Projects
Lily mainly performs on her own but, beyond her solo work, she has several ongoing projects and often collaborates with other musicians as well as with dancers, poets, film-makers, and others in the arts world. You can read more about some of these projects on this page.
Lily Neill & Vesa Norilo
Photo by Daniel Cooke.
Lily Neill and Vesa Norilo met in 2005, and were brought together by their love of a broad array of music and their desire to explore the unending musical possibilities of the harp and cello. Together, they weave a luminous tapestry of music from Finland, Sweden, Ireland, and Brittany, along with newly composed melodies influenced by traditional folk music from further a-field. With only a harp and cello, the two music mavericks command a dramatic range of exhilarating bass lines and percussive rhythms, and evocative, stirring melodies.
Between them, Lily and Vesa have performed around the world and, together, they have performed at festivals such as Etno Espa in Helsinki, The Phil Murphy Weekend in Carrig-on-Bannow, London’s Royal National Theatre, and more.
Their long overdue album, ‘Tales and Golden Histories’, presents the music of Neill and Norilo on a full-length recording for the very first time. At its heart, ‘Tales and Golden Histories’ is the story of two musicians sitting down together, with instruments speaking a boldly imagined language all their own, sounding melodies across styles and traditions, travelling through histories lived and dreamed.
"Tales and Golden Histories" captures the wonder that instrumental music can convey so well. Few languages—other than that of music—can bridge and question so seamlessly. What started as tune sharing became an adventure of exploration, of seeing how far Neill and Norilo could push the harp and cello to create as expansive a sound-world as possible. Listeners will be hard pressed to find more obscure melodies, on less obvious instruments; "Tales and Golden Histories" leaves conventional at the door, revelling in the freedom of possibility.
Between them, Lily and Vesa have performed around the world and, together, they have performed at festivals such as Etno Espa in Helsinki, The Phil Murphy Weekend in Carrig-on-Bannow, London’s Royal National Theatre, and more.
Their long overdue album, ‘Tales and Golden Histories’, presents the music of Neill and Norilo on a full-length recording for the very first time. At its heart, ‘Tales and Golden Histories’ is the story of two musicians sitting down together, with instruments speaking a boldly imagined language all their own, sounding melodies across styles and traditions, travelling through histories lived and dreamed.
"Tales and Golden Histories" captures the wonder that instrumental music can convey so well. Few languages—other than that of music—can bridge and question so seamlessly. What started as tune sharing became an adventure of exploration, of seeing how far Neill and Norilo could push the harp and cello to create as expansive a sound-world as possible. Listeners will be hard pressed to find more obscure melodies, on less obvious instruments; "Tales and Golden Histories" leaves conventional at the door, revelling in the freedom of possibility.
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Poor But Happy at 53
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Nettles in the Bed 1971
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Polska efter Troskari Erik Persson
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Tales and Golden Histories
£13.00
(+ £3.00 Shipping and Handling)
£13.00
(+ £3.00 Shipping and Handling)
Lily and Vesa performing "The Miser's Pocket" set from Lily's album, "The Habit of a Foreign Sky".
Poetry & Harp
Lily has performed with Irish poet Philip McDonagh on several occasions, in Ireland, Finland, Russia and Austria. In Vienna they performed a recited version of McDonagh's poem, "Memories of an Ionian Diplomat" with newly composed music by Lily at the famed Musikverein. They have also peformed live together on the radio in Russia.
Philip McDonagh's poetry is available online here.
Lily has performed with Irish poet Philip McDonagh on several occasions, in Ireland, Finland, Russia and Austria. In Vienna they performed a recited version of McDonagh's poem, "Memories of an Ionian Diplomat" with newly composed music by Lily at the famed Musikverein. They have also peformed live together on the radio in Russia.
Philip McDonagh's poetry is available online here.
Lily has been a guest on several albums:
Clive Carroll's "The Abbot - Clive Carroll play the music of John Renbourn", English folk band Kerfuffle's "Lighten the Dark", two albums with rock band "Carmen Gray", and Cuban/Spanish project, "Donde nace la luz", which was nominated for a Latin GRAMMY, and more.
More information is on Lily's SHOP page.
Clive Carroll's "The Abbot - Clive Carroll play the music of John Renbourn", English folk band Kerfuffle's "Lighten the Dark", two albums with rock band "Carmen Gray", and Cuban/Spanish project, "Donde nace la luz", which was nominated for a Latin GRAMMY, and more.
More information is on Lily's SHOP page.