Leahy, Canada's Celtic Powerhouse, To Play At Brooklyn College

The Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College launches its 2008 World Stages series with Leahy, the awe-inspiring eight-member brother and sister act from Lakefield, Ontario, on Friday, March 7 at 8pm. Strongly influenced by their Irish heritage, as well as by pop, rock, and traditional Canadian music, Leahy is a whirlwind triple threat of fiddle driven music, step dancing, and vocals accompanied by keyboards and percussion.

As teens, the Leahy siblings performed across Canada with their fiddle-playing father and champion step-dancing mother, quickly becoming favorites on the festival and fair circuit. A documentary profile, The Leahys: Music Most Of All, took the Honorary Foreign Student Film award at the 1985 Student Academy Awards.

Following an extended break from performing, the group reunited, and a deal with Virgin Records saw their career soar in dramatic fashion. Their 1997 self-titled debut album earned Leahy a total of three Canadian Juno Awards: Best Instrumental Group and Best New Group in 1997 and Best Country Group or Duo in 1998. Leahy achieved double platinum status in Canada and also sold impressively in Europe and the United States, where it reached No. 4 on the Billboard world music chart.

Upon seeing Leahy's live performance on the 1998 Juno Awards telecast, pop/country star Shania Twain invited the group to join her upcoming two-year worldwide tour.

Leahy played 175 tour dates with Twain and appeared on her two major US television network specials. This international exposure helped Leahy achieve double platinum status in Canada. The album also sold impressively in Europe and the United States, where it reached No. 4 on the Billboard world music chart.

Leahy's 2001 follow up release Lakefield transcended genres by fusing Celtic, pop, country, rock and folk influences and added vocally-driven material into their expanding repertoire. Their third release, In All Things (2004), is a melodic celebration of eclectic jigs and ballads that continues to redefine eloquent fiddle playing with dramatic vocal strides in songs such as "High Places" and the haunting ballad "I Want You To Know." Their most recent release, Live, was recorded in April 2006 in Gatineau, Quebec and includes both new songs and previously recorded hits.

Leahy's compelling career voyage proves that a musical style defying easy definition can still find a large and wide audience. "It is liberating to see that there are no boundaries," stresses eldest brother Donnell. "Over the course of a year, we perform at jazz, bluegrass, country and Celtic festivals. We play for classical audiences, we've played with heavy metal bands, and it works every time."

The members of Leahy are: Siobheann (bass, piano, fiddle, vocals, dancer), Donnell (fiddle, dancer), Maria (guitar, piano, fiddle, vocals, dancer), Erin (keyboards, fiddle, vocals, dancer), Agnes (piano, fiddle, vocal, dancer), Frank (drums, dancer), Angus (fiddle, piano, dancer), and Doug (fiddle, dancer).