NADIA BIRKENSTOCK

was born in Solingen in the north west of Germany.
She started playing the piano at five and joined various choirs and vocal ensembles during her teenage years.
Her first contact with the Celtic harp was a concert of the legendary Scottish harp duo “Sileas” (Patsy Seddon and Mary McMaster).

She taught herself to play the Celtic Harp at 16 and attended masterclasses with Kim Robertson (USA), Bill Taylor (Scotland) and others.
Thanks to a one-year scholarship (ASSIST), she received her first vocal training in the USA (Westover School, Connecticut) and afterwards studied voice at the Music Conservatory of Duesseldorf in Germany.

During her vocal studies she created her first solo performance program for Celtic harp and voice and is since touring internationally, playing concerts and festivals, where she is also teaching workshops.

Festival appearances include the “Rencontres Internationales de la Harpe Celtique” at Dinan (France, Brittany), the “Schlossfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci” (Berlin), the Venne Folk Festival, Celtic Days Hude, Keltenfest Buchberg (Switzerland).
Nadia has also appeared on tv and radio with WDR, SWR, RBB, France Musiques, Celtic World radio Australia and others.
She also frequently plays for the Irish Embassies in Cologne, Munich and Frankfurt.

Nadia's repertoire features both original songs and compositions and traditional Celtic folk songs and harp tunes.

In 2001 her first solo album “Emerald Isles” was released, followed by “Wandering between the Worlds” (2003), “Winter Tales” (LAIKA 2006), “Les Berceuses de Coline” (an assignment for the French company “Grandir Nature” in 2007) and her songwriting debut, “Strange New Land” (2008). In 2011 the CD "The enchanted Lake/Der verzauberte See" was released. The English version features Dublin actor and musician Mick Fitzgerlad (ex "Wild Geese"). This CD got the "Global Music Award 2011"

Musical cooperations include live projects and recordings with fiddler and "BBC musician of the year" Tom McConville, singer/songwriter Allan Taylor, percussionist and gong maker Steve Hubback (Wales/Prague), English folk band "Morris Open", singer/songwriter Mckinley Black, Jo Freya (Blowzabella), Dominique Dantand (organ), Cathrin Pfeifer (Wolrd-Akkordeon), the "Northern Lights String Quartett", "LaVoce"(concert choir).

At the moment, Nadia plays the "Manjula" a celtic harp built by German harp maker Frank Sievert (rosewood, tuning: E flat, 35 strings, gut) and the CAMAC Elektroharp 36 strings.