Alexandria Sharpe

Alexandria Sharpe (born 4 May 1971) is an Irish soprano singer and actress mostly known for her live roles in London's West End and on the Irish stage (both the Olympia and Gaiety Theatres). In the United States she is best known as one of the former members of Celtic Woman from 2008 to 2010.

Career She began her career at 1991 by portraying Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin.

Her career in musical theatre continued, as she played Janet in The Rocky Horror Show, Young Sally in Follies in Concert, Jenny in Aspects of Love, and Mila in Aloha Kamano by Sean Purcell. She created the role of Bernadette in the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Ben Elton Musical The Beautiful Game. On her return to Ireland she played the role of Kate Foley in The Wireman in the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin.

Celtic Woman

When founding member of Celtic Woman Lisa Kelly went on maternity leave, Sharpe became a temporary member of the ensemble in 2008, saying that "I'm just in for this tour," and "It's a different style than I'm used to. But I've enjoyed learning the technique. My background is musical theatre, so this is something very different for me...But my philosophy is, you're always growing as a performer. There's always so much to learn." She admits that before she joined, she was not familiar with the group's music; "I'd never seen any of their shows...David (Downes, composer and music director of Celtic Woman) gave me a CD and some DVDs, and that was the first time I'd seen any of it."

In 2009, Sharpe became a permanent member of Celtic Woman, in effect replacing Órla Fallon. She has said that "The other members have been really encouraging," and "They have such a history together. I've never been in anything with such a high profile; usually you're much more anonymous." The group toured North America from February to May 2010 on their 'Songs from the Heart' tour.

After the tour finished, Sharpe announced she would be leaving Celtic Woman to be with her family full-time. With the group she performed for President Obama and also at Radio City Music Hall. In early 2015 it was announced that she would rejoin Celtic Woman for two months (May and June) of their Tenth Anniversary tour. In 2018 Homecoming – Live from Ireland Tour, Alex Sharpe joined the group Celtic Woman as a temporary fill-in for Susan McFadden who was home for two weeks due to the death of her aunt.

Post-Celtic Woman On 11 July 2016 it was announced that Sharpe was forming a new group called CaraNua with friend from Celtic Woman days Lynn Hilary. The direct translation of CaraNua is New Friend. It was chosen in part because it, not so commonly, sounds the same whether Irish or English letter sounds are used. The all Irish trio initially included Lynn Hilary and Edel Chan Murphy, both former singers of Celtic Woman and Riverdance. This trio made the album Favorite Hymns with Jason Tonioli, and the singles A Million Dreams (a cover from the award-winning soundtrack of The Greatest Showman), and Remember Me (a cover of the Oscar winning song from the movie Coco). Murphy's departure prompted the arrival of Lisa Nolan.

In 2017 Sharpe provided the vocal, in modern Irish Gaelic, for the traditional hymn Be Thou My Vision on Camille Nelson's, mainly instrumental, album "Lead Me Home." The album won the 2018 IMEA award for Christian/Gospel Album of the Year, and Be Thou My Vision was nominated for Christian/Gospel Song of the Year. In 2019 Sharpe again collaborated with Nelson on a cover of the Oscar winning Song into the West from Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.

Personal life Sharpe is the middle child and has two brothers. When asked where she developed her musical talent, she has said that "my granddad was a great one for singing songs and banging out tunes on the piano." Lead Me Home by Camille Nelson Noel: Carols of Christmas Past by Jenny Oaks Baker Men? The Musical with various artists Songs from the Heart (CD & DVD) with Celtic Woman The Music of Shaun Purcell Cu Chulainn Cycle by Michael Scott Evita movie soundtrack Disciple by Damian Wilson Balor of the Evil Eye video game The Beautiful Game by Andrew Lloyd Webber Beatlemania by West End International