Monday 5th March 2007
With new blood, the Irish Tenors endure
By Nancye Tuttle
Anthony Kearns melts hearts with his brogue. He ends conversations with an endearing
“God bless you.” And when sings in his clear tenor, women swoon and men cheer.
Kearns — one third of the critically acclaimed, internationally known Irish Tenors — returns to Lowell Memorial Auditorium with his compatriots on Thursday, March 8.
Joining him are Karl Scully and Finbar Wright. Scully, the newest tenor on the block, joined the troupe last year and is amassing a legion of fans himself.
“Karl's the young one on the scene. All the girls like our Karl and want to hug him,” quipped Kearns, 35, who, with Wright, chose the newest member after an audition in Ireland.
Kearns and Scully, 29, chatted by phone Wednesday from their hotel in Weehawken, N.J. Wright, a former priest, was in Ireland for a few days, but returns to the States today to complete the trio's annual St. Patrick's Day tour.
The original Irish Tenors — John McDermott, Ronan Tynan and Wright [!]
— united in 1998 for a PBS special by Bill Hughes. It was the heyday of opera's Three Tenors — Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras.
“That's exactly why we were formed,” said Kearns. “Hughes figured there was wonderful Irish music and Irish people all over the world. And the rest is history.”
McDermott quickly went off on his own, so Kearns [!] joined the group. Scully replaced Tynan.
The current trio hosted the popular Irish Tenors and Friends TV show in Ireland last summer.
“We had a great time and had guests on like Andrew Lloyd Webber. We're also working on some other projects in the United Kingdom, where we haven't done much,” said Kearns.
The tenors themselves enjoy this St. Patrick's tour.
“It's fun to be here now — you see shamrocks everywhere and everyone likes to celebrate their Irishness,” Kearns said. And the show is Irish all the way. They do “My Heart Will Go On” from the film Titanic, since the ship was built in Belfast and made a final stop in Ireland before heading into the Atlantic. There will be tunes from Riverdance and, of course, traditional Irish ballads.
“And there's a lot of comedy, too. We have a good time,” said Kearns, who can't get enough of performing and does many solo gigs in Ireland and the U.S. He has adopted Florida as his second home, buying a house there to relax when he's not touring.
The operatically-trained Scully has lived all over the world, including Africa, Italy, California and Texas, and says he is “having a fantastic experience” with the tenors.
“But don't listen to Anthony. It isn't the girls who like me, it's their mothers and grandmothers,” he joked
Kearns — one third of the critically acclaimed, internationally known Irish Tenors — returns to Lowell Memorial Auditorium with his compatriots on Thursday, March 8.
Joining him are Karl Scully and Finbar Wright. Scully, the newest tenor on the block, joined the troupe last year and is amassing a legion of fans himself.
“Karl's the young one on the scene. All the girls like our Karl and want to hug him,” quipped Kearns, 35, who, with Wright, chose the newest member after an audition in Ireland.
Kearns and Scully, 29, chatted by phone Wednesday from their hotel in Weehawken, N.J. Wright, a former priest, was in Ireland for a few days, but returns to the States today to complete the trio's annual St. Patrick's Day tour.
The original Irish Tenors — John McDermott, Ronan Tynan and Wright [!]
— united in 1998 for a PBS special by Bill Hughes. It was the heyday of opera's Three Tenors — Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras.
“That's exactly why we were formed,” said Kearns. “Hughes figured there was wonderful Irish music and Irish people all over the world. And the rest is history.”
McDermott quickly went off on his own, so Kearns [!] joined the group. Scully replaced Tynan.
The current trio hosted the popular Irish Tenors and Friends TV show in Ireland last summer.
“We had a great time and had guests on like Andrew Lloyd Webber. We're also working on some other projects in the United Kingdom, where we haven't done much,” said Kearns.
The tenors themselves enjoy this St. Patrick's tour.
“It's fun to be here now — you see shamrocks everywhere and everyone likes to celebrate their Irishness,” Kearns said. And the show is Irish all the way. They do “My Heart Will Go On” from the film Titanic, since the ship was built in Belfast and made a final stop in Ireland before heading into the Atlantic. There will be tunes from Riverdance and, of course, traditional Irish ballads.
“And there's a lot of comedy, too. We have a good time,” said Kearns, who can't get enough of performing and does many solo gigs in Ireland and the U.S. He has adopted Florida as his second home, buying a house there to relax when he's not touring.
The operatically-trained Scully has lived all over the world, including Africa, Italy, California and Texas, and says he is “having a fantastic experience” with the tenors.
“But don't listen to Anthony. It isn't the girls who like me, it's their mothers and grandmothers,” he joked
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"The Little Yellow Bus" Tenors Tour Site! © Marie L.Collins 2003. All Rights Reserved.
"The Little Yellow Bus" Tenors Tour Site! © Marie L.Collins 2003. All Rights Reserved.