2500 years ago.
Phil studied violin and piano at the Royal Academy of Music, London, and worked professionally as a violinist in London and Italy before deciding to dedicate herself to teaching. She opened her own violin school, “Divertimento Academy”, and developed her own personal and innovative style, writing music specifically for her students and fiddle group which has held concerts and won awards all over Italy. With her fiddle group she produced in 2001 a CD “On the Red Rock”.
\\\" I feel when I play and sing that the harp and voice become as one. They flow together each embracing and respecting the other. If you love what you are doing and invest every single note with care and feeling I believe that you cannot fail to reach out and connect with someone. Years ago I realised that music is about communicating and not about empty displays of virtuosity. I\\\'m strangely uninterested in how many notes can be crammed into the shortest time possible, or the sheer volume of sound that can be forced out of an instrument. I am on the other hand seriously interested in fluidity of musical thought , single harmonious moments and the importance of letting music breathe.\\\" Phil Holland
contacts:
www.philholland.net
http://www.myspace.com/philholland2
http://philholland-celticharpandvoice.blogspot.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/yiannis99999#play/uploads (youtube channel)
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=76151427947 (fan club)