Hornpipe Magazine

THE MAN BEHIND THE VOICE Anthony Kearns By Pat Ann Durkan
	Anthony Kearns is a born entertainer. He may have snagged the title, "Ireland's Best Living Tenor", but he'll jokingly tell you that he's also got the gift of the gab, "I could rabbit on for hours. I didn't just kiss the Blarney stone, I swallowed it." His banter is casual and despite his success, he is not ready to sit back. "If the audience wants me, I'll keep coming back." Along with his fellow members of The Irish Tenors, Anthony first broke onto the American stage when PBS aired a concert from Dublin in 1998. Up until then, the Mediterranean giants Pavorotti, Domingo and Carreras had ruled the world of tenors, but "the darlings of PBS" were fast winning over their audiences. Anthony and "the boys" took songs like "The Wild Irish Rose" out of the pub and gave them a bigger sound -the backing of a 60- piece orchestra.
A mixture of toe-tapping songs and flawless arias gave concert performances a new energy, and before long they were appearing on shows such as “Live with Regis and Kelly" and "The Today Show." This exposure gave Anthony the platform to challenge his vocal range and to branch out as a solo artist. He loves nothing better than trying out new pieces on his fans. "The audience is like a bull, " he laughs, "you've got to wrestle with them." Hands down, Anthony is first to admit that he loves being the center of attention. At an early age, he had the natural lilt for sean nos songs and would belt out music on his mother's button accordian in the family kitchen. "Sean nos songs are ornament to yourself. They are not strict, they have no rules." At every given opportunity, young Anthony would jump at the chance to perform and never shied away from leading his classmates in song, "I suppose my lungs were in training from an early age when I headed my class and blew into the melodica." When he entered F.C.J. Bunclody Secondary School, he joined the orchestra and soon headlined the annual musicals and masses. Little did he know that this learning ground would help him grapple with all future pre-show jitters. "I learnt to control my nerves when I competed as a sixteen year old in Feis Ceoil and Scor na nOg." But this is not to say that Anthony ate, slept and drank music, " Like any teen growing up in Ireland, I played hurling and football and like any other teen I got into trouble." When it came to deciding which career path he should take, sensibility ruled, " I knew I wanted to sing but at the end of the day, I had to take jobs for the sake of pay." Anthony studied hotel management at Cathal Brugha Street, Dublin and then went to work at the Grand Hotel, Wicklow. There he took up the microphone once again and earned himself the nickname, "The Singing Barman." Itching to break into the music scene, he moved back to Dublin and bided his time selling cell phones and fax machines. "I'm a man of all trades but a master of none of them," he jokes.

His lucky break came knocking in 1993 when a radio show held "Ireland's search for a tenor." The "American Idol" type competition was held in conjunction with the release of the new ten-pound note, the "tenner." Singers battled it out down phone lines until the preliminaries. The public wagered in Anthony's favor and despite being the only one without professional training, he walked away with the first prize. The buzz that the competition generated landed him a spot on Ireland's longest running chat show, "The Late Late Show"--the same program that somersaulted U2 into the public eye. Anthony's musical talent caught the attention of singing coach, Veronica Dunne, and under her instruction his voice grew and developed. "It's very much like soccer. You've got to practice to make the goal and in singing, you'll eventually hit that range."

Work came fast and awards began to couple up next to his early wins at Feis Ceoil. Richard Baker from the BBC invited him to perform opera cruises and Anthony went onto win the Dermot Troy Trophy in 1995 and the Waterford International Festival of Light Opera, for his portrayal of Frederic in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance.

Life was changing quickly for the Wexford native but his star quality was about to open an even bigger door. Music producer, Bill Hughes had been watching the young singer and asked him to audition for "The Irish Tenors." Within two weeks, he was standing before 6,000 people as a member of the new classical trio. "Singing with the other guys raises the bar. We don't compete with each other but you don't want to go unnoticed," he says.

His first taste of the States came when he and the boys played Madison Square Garden before 15,000 fans in 1999. "It was smashing. We were treated like rock stars." Since then he has globe trotted as far as the Sydney Opera House, sang at Bono's 40th birthday bash and performed at the funeral of former President Ronald Reagan. But when asked which event stands out above the rest, he talks about his first solo performance in the U.S. "The most memorable performance was at the Mechanics Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was my first solo concert and I was accompanied by the piano." Irish tenor, John McCormack also played at the Mechanics Hall and Anthony's range is often compared to the legendary great's versatility. He can bounce between different genres of music and plans to include Russian opera to his repertoire. "I will need training, of course, for the pronunciations of the language but I pick up sounds easily." Anthony's love for opera is insatiable and when he has time to unwind he likes nothing better than to listen to vocal classical music on his iPod.

Anthony realizes that his fans allow him to keep doing what he loves best. "After a performance there is little time to stand and stare. I stay to meet and greet the audience and then it's back to the hotel to rest before getting on the road the following day." The U.S. in many ways has become a home away from home for Anthony, "I bought a place in Florida," he says and whenever he has downtime, you'll find him, "hanging out by the pool, relaxing and having dinner with friends." Anthony Kearns is set to return Stateside this Fall for eight solo concerts and later rejoins "The Irish Tenors" for their winter tour of the U.S.

Many thanks to Hornpipe Magazine for permission to reproduce this aricle on Tenor Tours
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