| Victoria
Live in Concert Video Clips |
|
|
The
Gainesville Sun, Daybreak
February 26, 2003
Chieftains
arrive, with a new harpist
When
the Chieftains roll into Gainesville Thursday,
audiences may recognize the harpist playing alongside the
world’s most popular traditional Irish band.
Orlando’s
Victoria Lynn Schultz – no stranger
to Gainesville stages and weddings – will play harp
for the Chieftains during their performance at the Phillips
Center for the Performing Arts.
For
the evening anyway, she replaces original Chieftain
Derek Bell, who died in October before the band embarked
on its “Down the Old Plank Road” tour.
“It’s
heartbreaking in a way,” said Chieftain founder
and frontman Paddy Maloney. “He’s on our minds
all the time. Of course, the tour is a tribute to Derek.”
For Schultz, playing the Chieftains’ Florida dates
is bittersweet.
“Those
are some pretty big shoes to fill,” she said.
The Floridian with the Celtic heart has been a Chieftains
fan for years. To a harpist with a thirst for Irish music,
Derek Bell was a hallowed figure, a mild-mannered hero who,
with his merry band o’ players, conquered Western
audiences and even hung our with Van Morrison.
That said, Schultz remains euphoric these days because,
for the time being, she is a certified Chieftain.
“It’s
like a harpist’s dream come true,” she said
from Orlando last week. “I do a lot of Celtic music
– that’s my thing. . . And they are probably
the biggest group from Ireland. They are even up for a Grammy
in country (The Grammy for Best Country Instrumental
ended up going to the Dixie Chicks for “Lil’
Jack Shade”).
Schultz will be in good company. The authentic
Celtic band with the pipes and tin whistle has performed
with Mick Jagger, Sting, Bonnie Raitt, Elvis Costello, Roger
Daltry and, among a weighty list of others, the Boston Pops.
In fact, the Chieftains are touring behind their
“Down the Old Plank Road” CD, which mixes their
traditional sound with Nashville’s elite, from Lyle
Lovett to Alison Krauss to Earl Scruggs (whose
“Sally Goodin’ track snagged the Grammy
nomination). . . . .
