Celtic Woman resumes Songs from the Heart Tour in 2011

After another successful touring season in 2010, Irish vocal group Celtic Woman has announced a fresh schedule for 2011. The group will continue its Songs from the Heart Tour early in the New Year with a slate of 80 new U.S. concert dates.

Celtic Woman’s first 2011 tour leg launches February 4 at The Lakeland Center in Lakeland, FL, and closes about four months later on May 22 at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, TX. A brief 10-date German tour is set to follow in June.

As always, Celtic Woman has several multiple-night engagements booked across the nation: February 19-20 at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, GA; February 23-24 at Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GA; March 9-10 at the Hippodrom Theatre in Baltimore, MD; April 16-17 at Chicago Theatre in Chicago, IL; April 22-23 at Hennepin in Minneapolis, MN; May 9-10 at Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, TN; and May 16-17 at Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, TX.

Public onsales have already started in a few cities — New York City, East Lansing and Little Rock — but the bulk of ticket sales are set to open this Friday, December 10. Specific onsale dates and tour information can be found on Celtic Woman’s official Web site.

Ticket prices for the tour start as low as $25 and range as high as $78.50, but based on current Ticketmaster.com listings, most markets feature face values more in the ballpark of $30 to $60.

The initial 2010 Songs from the Heart Tour featured two legs that blanketed the nation and spanned much of the year. The winter / spring 2010 leg stopped in 60 cities and played a total of 75 dates from February 9 through May 22. The late summer 2010 leg followed, playing 47 concerts in a total of 44 cities from July 12 through September 12.

The Irish vocal group’s 2009 Isle of Hope Tour had a similarly lengthy schedule. The first 2009 tour leg ran almost non-stop from winter through summer, starting February 13 and wrapping July 2. Just three months later the second 2009 tour leg started its late fall routing from October 7 through November 22.

In both 2009 and 2010, Celtic Woman performed nearly 130 concerts across the nation. The group is expected to amass a similar concert count for 2011.

But the nearly non-stop touring has taken its toll on the group, which has undergone various lineup changes in recent years. Just this year, soprano Lynn Hilary announced her departure from the group after three years of touring and recording.

In Hilary’s stead, Irish actress and singer Lisa Lambe will join as the fourth Celtic Woman for the upcoming 2011 tour. Other current members are vocalists Chloë Agnew and Lisa Kelly, and fiddler Máiréad Nesbitt, all of whom were in the original Celtic Woman lineup in 2004.

Celtic Woman – Songs from the Heart 2011 itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)