Arizona Irish Music Society

ARIZONA IRISH MUSIC SOCIETY 23rd May 2003 IRISH TENORS MAKE ARIZONA DEBUT AT DODGE THEATRE, WEDNESDAY, JULY 9
The Irish Tenors -- Anthony Kearns, Ronan Tynan and Finbar Wright -- will make their first-ever Arizona appearance at the Dodge Theatre at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 9.
	The trio, which is accompanied by a 47-piece orchestra, took American audiences and critics by storm during their premiere U.S. tour in 1999, earning rave reviews and packed houses. Neither the accolades nor the sellouts are showing any signs of slowing down. Their 1999 debut at Madison Square Garden drew 14,000 new fans and they have starred in two live broadcast specials on PBS.
"There are at least two things the lads share with Placido and his posse," wrote The Boston Herald, "a fine set of pipes and the Midas touch...their enthusiasm and unblinking good cheer charmed even the grumpiest critic." There was no disagreement from The Washington Post: "a jovial trio with generous capabilities delivered an evening of vocal freshness and consummate showmanship." With a selection of songs that span a century of great Irish music, the Irish Tenors have sold more than 1.5 million albums and stood atop Billboard Magazine music charts for more than two years. As individuals, they also have left their marks.

Kearns began performing as a child at school concerts and masses across Ireland. As an adult, he built a reputation from talent competitions singing everything from traditional Irish songs to country, pop and rock & roll. In 1998, TV producers were looking for three tenors to perform for a U.S. TV special and Kearns topped the wish list. In 1999 he won the Dermot Troy trophy as the best Irish singer and he continues to perform as a soloist throughout his native country.

Tynan's story is a source of inspiration. Born with a lower-limb disability that forced amputation of both legs below the knee when he was 20, this remarkable singer also is a physician specializing in orthopedic sports injuries. As an athlete, he has won 18 gold medals and set 14 world records in the Disabled Games and he is an accomplished author and horseman. Less than a year after formally starting his music studies, he won the John McCormick Cup for Tenor voice and placed first on the BBC talent show, Go For It .

Wright, considered one of Ireland's great romantic singers, has hosted his own highly rated television series and appeared in major concert tours in Australia, Canada and the U.S. His first Irish album went platinum and his second earned triple platinum status within weeks of its release. He has won Best Irish Male Artist of the Year Award at the Irish Music Association awards for a repertoire that ranges from opera, ballads and love songs to contemporary music.

If the story is true that there's a little bit o' the Irish in us all, then The Boston Herald was right on target when it wrote that "listening to the Irish Tenors can make you so homesick for Ireland, you might forget that you've never actually been there."