ABOUT THE ARTIST
Christiane Cargill was born and raised in Orange County, California. An accomplished and agile pianist with a gift for melodies and a fluid, soulful voice, she begged to take piano and organ lessons at the tender age of 3, while her legs were still too short to reach the pedals.
Christiane studied classical works with great enthusiasm, but found herself drawn to musical composition and songwriting. She wrote her first song at age 8, and had several albums worth of material written by the time she graduated high school. Christiane received a music scholarship to attend the University of California in Irvine, where she graduated with honors, receiving degrees in piano performance and psychology. After college, Christiane fronted the Los Angeles-based bands ELYN and Riddle the Sphinx, and enjoyed composing for several film projects.
Christiane also co-founded the non-profit organization HeARTS Giving Hope, and was featured in Glamour Magazine's 2005 Woman of the Year issue, and honored with the Toyota Moving Forward Award for bringing music and art therapy to at-risk children. A fiery redhead, Christiane loves to try new things, including scuba diving, indoor skydiving, hang-gliding, and firewalking, to name a few. So its no surprise that this passion for life comes out in her music.
In 2006, she decided to launch her first solo project, exploring her Scottish and Irish heritage. She says, "On this project, I've stepped back from the full band sound, as I wanted to make an intimate recording, capturing the mood and feel of Ireland and Scotland, and what those places have meant to me."
Christiane collaborated with engineer and co-producer David Peters on the project, and arranged the songs with an intimate chamber music feel, including piano & vocals, violin, cello, flute, and accordian, as well as percussion from Riddle the Sphinx bandmate Christo Pellani.
The decision to make a Celtic album came from the overwhelming response she received on her version of "Danny Boy," which was offered as a bonus track to people who pre-ordered the full-length Riddle the Sphinx CD, "Fun House." "I've been performing a few of the Irish songs at a gig here and there, and I'm really excited about the responses we've heard; people really seem to connect with these traditional songs, and as an artist, it's a wonderful challenge to take these songs and try to make them my own." In addition to traditional songs, the new Enhanced CD, "Metamorphosis," features four original songs.
After recently opening for the Young Dubliners, Christiane says "I've got the bug for it now. I've always been in love with Celtic music, and I'm really looking forward to jumping into this project with both feet!"
ABOUT THE ALBUM
Christiane’s debut solo release, “Metamorphosis,” is a romantic journey into her Scottish and Irish heritage, exploring the celtic ballades that she loved as a child, with a dreamy and intimate collection of classics and original songs that are both beautiful and touching.
Co-Produced by Christiane Cargill and David Peters, they assembled a stellar cast of guest musicians for Metamorphosis, including Paul McIntire (violin), Carter Dewberry (cello), Rebecca Kleinmann (flute), Christo Pellani (drums and percussion), and Bob Malone (accordion), to give the album an intimate, personal flare.
The artwork masterfully captures the elegance and beauty of the music and the landscapes of Ireland and Scotland. The enhanced CD also features photographs, lyrics, a five-minute music video for "Four Green Fields," and an eight-minute Behind the Scenes Documentary on the making of Metamorphosis, by award-winning filmmaker Sean Kinney.
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