The Vard Sisters "Heavenly" 68837 Audio samples available for downloading Life's funny sometimes - you are getting on with your life when a chance meeting, being in the right place at the right time, and your world turns upside down. So it was for the Vard Sisters, Wendy, Lisa and Cathy when one day Olan McGowan, Sony Music's man in Ireland heard them singing at a friends wedding and thought - what beautiful singing, what beautiful girls, it must follow that they would make a beautiful album - and he proceeded to sign them up on the spot. The three sisters grew up in Dublin where their involvement in music was simply a part of their lives in the usual way of any household. Although the girls were clearly blessed with divine voices, they never dreamed that one day their talent would come to be recognized as something special. At school they were given principal leads in all the major musical productions, and as their confidence grew they would perform a song or two at family and social gatherings. It became clear that their voices, while individually unique, became a powerful and emotive force when combined as one. Cathy, the eldest, first realized she wanted to do more than sing socially. She attended the Royal Irish Academy of Music, then the Dublin College of Music. She and her sisters began to sing at weddings as a favor for their friends. Soon, through word of mouth, they were getting so many requests to do so, without realizing what was happening, the Vard Sisters had become a professional singing threesome. Local interest in the group grew and in 1996, The Bayer Choir, one of the largest singing choirs in the world asked the group to perform with them in the National Concert Hall in Dublin. Following a very successful performance, they were invited to perform with the Bayer Choir in their native Germany. Back in Dublin, fate stepped in. Says Olan McGowan . . . "Arriving late for a friends wedding last November (communion was about to start!), I was met by the most glorious voices I had heard in some time. I was introduced to Lisa, Wendy and Cathy, and apart from being blessed with heavenly voices and visual presence, found them to be three of the most charming people I could hope to meet. The result is an album containing 17 songs from the sisters' extensive repertoire of classical and modern pieces. The Vard Sisters' music has graced hundreds of church occasions over the years and we are now delighted to bring you a debut album of unrivaled texture and class. I hope the voices on this album are as uplifting for you as they continue to be for me." In June, the Vard Sisters released Heavenly - a collection of personal favorites. Recorded in Dublin, highlights include a fantastic rendition of "The Flower Duet" (better known as the music to the British Airways TV commercial), classics like "Amazing Grace," "Ave Maria," and "Nearer My God," and three original songs, "The Hermit Song, "The Hiding Place," and "I Rejoiced." You will surely rejoice, as well.