Celtic Woman coming to Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids

It feels like it’s time to check the calendar since Celtic Woman will perform Wednesday at the Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids — in June, not March.

The Irish vocal ensemble normally makes the rounds in the vicinity of St. Patrick's Day, but everything is a bit different because of pandemic pauses.

“We’re making up for lost time,” vocalist Chloe Agnew said by phone from Portland, Maine. “This is not a typical year, but we’ll take it over everything we experienced over the last two years. It’s been a brutal time for everyone.”

The pandemic struck during March of 2020 canceling most of Celtic Woman’s North American dates, and March of 2021 was a blank slate for the group.

“It was so difficult that our livelihood was taken away for two years,” Agnew said. "So now we’re out doing a long run, but we can't complain. It’s just good to be able to get out and have the opportunity to work again. We really appreciate what we do. It's all working out as well as possible, since people enjoy hearing Celtic music all year around, not just in March.“

Expect the Celtic classics when Celtic Woman — which also includes Tara McNeill, Megan Walsh and Muirgen O'Mahoney — performs in Cedar Rapids, after being postponed twice.

“Danny Boy,” “The Parting Glass” and “You Raise Me Up” are some of the tunes fans can expect to experience. Celtic Woman will sport new costumes and feature fresh choreography.

“There’s going to be the familiar and some new wrinkles,” Agnew said. “It’s nice that we’re not just going to do the show we did before the pandemic. So much has changed and so have we, but we're going to deliver those signature songs that people love.”

Celtic Woman was only meant to perform a single show in Dublin in 2004. Thanks to the reaction from PBS supporters, the act became an actual group that has sustained.

Agnew, 32, was just 15 when she was part of what she thought was a one-off gig.

“I had no idea that Celtic Woman would blow up,” she said. “It was just supposed to be the one show and off to the next project, and I was so young. I had no idea we would be number one on the Billboard (World Music) charts. It was amazing how many people bought CDs and DVDs. No one could have predicted it, and it was amazing.”

Celtic Woman has a devoted following. The group has sold more than 9 million albums and performed 3 million concerts. The musicians’ blend of Celtic, New Age and adult contemporary music is just part of the reason for their success.

Each of their albums is filled with dramatic, baroque songs, which range from the traditional (“Ave Maria,” “Isle of Innisfree”) to classics (“Over the Rainbow”) and to modern favorites (Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” Sting’s “Fields of Gold.”)

“It's such a pleasure to sing some of my favorite songs of all time every night,” Agnew said. “It's a labor of love.”

The Dublin native laughs at how she is the eldest in the group.

“I used to be the baby in Celtic Woman and now I’m the grandma,” she said. "But I have no complaints, since it fills my heart with joy that so many people still enjoy listening to our music and coming out to our shows.“

Agnew balances Celtic Woman with her solo career.

“I'm busier than ever,” she said. “It’s great though. There’s always something to focus on, and after the lockdown, that’s welcome. I’d rather be busy than experience what we went through in 2020 and 2021. I’m hoping it only gets better from here, and so far it is. We’re having such a great time singing songs that people love. We never take this for granted.”