JENNIFER LICKO
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A Celtic fire helps warm the sweet Christmas spirit: by Brad Rich
... The four-piece band, buoyed by newcomer and international "riverdance" star Patrick Mangan on fiddle, played for nearly two hours, and , as always, Licko and her mates were full of low key wit and humor, grace, and, great tunes.
... As usual, Licko's clear voice shone through in the well-produced and finely paced show. But Licko, also as usual, gave her band members - Mangan, longtime, masterful but decidedly un-flashy keyboardist Bob Noble and Irish guitar wiz Patsy O'Brien- lots of room to shine, and shine they did.
... For those unfamiliar with Celtic music, it was obvious from where much of America's folk and bluegrass were birthed.
...if she wanted to do it, globetrotting Jenny from Swansboro, now living in Brazil after stints, in Scotland and Minnesota, could surely be an American country star.
September 2014 - Irish Edition
A powerful title, conjuring up many images - the music is the same, creating many pictures in textured instrumental work and sweeping vocals. at times, she has a haunting vibrato in her voice, at times she attacks songs wtih deep feeling, but she always attracts as she sings.
I love the song selection. She's chosen compositions by Ralph McTell ("Clare to Here'). John Spillane ("The Moon Going HOme"), Jimmy MacCarthy ("The Song of hte Singing Horseman") and Stephen Foster ("Hard Times") among others and also includes two traditional Scottish pieces sung in Gaelic as well as a song she co-wrote with producer Bob Noble.
November 15, 2015 - CelticRadio.net
Jennifer Licko is an artist and performer from North Carolina. Her music embody the perfect compromise between new world and old world folk, blending in elements as diverse as Americana, bluegrass, country and Celtic.
Jennifer Licko www.jenniferlicko.com “People tell me I have a lot of energy, but the truth is that I’m so passionate about my work that I don’t have time to be tired”. Jennifer is an exceptional vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who plays the piano, guitar, and bodhrán (Irish drum). After living almost a decade in Scotland and Ireland, Jennifer realized the strong similarities between Scotland and North Carolina...and her music began to branch out into a genre which honors those connections. “For me, performing is all about a deep connection with the audience through the shared experience of music and dance.” Jennifer Licko holds a degree in Music Education from East Carolina University. Her postgraduate studies at Edinburgh University in Scotland in Scots Gaelic Song, Scottish ethnomusicology, architecture, and history all stemmed from her youth years as a competitive Scottish dancer. After living experiences in Scotland, Ireland, Canada, and Brazil, where she focused on studying the culture through the medium of music and dance, Jennifer created The Cultural Classroom. She believes that the celebration and understanding of cultural diversity work to improve the social-emotional wellbeing of students. Jennifer creates educational programs that integrate the United States Common Core and national standards curriculum and the PYP framework used by International IB schools. Jennifer has visited over 300 schools with her educational programming for students on Scottish Heritage through Music & dance, Irish Heritage through music & dance and Brazilian culture through music and dance. She is the founder of the North Carolina based Scottish cultural nonprofit Highland Echoes, INC, the host of a weekly educational podcast (Diverse Learning In Schools) and creator of The Cultural Classroom. Jennifer’s work is based on the celebration of diversity with authentic resources and insightful strategies and tools to use in the classroom. Jennifer is currently living in Brazil as an expat, raising two trilingual and extremely energetic boys, and a very sweet white lab named Bailey. In Brazil, she volunteers with student learning support at an IB International school, a Brazilian Bi-lingual school, and at an underserved community school (Grupo Primaveira) to help keep children off the streets. On her free time, she enjoys running and spending time with her family at the beach. www.theculturalclassroom.com www.highlandechoes.com www.jenniferlicko.com "Licko certainly has a voice made for the concert hall…" -Boston Irish Reporter "From Swansboro, North Carolina, super-soprano and mega multi-instrumentalist Jennifer Licko could very well be the heir-apparent to Canada’s Loreena McKennitt and Clannad’s Maire Brennan.” -Celtic Life Magazine