The Celtic Tenors

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The Celtic Tenors have the rare ability to appeal to virtually every sector of music lover. In an unprecedented event, they were signed on the spot to an international record deal, and quickly became the talk of the music industry. Their debut album went immediately to No. 2 in the UK, to No. 1 in Ireland and Germany, and won The German Grammy-equivalent for Best Classical Crossover Album… and that was just the beginning.

The Celtic Tenors have since done much international television, many international compilation recordings, and have become a “hot ticket” among international heads of state. They are rapidly -- and consummately -- re-inventing the entire Tenor idiom.

 “The best singing group I have ever heard.”                       
       -- Bill Clinton, Dublin Castle 2002.

“I absolutely loved them.”                
       -- Kofi Annan, Dublin, December 2004.

 

The Celtic Tenors - Group Bio

The Celtic Tenors were signed on the spot to an international record deal, following an impromptu audition in London in 2000, an event so unprecedented that it soon became the talk of the music industry.

Their eponymously-titled debut album went immediately to No. 2 in the UK classical charts, only to be held off the top by Russell Watson. It went to No 1 in Ireland and Germany -- where it was two times platinum -- and won the Echo Award (The German Grammy) for Best Classical Crossover Album in 2002. The boys’ full length TV Special Ein Grosse Irischer Abend, (A Great Irish Evening) filmed in front of a capacity crowd in Hamburg, was shown to millions of viewers on Network TV in Germany regularly for more than two years. Then, it was released as a Coast-to-Coast TV Special on PBS, showing on more than 260 channels from Hawaii to Alaska and everywhere in between. Overnight, The Celtic Tenors became one of the most successful classical crossover acts in 2002, with a top ten Billboard album in the US. Their second album, So Strong, was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and produced by the legendary Mike Moran. The Tenor’s most recent album, released in March 2005, features guests such as Samantha Mumba (You Raise Me Up), Brian Kennedy (We Are Not Islands) and an epic version of All Out of Love, featuring Air Supply, recorded at their private studios in Utah.

The Celtic Tenors were invited to sing for ex-President Bill Clinton, during his recent visit to Dublin Castle, funding-raising for the Northern Ireland Peace Fund. He now says their version of his favorite song, Danny Boy, is the best he has ever heard. More recently, they had the special honor of singing in a private audience for Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, during a trip to Ireland. The surprise recital was a very personal gift to the couple from the front man of U2--Bono.

The Celtic Tenors have appeared on numerous compilation albums, including the Official Rugby World Cup Album 2003, True Colours, the official classical album for the Olympic Games 2004, Harmony, and the huge selling debut album by Liam Lawton, Another World. Total album sales worldwide, including compilations, are now at more than one million, making them the biggest classical crossover artists ever to come out of Ireland.

 “They are re-inventing the whole Tenor idiom,” says Phil Coulter, Ireland’s legendary songwriter whose ballad My Boy was a huge hit for Elvis in the ‘70’s. The impact of The Celtic Tenors was so inspiring to Mr. Coulter that he wrote the unforgettable piece, entitled Remember Me, Recuérdame, for the trio after hearing them in concert.

Graham Russell, composer for the 80’S group Air Supply had this to say about The Celtic Tenors: “All Out Of Love was our biggest hit…I wanted to re-record it and I heard The Celtic Tenors on a visit to Ireland, and I knew immediately that we just had to duet with these guys.”

The Celtic Tenors - Individual Bios

Matthew Gilsenan
Matthew Gilsenan is one of Ireland's most accomplished young tenors and has achieved considerable success singing in competitions the length & breadth of Ireland. His oratorio performances include Beethoven's Mass in C, Symphony No. 9, Mendlessohn's Walpurgesnacht, Saint-Saens' Christmas Oratorio, Handel's Messiah, Dvorak's Mass in D and Mozart Masses.

Niall Morris
Niall Morris was born in Dublin. Upon entering the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, he won the Wolfson Prize, the highest attainable scholarship. He completed his studies at the National Opera Studio. Niall's first role in the professional world of opera was Nemorino (l'Elisir d'Amore) with English Touring Opera which brought him to Sadlers Wells in London and through out the UK. He then created the role of Davey in Jonathan Dove's Siren Song to great acclaim at the Almeida Theatre in London. After a year-long tour with the d'Oyly Carte Opera Company as Ralph Rackstraw (HMS Pinafore) he was chosen by the immensely gifted composer Thomas Ades to create the tenor roles in his debut opera Powder her Face again at the Almeida.

James Nelson
From Sligo, James Nelson is a B.A., B.Mus (Hons) graduate from University College Dublin. His busy opera and concert schedule has taken him throughout the UK and Ireland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Russia, Israel, Singapore and the USA.

From an oratorio repertoire of more than 60 works, highlights include Frank Martin's "Golgotha" in Bern and Zurich cathedrals and "L'Enfance du Christ" alongside Katia Ricciarelli in Rome and Florence.

James has performed more than 50 roles in opera and operetta including Pinkerton ("Butterfly"), Lensky ("Onegin") in Russia, Alfredo ("Traviata") in Como, Italy, Tichon ("Katya") in Lisbon and Porto, and Basilio ("Figaro") under the baton of Raymond Leppard for Scottish Opera. James is now writing a weekly column in the 'Sligo Weekender'. Click on Nelson's Column to see his work.

Celtic Soprano -Deirdre Shannon
Deirdre rocketed to prominence when Michael Flatley heard her special voice and invited her to star as ‘Erin The Goddess’ in his worldwide hit show ‘Lord of the Dance’. For four years she toured with the show, to every major city in Canada, North and South America, before accepting an invitation to join ‘The Celtic Tenors’ as their special guest. Still, she finds time to perform elsewhere, to which recent TV appearances with Bob Geldof, Moya Brennan, Brian Kennedy and Jamie Callum will testify. Having worked extensively on the Celtic Tenors new album her solo album is set for release in Autumn 2005. Future plans include playing the part of Isolode in a new musical version of ‘Tristan and Isolde’ which will be directed by Patrick Bergen.

Musical Director -David Munro
Having started his musical life as a concert pianist David turned his attentions to theatre, notably ballet and opera. He has worked for many ballet and contemporary dance companies including The Royal Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Mark Morris Dance Company and LCTD as musical director, repetituer and composer. In opera he has musically directed a wide range of works from Rossini through Puccini to Janacek and has composed numerous works for the stage which have been produced and broadcast throughout the world. A prolific composer, his recent commissions from the B.B.C. were nominated for a Sony Award. He is also a busy arranger and producer, most recent of which is the Celtic Tenor’s new album. David has been with the Celtic Tenors for three years now having been lured away from the bright lights of the West-End show ‘Chicago’.

Awards

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