Cecilia is a
classical crossover singer, originally from
Norway, who is known for her rendition of "
Amazing Grace
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...
". She has released seven albums, two via
Universal Music
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
, and performed worldwide, selling several hundred thousand albums with virtually no mainstream publicity.
Early life
Cecilia grew up in the small town of
Harstad, in Norway in the
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle.
The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at wh ...
, the 'land of the
midnight sun'. She wanted to become an opera singer after seeing a television broadcast of the opera
Aida
''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 December ...
, when she was 9 years old. Her graduation marks from the
Conservatory of Music in
Oslo, Norway, were (extremely rare) perfect scores. She studied for 6 years in conservatories in Norway, Denmark and Germany.
She then moved to New York City to study with
Oren Brown
Oren Brown (April 13, 1909 – March 6, 2004) was a well-known and highly successful American vocal pedagogue and voice teacher.
Born in Somerville, Massachusetts, Brown attended Boston University, where he earned a Bachelor of Music with an em ...
, a vocal coach renowned to help a singer 'discover their natural voice'. In April 2002, upon
Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...
's suggestion and referral, she began to study with Dr. William Riley, coach of
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...
, and worked with
Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...
and
Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist. He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting fro ...
, and even
Bill Clinton.
Career
Cecilia has toured with
Hay House published
Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
authors, such as
Dr. Wayne Dyer,
Dr. Deepak Chopra,
Louise Hay
Louise Lynn Hay (October 8, 1926 – August 30, 2017) was an American motivational author and the founder of Hay House. She authored several New Thought self-help books, including the 1984 book ''You Can Heal Your Life''.
Early life and ...
,
Marianne Williamson and
Stuart Wilde
Stuart Wilde (24 September 1946 – 1 May 2013) was a British writer. Best known for his works on New Age, self-empowerment, and spirituality, he was also a lecturer, teacher, humorist, essayist, scriptwriter, lyricist, and music producer. He w ...
, and performed in Norway, Japan, England, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and the United States. She has performed at large venues including the
Hollywood Palladium
The Hollywood Palladium is a theater located at 6215 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. It was built in a Streamline Moderne, Art Deco style and includes an dance floor including a mezzanine and a floor level with room for up to 4,000 p ...
in Los Angeles and the
Miami Arena, Miami, Florida.
She was discovered in 1994 by the British writer
Stuart Wilde
Stuart Wilde (24 September 1946 – 1 May 2013) was a British writer. Best known for his works on New Age, self-empowerment, and spirituality, he was also a lecturer, teacher, humorist, essayist, scriptwriter, lyricist, and music producer. He w ...
, who was behind her first two albums, ''Voice of the Feminine Spirit'' and ''Voice of Violet 19''.
Cecilia opened the new
millennium
A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannus, kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting ...
by singing at the
Deepak Chopra Millennium
A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannus, kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting ...
event, where the
Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Da ...
gave a speech. She sang at the 2002
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, t ...
Winter Olympics
The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were hel ...
, where she also performed a concert at the World of Ice, and sang for the
Crown Prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...
,
Crown Princess and
King of Norway.
Norwegian National TV (
NRK
NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and the largest ...
) made a music video of a song Cecilia co-wrote, titled "My Beloved". It was filmed at the top of the
Olympic Mountains.
Other activities
Cecilia supports
Plan International, personally sponsoring a child in
Nepal. She supports the Norwegian Federation for Animal Protection. She has also performed for the benefit of the
Linda McCartney Cancer Foundation. Her activities with the charity stem from her own experiences, as she lost her mother to the disease.
Discography
Albums
1994 – Voice of the Feminine Spirit
Track listing:
1. Solveig's Song First Verse
2. The Sacred Hum
3. Love of a Silent Moon
4. Two Swans Matched in Flight
5. Daughter of the Midnight Sun
6. Amazing Grace
7. Silver Wings
8. The Lion and the Unicorn
9. The Eternal Heartbeat
10. Unite the Tribe
11. Solveig's Song, 2nd verse
1996 – Voice of Violet 19
Track listing:
1. When You Wish Upon A Star
2. Violet 19
3. Star Child
4. Lightness of Being
5. The Protection Song
6. Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte
7. The Tracker's Song
8. My Boy Hero
9. Eg veit i himmerik ei borg
10. The Snow Leopard's Prayer
11. The Riddle
1999 – Inner Harmony
also contains lyrics by
Deepak Chopra and
James Redfield
James Redfield is an American author, lecturer, screenwriter, and film producer. He is notable for his 1993 novel ''The Celestine Prophecy''.
Biography
Redfield grew up in a rural area near Birmingham, Alabama. He studied Eastern philosophie ...
.
Track listing:
1. Fly Away
2. Losing faith
3. We Have Met Before
4. The Prayer
5. Today
6. Wisdom of Your Heart
7. Inner Harmony
8. Carpe Diem
9. Å eg veit meg eit land
10. In Dreams
11. Angel of Love
2001 – Let There Be Peace On Earth (Discontinued)
2003 – Best of Cecilia
Track listing:
1. The Sacred Hum
2. Love of a Silent Moon
3. Daughter of the Midnight Sun
4. Amazing Grace
5. Unite the Tribe
6. When You Wish Upon A Star
7. The Protection Song
8. Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte
9. The Tracker's Song
10. Fly Away
11. Today
12. Inner Harmony
13. In Dreams
14. Angel of Love
2006 – The Healing Voice
Track listing:
1. Ave
2. Going Home
3. Domine
4. The Prayer
5. Credo
6. Ave Maria
7. Soul of the World
8. Mea Culpa
9. Pie Jesu
10. Anahata
11. The Magic
12. Amen
2007 – Amazing Grace
Track listing:
1. Amazing Grace
2. Prayer of St Francis
3. You Raise Me Up
4. Angel
5. From a Distance
6. Ave Maria
7. Over the Rainbow
8. I Believe
9. May It Be
10. The Roe
Other Album Performances
Cecilia was the lead soprano on the album by the renowned and award winning
flutist and composer Tim Wheater.
Heart Land by Tim Wheater (released 1995)
Voices – "18 of the Most Beautiful Voices in the World" Compilation
(This album was released by
Universal Music
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
Korea 2004)
"The Eternal Heartbeat" by Cecilia
Includes singers as
Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...
,
Josh Groban,
José Carreras,
Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is an English classical crossover soprano singer, actress and dancer.
Brightman began her career as a member of the dance troupe Hot Gossip and released several disco singles as a solo performer. In 1981, ...
and
Russell Watson.
References
External links
Cecilia's official site*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cecilia
Living people
Norwegian women singers
Musicians from Harstad
New-age musicians
Year of birth missing (living people)