SHORT BIOGRAPHY (Celtic Celebration Concert)

While researching the origin of her name as a young girl, Aynsley McLean became enamored and enchanted with all things Celtic. Aynsley began performing traditional melodies as a teen and later as a student in Ireland. She continued performing Celtic music while studying classical voice, musical theater, and jazz at University of Michigan. Aynsley’s lyrical yet powerful voice awakens the heart as she traverses seamlessly between musical genres. It is fitting that Aynsley’s Nashville Symphony debut brings her back to her first love of Celtic music.

Irish folk song arrangements and bodhrán playing by Melissa Du Puy, with guitarist Rob Higginbotham. Check out Rob's beautiful music!
www.robhigginbotham.com
www.nashvilleweddingguitarist.com

Aynsley McLean grew up in the Ann Arbor, MI area and is a 1998 graduate of the University of Michigan School of Music, B.M.A. Jazz Studies. She studied voice with Professor George Shirley and Dr. Emily Bullock. Aynsley’s lyrical yet powerful voice awakens the heart as she traverses seamlessly between musical genres. She performs concerts of various styles including jazz, classical, sacred, and traditional Irish folk music. She has also studied and performed musical theater, including the role of Lily in THE SECRET GARDEN at the Croswell Opera House in Adrian, MI.

Aynsley studied abroad and sang with the Maynooth College Chamber Choir at the National Concert Hall in Dublin, Ireland. She spent two years in Eastern Europe, singing and teaching at the SOZO International Music & Arts Festival. In attendance at the festival were over 600 people from 20 nations. She has performed with Nashville Opera Chorus and is currently a soloist with Nashville Symphony Chorus and Chamber Chorus, and Second Presbyterian Church, Nashville, TN.

Aynsley released her first CD, “Passage”, in 2002. It is an eclectic inspirational collection of soulful spirituals, lush resonant jazz and Celtic lilt, mixed with contemporary and traditional gospel, as well as classical pieces. She recently released her second CD, “Songs for Ella”, a beautifully sophisticated collection of lullabies from around the world.