The Ancestry
Nine self-produced tracks that step through the temples of memory, from the medieval sands of Turkey to the moors and legends of the ancient Celts.
Liner notes & tracksCeltic · Middle Eastern · Neo-Medieval
Jillian LaDage
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A soaring, ethereal voice carrying the legends of the Celts from the moors of Ireland and Scotland to the medieval sands of Byzantium. Come join the vast musical journey, crossing borders and centuries.
An invitation
The whispers of legends awaiting discovery
I became enthralled with the world and music of the Celts in the mid 1990s. Drawn in by the rhythms and the sounds, I developed a deep interest in uncovering the past and linking it to the present. Lineage and the nature of remembrance played an important role for me personally as I stepped off into the ancient world and sought out my own Scots / Irish roots.
The seemingly diverging paths of those traditional roots and of the Pan-Celtic culture that presented itself became the springboard from which all my writing and composing flows today.
The whispers of legends and mysteries lost and awaiting discovery echo… Michael Lohr — Celtic Life Magazine, CanadaRead the full biography
Recordings
Three doorways into the same country
An album of ancestry, a season of winter enchantment, and a single kindled at a midsummer fire — each self-produced and released on Tarith Cote.
Enchanted Winter
New seasonal pieces alongside lesser-known traditional songs, moving from Celtic lament to Middle Eastern dance across nine tracks.
Liner notes & tracks
An Samhradh
St. John's Eve: the fire festival lit exactly at sunset and tended long past midnight, brought to life in a single with a historical booklet.
Liner notes & tracksWorking with Jillian
Five ways in
Voice lessons, commissions, licensing, session work and performance — the studio and the stage, from Moorhead, Minnesota to wherever you are.
Ethereal Voice Coaching
One-to-one lessons in vocal freedom, ornament and breath — online or in person.
DetailsCommissioned Composition
Original Celtic and world-fusion score written for your film, ritual or ceremony.
DetailsMusic Licensing & Sync
Pre-cleared catalogue for film, television, games, museums and documentary.
DetailsSession & Guest Vocals
Ethereal lead, stacked choral beds and Gaelic-language vocals, delivered remotely.
DetailsConcerts & Speaking
Concert sets, house concerts and lecture-performances on the Pan-Celtic road.
DetailsNot sure which fits?
Tell me what you are making and I will tell you honestly whether I am the right voice for it — and who else to ask if I am not.
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Press
What the reviewers said
“Jillian LaDage’s voice is breathtaking.”
Catherine L. Tully — Celtic MP3’s Music Magazine“Provocative songs that demonstrate the timelessness of Celtic, classical and Middle Eastern music… placed in the capable hands of a talented independent artist.”
Michael Swanger — CityView, Des Moines, IA“LaDage’s love of the historical world leads us through ancient times, places and customs…”
Adolf ‘gorhand’ Goriup — FolkWorld, Germany“The whispers of legends and mysteries lost and awaiting discovery echo…”
Michael Lohr — Celtic Life Magazine, CanadaWatch
Lyric videos & live film
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From the journal
Long letters from the road
Six essays on the music, the history behind it and the craft of singing it.
The Long Road of Celtic Music
Two and a half thousand years from the Hallstatt salt mines to the modern Celtic revival — and why "Celtic music" is a younger idea than it sounds.
Read the essay
Instruments of the Celtic World
Harp, bodhrán, uilleann pipes, hurdy-gurdy, tabla and oud: what each one actually does inside an arrangement.
Read the essay
Fire Festivals and the Wheel of the Year
Samhain, Imbolc, Bealtaine and Lughnasadh — plus the St. John's Eve bonfire that became a song.
Read the essay