Duo brings taste of ‘Winter’ to Seoul

The award-winning duo Secret Garden, consisting of Irish violinist Fionnuala Sherry, left and Norwegian composer-pianist Rolf Lovland, will perform at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday. Provided by the organizer

Many people may think of the song “You Raise Me Up,” as a song that’s sung by the band Westlife, or a contemporary hymn that is sung in churches in different languages around the world. But the original composer of the song is Secret Garden, an award-winning Irish-Norwegian duo.

This summer, the crossover duo is inviting Koreans to cool off from the scorching weather as they’ll be coming to Seoul to with “Winter Poems.” The duo’s concert, which is organized by the JoongAng Ilbo and Young & Ipsum Inc., will be held Wednesday at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul at 8 p.m.

Consisting of Irish violinist Fionnuala Sherry and Norwegian composer-pianist Rolf Lovland, Secret Garden teamed up in 1994 and has been touring the world with their new instrumental music. The pair has been recognized for influencing Celtic music that mixes Irish folk and pop.

Just a year after teaming up in 1994, they won the Eurovision Song Contest with the composition “Nocturne” and have secured a fan base in Korea as well with the dreamy “Sleepsong” in the blockbuster film “Lord of the Rings.”

“Winter Poem,” their seventh album, features instrumental songs, including “The Dream,” “Mary’s Lament,” and “Powered By Nature.” The duo will be introducing the album to Korean fans for the first time.

Born and raised in the small countryside in Ireland, Sherry said she and her family have been close to music since she was young. To study music, she moved to Dublin when she was 15 and graduated from the College of Music of Trinity College.

Sherry’s professional career started with a 10-year stint as a member of the RTE Concert Orchestra, then she worked with famous artists including Sinead O’Connor, Van Morrison, Chris De Burgh, and Bono as well as playing for the soundtracks of Hollywood films, including “The River Runs Wild,” and “The Mask.”

Meanwhile, Lovland was born in northern Norway and he is said to have drawn musical notes on a blank sheet of music paper when he was 9. He studied at the Kristiansand Music Conservatory and later received his master’s degree from the Norwegian Institute of Music in Oslo.

Just a year after forming Secret Garden, Lovland and Sherry won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1995 with “Nocturne,” which was the first time an instrumental song won the award. The duo instantly grabbed attention and their album, “Song From A Secret Garden,” spread worldwide.

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [sharon@joongang.co.kr]

The concert will start at 8 p.m. on Wednesday at the Grand Theater of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets range from 33,000 won to 143,000 won and are available at ticket.interpark.com or by calling (02) 720-3933.