Anam Danu began in 2019 as a collaboration between two musicians, vocalist/pianist Siobhan Monaghan and songwriter/bassist Andy Dawson Reid — each originating from different continents but sharing a Celtic heritage. In late 2023, they were joined by Adrienne Dyer, whose pure soprano voice brings a new palette of tones to complement Siobhan's distinctive contralto. Together, the trio creates original, unusual, and innovative adult-oriented pop music on the West Coast of Canada.
Searching out the unpredictable elements that make great songs unique, Anam Danu’s music and lyrics evoke a range of emotions and vivid images using a musical palette that varies from sparse piano accompaniment to a full orchestral soundtrack. The rich blend of Siobhan’s and Adrienne’s expressive voices are always front and centre.
Seeking to create something fresh and musically satisfying, the trio draws on their shared love of classic pop songs to create alternative adult-oriented music that is soulful, powerful, and cinematic. Anam Danu's fourth album, "Euphoria," is planned for release in the fall of 2024. This collection of 10 new songs will soon be available for streaming and for download along with their three previous albums, “Winds of Change” (2019), "Winter Blue and Evergreen” (2020), and "Soul Making" (2022); as well as 2023 singles "Perfect" and "The Journey Home."
Siobhan is a singer and pianist who enjoyed growing up in a musical family on the prairies of Alberta. The daughter of Irish immigrants, Celtic music was the ever-present soundtrack in her home. Her father was a traditional fiddle player, and her mother a talented singer and together they encouraged their children to sing and perform for others whenever possible. Siobhan learned to play by ear and improvise, and studied piano through the Toronto Conservatory of Music and the University of Lethbridge.
Music has always been a central part of Siobhan’s life. Early experiences were in musical theatre, choirs, and playing a wide variety of music at country hall dances. Throughout her life she has been the accompanist and soloist for many weddings and community gatherings. Following in her father’s footprints, she specialized in providing dance music accompaniment for Irish dancing competitions (Feiseanna/Oireachtas) and for many years performed in a Scottish Country Dance trio. She travelled to Normandy and toured as an accompanist for the Saskatchewan dance troupe, “Les Danseurs de la rivière La Vieille.” In 1996, she released her first solo piano album called "Common Ground." For 15 years she was a member of the Victoria-based trio, “Trilogy”, playing at farmer’s markets, private venues, and coffee houses.
Andy’s formative years in London (UK) coincided with the musical revolution of the sixties. Hugely influenced thereby he wrote his first song at the age of sixteen and has continued the pursuit of the perfect track ever since.
Throughout the 70s and 80s Andy was the principal writer and bass player for a succession of bands in and around London. During this period he was also introduced to the world of theatre; going on to write six musicals for youth and fringe theatre companies, as well as incidental music scores for a number of plays and contemporary dance productions. He was musical director for a series of productions that toured to the Edinburgh Fringe and to the Jersey Opera House.
Working in education gave Andy the opportunity to teach drama at two of the best-known schools in England, as well as to write, direct or musically direct a further healthy portfolio of productions. On leaving the world of full-time work in 2015 Andy and his Canadian wife - Kate - relocated to her home town of Victoria.
Adrienne has been singing almost as long as she can remember. Raised in a musical family with three equally musical siblings, she spent her childhood both in Idaho and in Northern British Columbia. When she wasn’t dressing up and belting out 1950s/60s tunes along with her siblings or performing in school plays and choirs, she could be found in her room writing romantic adventure stories or running a little wild in the woods and lake near her home.
After graduating from highschool in 1992, Adrienne moved to Vancouver Island to study literature at the University of Victoria. Here, she found her true home next to the ocean where she’d always longed to be. In 2006 after the birth of her first child, she fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming a professional writer.
Music remains central to the life Adrienne now shares with her two teenage children, Ariel and Graham. She has been a soloist with the The Peninsula Singers since 2007, and performed in Dublin with the internationally acclaimed Irish ensemble, ANÚNA, as an International Summer School delegate in 2015 and 2017. Joining Anam Danu in 2023 brings her the opportunity to collaborate with fellow artists, who, like her, continue to explore a lifelong musical journey.
We gratefully acknowledge that we live and create on the traditional and unceded territories of the Lekwungen and WSÁNEĆ peoples.
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