PRESS RELEASE
For Release 18 January 2012
“You Must Believe In Spring:" DEBUT ALBUM CONCERT SERIES
Vocal Jazz: The Emilie Conway Quartet
Jan 31, The Linenhall, Castlebar / March 2, Ballina Arts Centre / March 3, The Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely / March 10, Wexford Arts Centre / March 21, Dolan’s Limerick / April 4, The John Field Room at The National Concert Hall, Dublin.
Jazz singer Emilie Conway launches her debut album “The Secret of a Rose” with an evening of music to celebrate spring as a season of hope, change and new love with jazz standards You Must Believe in Spring, Joy Spring, Aguas de Marco, It Might As Well Be Spring,, But Beautiful, So In Love and many more..
Emilie: “The repertoire for this concert and album developed out of my personal response to the climate of negativity in our country over the past few years. Life has taught me that there is always hope and there is beauty, that this is a beautiful life we have here - where there are dark shadows, there is also light. For me, these songs are about affirmation and acceptance. Well just as it says in You Must Believe in Spring
Beneath the deepest snows, the secret of a rose,
Is merely that it knows, you must believe in spring!”
Encouraged by audience response at Dublin’s Bewley’s Café Theatre, Emilie performed the repertoire in Copenhagen and Munich in 2010 where it was equally warmly received by Danish and German audiences.
Born in Dublin, Emilie has won scholarships to Berklee College of Music, Boston, The Vermont Jazz Centre, and Souza Lima, Brazil, She has studied with Sheila Jordan, Jay Clayton in the US, Fionna Duncan UK and Dorothy Murphy here in Dublin. Her influences are Billie Holiday, Elis Regina, Edith Piaf, Abbey Lincoln, Kurt Elling and Joni Mitchell but also include Prokofiev, Satie, Chopin, Ravel, and Mahler. As a singer, Emilie’s strength and uniqueness lie in her simple and sensitive interpretation of the music.
Strong ties with jazz musicians and audiences outside of Ireland see Emilie a welcome guest vocalist in Vermont, Boston, Chicago and throughout Europe. In 2010 she was invited to perform at The Copenhagen Jazz Festival and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. At home “Emilie Sings Billie”, a Tribute to Billie Holiday, won an Arts Council award and was presented at the Linenhall Arts Centre, the Galway Jazz Club and Bewley’s Café Theatre. Not afraid to take risks, Emilie has made interesting choices in interpreting and bringing the music of less obvious artists, Elis Regina and Abbey Lincoln to Irish audiences with “Emilie Sings Abbey” and “Emilie Sings Elis” which won festival invitations to The Ranelagh Arts Festival, and The Flatlake’s Festival. ”Emilie Sings Elis” has been particularly well received by Ireland’s Brazilian community. .She has made several radio appearances on the Arena Arts show on RTE 1 radio, last October as part of RTE’s Big Music week. The Emilie Conway Quartet perform regularly at their musical home: Bewley’s Café Theatre, Grafton St, Dublin.
The evening features the talents of Emilie’s in-demand support musicians: Johnny Taylor (piano), Dave Fleming (double bass) and Dominic Mullan (drums) who are among Ireland's leading musicians, sought after north and south. The Emilie Conway Quartet has been working together for the past six years so that there is a very close musical understanding.
“Emilie Conway is a heart stealer with the voice of an angel, smooth, mellow, sincere and deeply connected to both music and lyrics. She is no imitator but has a fresh approach and a sound that lingers on ...” - Fionna Duncan, UK
“A wonderful talent. Emilie Conway sings her songs from her heart.” - Sheila Jordan, USA
”Emilie Conway is a jazz vocalist who will melt your heart to butter and then spread it on a freshly baked croissant on a warm Paris morning. Yes, folks, she’s that good!” - Stephen Kennedy, Nighthawks IRL
“An unforgettable experience.” - Real Travel, San Francisco
ENDS
For further information please contact: Emilie Conway 087 7748 303
emilieconway@gmail.com
www.emiilieconway.ie / www.myspace.com/emilieconway
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PRESS BIOGRAPHY 2011
EMILIE CONWAY, SINGER: JAZZ & BRAZILIAN JAZZ
+ 353 87 7748 303
www.emilieconway,ie
www.myspace.com/emilieconway
Emilie turned her attention to jazz in 1999 on encountering Kurt Elling at The Greenmill, Chicago, when he was recording his “Live in Chicago” - to immediate effect: she had his band work out her key so she could take part in the ensuing jam session…..
Winner of scholarships to Berklee College of Music, Boston, and The Vermont Jazz Centre, and most recently Souza Lima, Brazil, she has studied with Sheila Jordan, Jay Clayton in the US, and Fionna Duncan UK. She cites her main influences as Billie Holiday, Elis Regina, Edith Piaf, Abbey Lincoln, Kurt Elling and Joni Mitchell.
Emilie has produced and performed sell out shows in Dublin’s Bewley’s Café Theatre:
“Emilie Sings Billie,” Dec 2007 & Dec 2009
“No Regrets, the Music of Great Female Vocalists,” Dec 2008
(also performed Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar, Mayo)
“But Beautiful, in Love with Jazz in Summer,” May 2009
“You Must Believe In Spring,” Feb, March 2010 & 2011
“Emilie Sings Ellis,”June 2010
“Emilie Sings Abbey,”November 2010.
In 2007, “Emilie Sings Billie” won an arts council grant to tour to Mayo (Linenhall), Galway, (The Galway Jazz Club) Dublin *Bewley’s Café Theatre.
Strong links with jazz musicians and audiences outside of Ireland has seen Emilie a welcome guest vocalist in Vermont, Boston, Chicago and Europe. Last year alone, Emilie was invited to sing in “Vogler Jazzbar” in Munich (April) “Café Intime,” Copenhagen, (March), “The Plaza Hotel” as part of the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, (July), “A Time for Love” at the Accustic Music Centre @ St Brides for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. At home “Emilie Sings Elis Regina,” got festival initiations to the Ranelagh Arts Festival, (September) and Flatlakes Festival, Monaghan, (May).
This year, 2012, Emilie has shifted her focus from live performing in order to do some planning and work on her first album with the Emilie Conway Jazz Quartet, Emilie Conway, voice, Johnny Taylor, piano, Dave Fleming, double bass and Dominic Mullan.
Reviews:
“Emilie Conway is a heart stealer with the voice of an angel, smooth, mellow, sincere and deeply connected to both music and lyrics. She is no imitator but has a fresh approach and a sound that lingers on ...” FionNa Duncan UK”
“A wonderful talent. Emilie Conway sings her songs from her heart.
She really means what she sings” Sheila Jordan, US
”Emilie Conway is a jazz vocalist who will melt your heart to butter and then spread it on a freshly baked croissant on a warm Paris morning. Yes, folks, she’s that good!”
Stephen Kennedy, Nighthawks IRL
“… The likes of Emilie Conway and Johnny Taylor have performed here, giving jazz aficionados an unforgettable experience.” Review by Real Travel, San Francisco