About this Artist
The acclaimed IRISH TENORS include Anthony Kearns, Ronan Tynan, and Finbar Wright.
ANTHONY KEARNS began his singing career in Wexford, taking part in "The Tops of the Town" from the tender age of ten. On finishing school, Kearns began working in the hotel industry at the Grand Hotel in Wicklow while attending Cathal Brugha College in Dublin. While working in Wicklow he got involved in the Wicklow Music Society playing the part of Joe Cable in their production of South Pacific. Kearns got more involved in singing, winning three in a row in the Wicklow Regatta, and while still working in the hotel he became a regular singer at weddings and social functions.
Kearns had been working in telecommunications in Dublin for about a year, when he entered a competition of Ireland's Late Late Show. One of the adjudicators of the competition was the singing teacher Veronica Dunne. Soon Kearns was winning a lot of competitions in the Dublin Feis Ceoil and other competitions both North and South, and people were taking notice.
In 1998 the producers of TV Matters and Radius Television were looking for three tenors to make a new trio to perform for a U.S. television special and Kearns was on top of the list. Since joining the Irish Tenors in 1998, the name Anthony Kearns has become more familiar to international audiences. The Irish Tenors have sold more than 2 million albums world-wide.
In 1999 Kearns won a prestigious award, Best Irish Singer, in the Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition. Nowadays he regularly performs on major stages throughout the world, including touring this year with the Irish Ring Opera, and performing his own solo shows at venues home and abroad.
One man from whom we all can learn a richer and braver way to live is recording artist RONAN TYNAN who, through persistent adversity, has molded a uniquely inspirational life. A natural talent, less than one year after he started to formally study music, Tynan won the John McCormack cup for tenor voice and placed first on the BBC talent show "Go For It." One year later he won the prestigious international operatic singing competition in Maumarde, France. He has performed and recorded both on his own and with the Irish Tenors, resulting in album sales of over 2 million worldwide.
Many people already know Ronan Tynan's story as a vocalist. Inspirational indeed, but the story that fewer people know is that in addition to being a musician, Tynan is a fully accredited medical doctor, specializing in orthopedic sports injuries. He is an accomplished author, having released an autobiography entitled Halfway Home in 2001. He is also an avid horseman. As if this weren't enough, between 1981 and 1984 Ronan Tynan won 18 gold medals and set 14 world records - in the disabled games. Prelude to all of his accomplishments is that Ronan was born with a lower limb disability and, due to ensuing complications, both of his legs were amputated below the knee when he was 20. Impervious, Tynan was walking proficiently on prosthetic limbs mere weeks after his surgery.
Having made New York City his home away from home - his native Dublin - Tynan frequently sings "God Bless America" at Yankees games and was made an honorary New York City Fireman for offering his time to sing at FDNY memorial services in the aftermath of September 11th. A man who is not shy about expressing his love for the United States, Tynan has performed for President George Bush, Sr. and has even dined with George and Barbara at their home.
Ronan Tynan didn't begin singing until the age of 32, but he has captivated many around the world with his voice and his presence. He has just released his second solo album entitled "The Impossible Dream," from his PBS special of the same name.
Destined to follow in that fine tradition of Irish Tenors, FINBAR WRIGHT has emerged as one of Ireland's great romantic singers. He has hosted his own highly rated television series for RTE, "Music of the Night," and appeared in major concert tours of Australia, Canada, and the USA.
His first domestic album in 1991, Because, went platinum and his second, Whatever You Believe, achieved triple platinum status within weeks of its release. All in all he has sold over 300,000 records in Ireland. He has been hailed as one of Ireland's finest musicians and picked up the award for Best Irish Male Artist of the Year at the Irish Irma Awards.
Wright's talent and international reputation have earned him invitations from some of the world's most respected leaders. He was invited to give a lengthy recital for U.S. President Clinton at the state banquet held in his honor at Dublin Castle, and Wright also has the distinction of singing before Pope John Paul II, in Dublin Phoenix Park.
Born in Kinsale, Co. Cork, Wright is the youngest of eight children. He has often described his early life as a "solitary childhood." He left Ireland to study for the priesthood in Spain - and later still read languages and literature at a university in northern Spain. By 1987, he was becoming increasingly more disillusioned with the priesthood and began to search for a way out.
He found happiness in music. He supported himself by giving recitals and appearing in small concerts. In October 1988, he appeared at the Wexford Opera Festival in the role of Don Ottavio in the Festival's production of Don Giovanni. Nine months later, he was nominated as Ireland's representative in the world famous Cardiff Singer of the World competition. That same year, he was persuaded to make music his full time career.
Since then, Wright has consolidated his success, endearing himself to audiences worldwide.
In 1990 Wright married his wife, Angela. A love of music brought them together: It was through singing that they met. They were both studying with Robert Beare in Cork. Later, when he had left the priesthood, they met again accidentally and the romance blossomed. Today they live with their two young children, Fergus and Ileana, in County Cork where Wright likes nothing better than to relax with a spot of gardening ... in his own back yard.