Sunday Mail.
Queensland................21st January 2001
© All Rights Reserved

The O'ther tenors
By: Barbara Hebden

OFTEN referred to as the ``other three tenors'', the Irish Tenors have already taken the UK and US by storm
and are set to bring their Celtic vocal magic to Australia.

The music of Anthony Kearns, Ronan Tynan and Finbar Wright has been described as ``a passionate
celebration of Ireland's spirit, its people, the landscape, its very soul''.

Their debut album, The Irish Tenors, remained on the Billboard World Music chart for 72 weeks and 1.5 million
copies have been sold worldwide. Unlike their more famous counterparts Pavarotti, Carreras and Domingo,
who were destined for a career in music from an early age, the Irish Tenors trod a different path.

Finbar Wright, who has sung with the legendary Spanish soprano Monserrat Caballe and given recitals for
former US president Bill Clinton and Pope John Paul II, left his native Ireland to study for the priesthood in Spain.
Ordained in 1980, his vocal talent was recognised and at the urging of music professors he left the priesthood
in 1988 to concentrate on his singing. Wright, who has forged a brilliant international career as a soloist, lives
with his wife and two young children in County Cork.

Ronan Tynan's story is one of courage and perseverance. Born with a lower limb disability, Tynan had both
legs amputated below the knee following a car accident when he was 20. Between 1981 and 1984 he went on
to spectacular success as a disabled athlete. His swimming and showjumping prowess earned him 18 gold
medals and 14 world records, and he became the first disabled person to graduate from Ireland's prestigious
Trinity College in Dublin with a degree in physical education. Only then did Tynan embark on a highly successful
singing career, winning major international awards.

Anthony Kearns' musical career began at the Grand Hotel in Wicklow where, after a shift in the kitchen, he would
take every opportunity to sing to patrons. He then won Ireland's Search For A Tenor competition and came to
the attention of one of the country's foremost vocal teachers, Veronica Dunne. Kearns' success has been rapid
and his association with Wright and Tynan has ensured even greater rewards.

The Irish Tenors, accompanied by the Queensland Orchestra conducted by Frank McNamara, will present
a heartwarming selection of gems from their mainly Celtic repertoire.

* Concert Hall, QPAC, Brisbane, February 17, 8pm. Bookings: 136 246.

Ireland's tenors coming our way

RECOGNISED as three of the most accomplished interpreters of Irish vocal music, The Irish Tenors will
play a concert at the Queensland Performing Arts Complex (QPAC) Concert Hall next month.

The Tenors, made up of Finbar Wright, Ronan Tynan and Anthony Kearns, capture all the beauty, emotion
and passion of Irish music. Acknowledged as the most successful new Celtic artists of 1999-2000, the group
has sold more than a million albums worldwide.

As an independent artist, Wright has sold more than 300,000 records in Ireland alone. Wright began his
professional singing career after leaving the priesthood in 1988.

Fellow tenor Tynan was born with a lower limb disability, and he lost both legs below the knee at the age of
20 after a car accident. Between 1981 and 1984 Tynan won 18 gold medals in the disabled games and broke
14 world records. Tynan's singing career was highlighted with wins in the BBC talent show Go For It,
the prestigious International Operatic Singing Competition and a lucrative Sony recording contract.

The third member of the trio, Kearns, began his musical career in the kitchen of the Grand Hotel in Wicklow,
Ireland, singing when he was not cooking. After appearing on the Late Late Show in Ireland, Kearns attracted
the attention of Veronica Dunne, who is regarded as Ireland's top musical instructor.

Commonly referred to as the other three tenors, The Irish Tenors will be joined by Frank McNamara, who last year
toured America with The Irish Tenors in the lead-up to their Australian tour.

The Irish Tenors and Frank McNamara perform at the Concert Hall, QPAC, on February 17.

Finbar Wright - 42 - singer - The Irish Tenors

The Best Things in Life Are:

MY CHILDREN, my wife Angela, music, good books and Bin 555.

My children, Fergus and Ileana, have made a huge difference to my life. I was a Catholic priest for eight years so I never imagined I would ever have a family of my own. They are one of the main reasons I decided to leave the priesthood. I just could not see myself going though life without having children, I felt totally unfulfilled. You rediscover all the good things in life through children. I have almost relived my childhood through their eyes.

A love of music brought my wife Angela and I together. We were both studying music in Cork (Ireland) and Angela's lesson was directly after mine. I used to sit and gaze adoringly at her. We met by accident some months later after I had left the priesthood, and romance blossomed. We were married two years later. It was Angela's warm, bubbly personality that attracted me to her.

Angela and I really appreciate good wine. When the children go to bed at night we love nothing better than to put our feet up near the fire and open a really good bottle of red. Being a singer, I always drink red wine - it's much easier on the vocal cords. Our absolute favourite is a fabulous Australian shiraz from Wyndham Estate called Bin 555. I'm a huge fan of Australian wines.

Music is one of the most important things in my life. I've been performing since I was five years old. I appreciate all sorts of music, from Mozart to Willie Nelson. Joining The Irish Tenors just over a year ago has been the most rewarding and exciting experience in my entire music career. Previous to this, I had a successful solo singing career for more than 10 years. I was lucky enough to perform in Australia four years ago. I was really taken by the beauty of the country, it has everything going for it.

I read a lot. It's one of the things that keeps me sane. I love being taken into a different world. I'm constantly travelling so it's a great way to pass the time.

* The Irish Tenors perform at the Concert Hall, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, on Saturday, 17 February. Tickets cost $79.70 or $69.90 for concession. Phone 136 246.

Little lilt from big three
By: MICHAEL BODEY

Finbar Wright has no qualms about the originality, or lack thereof, behind The Irish Tenors, a project devised
by two TV producers at the Cannes Film Festival. ``It's not a terrifically original idea in many ways, I suppose,
in the sense the Italian/Spanish tenors had already been in place at that time,'' Wright says. ``And, of course,
it does follow on from that. It was a wonderful marketing idea to bring these talents together. ``But we are
completely different in that the repertoire is completely different and we cater for a different audience,''
he says from his home in Ireland's County Cork.

Wright, himself an accomplished singer with six albums to his name, was asked to join the group initially but
his then record company wouldn't allow it. Since he joined Ronan Tynan and Anthony Kearns in January last year,
Wright admits ``it's probably been one of the most entertaining years of my life in that for 10 years I was a solo
performer''. He says: ``It seemed to come for me at the right time; it was just something different and challenging
because you don't ever get to sing really with other tenors. ``You're always singing with other sopranos or contraltos,
so the three of us together is challenging because there is a normal competitive edge to it when you go out to perform.
``When the guy before you goes out and performs really well, you feel challenged.''

Wright says the three see the competitiveness as an asset that draws better performances. Besides, their
repertoire of Irish standards doesn't allow the sort of gravity or poker faces you get from the original
Three Tenors. He laughs. ``Certainly not. Obviously we strive to have a good standard but our shows are
not that serious. ``We really have a good time on stage and try and reflect fairly naturally the style of music
that is Irish music.'' It seems to work. They have gold albums and DVDs to show for it, as well as a
one-and-a-half-year run in the Top Ten of the Billboard World Music chart.

Wright says: ``The Irish tenors have been incredibly successful, particularly in the US. ``I've been encouraging
them for some time to go to Australia because my own memories of the place were so good and there's such
a huge Irish immigrant population as well in Australia and New Zealand and we, in many ways, have catered
for that sort of audience by performing the great Irish repertoire and taking it to a different level by performing
it with a full orchestra, which is something new for these sort of ballads.''

Indeed, Wright's first visit to Australia five years ago, when he performed with the Adelaide and
Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, was successful on a number of fronts. He had to return, he says.
``I just remember being very impressed with Australia in the sense it's a country a little bit like the US
but it's much fresher and younger and certainly there's more gorgeous-looking women. I remember
that,'' laughs the married man.

* The Irish Tenors play the Sydney Opera House on February 15. Bookings 92664800

Sunday Herald Sun .......................... 11th February 2001
© All Rights Reserved

Voices of the Irish heart
By: CATHERINE LAMBERT

IF the stories of love, war and country in traditional Irish music do not offer audiences enough inspiration,
one of its greatest singers will.

Ronan Tynan is a member of the Irish Tenors, rivalling the better-known latin trio, the Three Tenors, in vocal
power and popularity. Tynan, 40, has led a life that could easily form the lyrics of a lilting Irish ballad. Born
with a lower limb disability, he had a motorbike accident when he was 20 and his legs were amputated. But
he had already begun studying medicine and his love for singing began when he was a child. He became
the first disabled person to be admitted to the National College of Physical Education and is now a doctor
in Ireland. But he also travels the world with the Irish Tenors. ``I hope that by people seeing me or listening to
me they can feed off what they need and also look at my life and realise that all is not lost,'' Tynan said. ``You
may be an ordinary person but you can do extraordinary things just by living every day, every hour and enjoying it.''
Tynan's father had a fine voice and they used to sing together to Mario Lanza at home in Kilkenny.
Tynan was in his fifth year at medical school seven years ago when his father suggested he take some singing
lessons as well. ``Singing is a full-time profession for me but so is medicine,'' he said. ``I love the freedom of
emotion that comes with singing but it is just my other job.''

Their program will be unashamedly sentimental. They select the program together, acknowledging that each
of the tenors have their strengths and personalities to suit certain songs. Tynan regards The Town I Love So
Well as his own and always performs it. ``The songs we choose portray the emotion and depth and sensitivity
of the singer,'' he said. ``I'm a red-hearted Irishman through and through and I approach the music with a
serious amount of depth to give honor to the songs and to the country.''

The Irish Tenors, including Finbar Wright and Anthony Kearns, visit Australia for the first time this week.

The Irish Tenors. Tuesday, Melbourne Concert Hall, Arts Centre. Bookings: 136100.

Herald Sun
Melbourne..............12th February 2001
© All rights Reserved

How to take a two-hour Irish holiday
By: JILL FRASER

Three Celtic boyos say they'll make you laugh and cry, writes Jill Fraser.
THE outstanding international success of The Irish Tenors is attributed to their rich vocals
and moving renditions of the Emerald Isle's most haunting melodies. The fact that one
is a promoter's dream and attracts the sort of publicity that money can't buy is a bonus.
But regardless of what has aided and abetted the group's growing popularity, the figures speak
for themselves. The Irish Tenors, or as their fans have dubbed them, ``the other three tenors'',
are the most successful new Celtic artists of 1999-2000.

Anthony Kearns, Finbar Wright and Ronan Tynan have sold more than 1.5 million albums worldwide.
Their debut CD has remained on the Billboard music magazine chart for 72 weeks.
Tynan, whose personal profile is an extraordinary tale of triumph over adversity, has become the
group's public face. American TV host Barbara Walters referred to him as Dr Courageous, saying
she had never interviewed anyone with such a string of accomplishments. ``Most people thought he
wouldn't even be able to earn a living, but what he has done is so amazing you may find it hard
to believe,'' she said. Tynan was born 40 years ago with lower limb disability. At 20, both legs
were amputated below the knee. Refusing to succumb, he was climbing stairs in his college
dormitory just weeks later. Within a year he was winning gold medals in equestrian events for the
disabled. ``My father gave me such encouragement that a young boy with a disability never regarded
his disability as a disability,'' says Tynan, his soft, rhythmic Irish lilt giving the words a lyrical quality.
``I'm a very ordinary man and my philosophy is to remain ordinary but do extraordinary things.''
He became the first disabled person admitted to Ireland's National College of Physical Education.
On taking up singing, he won the John McCormick Cup for Tenor Voice and a BBC talent quest.
``I learned to put my best foot forward,'' he quips, laughing as he describes a comical image of him
riding a horse without his artificial legs. ``You must dream and look at life as an adventure which
comes in all shapes. If you start feeling sorry for yourself or blaming others, you're in trouble.
``Even if you're sweeping the road, you sweep like Beethoven composed his symphonies.''
He admits it hasn't always been easy and shares an anonymous phrase which has kept
him going through the dark times. ``Faith is the bird that sings the song before the dawn has broken,''
he quotes. ``We all need to have faith deep in ourselves. The bird knows that daylight is coming
even though it's still dark and she sings the song believing that the light is imminent.'' He promises
The Irish Tenors will deliver a performance to make the audience both laugh and cry. ``It will be the
best two-hour holiday you've ever spent.''

The Irish Tenors, with Australian Philharmonic Orchestra, Melbourne Concert Hall, tomorrow. Bookings: 13 61 66.

Courier Mail .....................14th February 2001
© All rights Reserved


Brogue vogue
By Patricia Kelly

IT'S NOT surprising a thread of Spanish cultural influence runs through the life and career of Finbar Wright, one of The Three Irish Tenors who will sing in Brisbane this Saturday. He was born in Kinsale, a County Cork port town where a Spanish force sailed into the harbour during a siege of 1601-1602 and confronted the British armies. ``They have signs on the sides of the roads detailing the battles. There are many forts and historical buildings so we couldn't help being aware of it all as we grew up,'' Wright said. When he decided to study for the priesthood Wright went to the Spanish University of Palencia, quickly mastering fluent Spanish since nobody there spoke English. ``It was a major culture shock. Months of homesickness took their toll and in that first year I'd have gone home gladly had I been able to,'' he said. ``But I grew to love everything about Spain, its culture, the people, paintings, music, its architecture. It's a fascinating country. I was educated more quickly there in everything musical than at any other time of my life.'' After ordination, at the age of 22, Wright enjoyed teaching Spanish and Latin but gradually realised he was not suited to the priesthood. He turned to the musical talents developed in Spain under Professor Carascal, who had singled him out in the university choir and became his mentor. In 1993, Wright was invited to sing with the Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballe for her concert at Dublin's Point Theatre. ``I'm a great fan of hers and singing with her was a special treat. She's a wonderful person and an absolutely wonderful, wonderful singer. Such control over her voice, such beauty. I was stunned to hear it in reality,'' he said.

Wright still loves to sing Spanish songs, and the Mozart he later studied with Romanian operatic soprano Ileana Cotrubas. He and his wife Angela named their daughter Ileana after the singer. ``I had coaching with Ileana (Cotrubas) during two summers in Aldeburgh. She's a great Mozartian soprano and Mozart's arias are real favourites of mine. I sang Tito in Clemenza di Tito in Dublin. ``At that time I was singing a lot of classical repertoire and still do, mainly for myself, rarely in concert. It's market forces you know. You go with the flow and audiences I play for tend to enjoy slightly more popular music. ``People still love Spanish music too, which I do quite often, and Italian music. More serious operatic music would need a different style of audience,'' Wright explains.

His solo career has flourished. He has toured England, the United States, Australia -- where he sang with the Melbourne and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras -- and has sold more than 300,000 recordings. Whatever You Believe achieved triple platinum sale within weeks. Contractual commitments precluded his joining The Three Irish Tenors when first invited. But 12 months ago he was free to team up with Anthony Kearns and Ronan Tynan for some of the most enjoyable experiences of his professional career. ``We've really had a great time, and it has been totally refreshing having two other people with you on the road. From a marketing point of view it is a much more muscular operation. We play to far bigger houses and can afford the luxury of a full orchestra. ``Musically it has been a wonderful experience. The first minute we sang together I said, `Gee. I understand what they're talking about'. The intensity of emotion, the musical intensity was incredible''. The Three Irish Tenors admire and learn from the ``other'' three tenors. Wright admits the public's continuing fascination with the tenor voice is itself a fascinating thing. Science has been trying to discover why, he says. ``Medical scientists conducted experiments to gauge the responses from different voice-types. They found that the tenor voice elicited a particular response more readily from the listener, which would seem to account for this thing of tenors being popular, or more popular. It's to do with the intensity of the tenor voice and the particular frequencies released when they're singing.''

Wright is convinced of the power of music and the ability of people everywhere to appreciate and respond to music instinctively. ``Good music,'' he insists. ``Believe me there is such a thing. People everywhere tend to respond to the same kind of stories, the same kind of music and melodic lines. Music is the language that transcends all others, no question about that.'' The future looks good for the Three Irish Tenors singing their popular old ballads, folk songs and rebel songs, since they are part of Ireland's troubled history. ``We're three country boys, all from an agricultural background. We get on very well and really are very good friends. The concept has kind of taken on a life of its own and turns on fairly well-oiled wheels.'' The Three Irish Tenors perform with The Queensland Orchestra at the QPAC Concert Hall, Saturday.

Tenors in high gear

IRISH tenor Anthony Kearns, 29, is flying high on the crest of a classical music wave which has turned him
into an international star. The boy from Kiltealy, who was washing dishes at The Grand Hotel in Wicklow
when he won the Irish 'Search for A Tenor' contest, is one of three unknowns who have become household
names. Kearns, who is a lyric tenor, sings with John McDermott and Ronan Tynan as the Irish Tenors.
"We began singing together in September 1998 but things took off when we sang at Madison Square
Gardens in front of 15,000 people," says Kearns. Despite Kearns' age, the success of the trio has not
been an overnight one and the classical musicians take nothing for granted. "T'is a far cry from Kiltealy,"
says Kearns. "I remember living in Cardiff. I was studying singing at the time. St Vincent de Paul came and
gave me a bag of food and I can tell you I was very glad of it. Kearns comes from a musical family and
began his career playing the accordion - learned by ear - before taking up the trombone and later
joining the school orchestra. "I really wanted to perform and eventually was singled out for the school Mass.
Then there were several starring roles in school musicals including Godspell, Fiddler on The Roof and Oklahoma.
That was my opportunity to show off." But Kearns is a modest star. "I mean I'm still only 29. Some people are 57
before they've done all I've been able to do already. I'm doing what I love and have been to all sorts of places
I would have never been able to see if I was in an ordinary job."

The Irish Tenors play Brisbane's Queensland Performing Complex Concert Hall tomorrow (Saturday) at 8pm.

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