Celtic Woman is an all-female Irish musical ensemble conceived and created by David Kavanagh and Sharon Browne. They became successful internationally by releasing their music to a worldwide audience. David Downes, a former musical director of the Irish stage show Riverdance. In 2004, Downes recruited five Irish female musicians who had not previously performed together, vocalists Chloë Agnew, Órla Fallon, Lisa Kelly and Méav Ní Mhaolchatha, and fiddler Máiréad Nesbitt, as the first lineup of the group that he named "Celtic Woman". Downes chose a repertoire that ranged from traditional Celtic tunes to modern songs. The show was meant to be a one-time event held in Dublin, Ireland, but multiple airings on PBS helped boost the group's popularity. The group's line-up has changed over the years. Fourteen albums have been released under the name "Celtic Woman": Celtic Woman, Celtic Woman: A Christmas Celebration, Celtic Woman: A New Journey, Celtic Woman: The Greatest Journey, Celtic Woman: Songs from the Heart, Celtic Woman: Lullaby, Celtic Woman: Believe, Celtic Woman: Home for Christmas, Celtic Woman: Emerald - Musical Gems, Celtic Woman: Destiny, Celtic Woman: Voices of Angels, Celtic Woman: Ancient Land, Celtic Woman: The Magic of Christmas, and Celtic Woman: Postcards from Ireland. The group has undertaken a number of world tours. Cumulatively, albums by Celtic Woman have sold over nine million records worldwide. Celtic Woman has been described as being "Riverdance for the voice." Celtic Woman has been named Billboard World Album Artist of the Year six times. Tours Celtic Woman has performed numerous tours in North America, with additional ones overseas. The group appeared live in more than a dozen US cities in 2005 for their original album debut, Celtic Woman The Show. This was followed by all five members' solo albums recorded between 2000 and 2004 being released in the US on 10 January 2006. The group toured the United States twice with their A New Journey tour, visiting 88 cities in 2007 and over 75 cities in 2008. In early April 2008 it was announced that The High Kings would be opening the act for the group through June 2008. The tour began on 14 February 2007 in Tampa with initial dates announced through 29 June 2007. New dates for Europe running 22 September 22 to 9 October 2007 were announced in May 2007 along with fall North American dates running 10 October to 17 November 2007 and some