Q&A: Irish Tenors discuss their music's wide appeal ahead of Columbus concert
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For a quarter of a century, the Irish Tenors have been inducing tears and eliciting cheers in audiences.
The group — whose repertoire consists of time-tested tunes such as “Danny Boy” as well as popular and modern selections — began performing in 1998 with its initial roster of tenors Ronan Tynan, Anthony Kearns and John McDermott. Perpetuating their popularity among Irish music lovers and casual listeners alike have been numerous television specials and CDs.
This year, Tynan, Kearns and the newest member, Declan Kelly, are embarking on a 25th anniversary tour.
Joined by the Columbus Symphony, the trio will perform on Saturday in the Palace Theatre.
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Ahead of the concert, The Dispatch spoke with the three tenors by phone.
Question: Ronan and Anthony, you're now the two veterans of the Irish Tenors. Did you have any sense when you began that the group would last 25 years?
Ronan Tynan: When the first show went ahead in Dublin, it had a powerful response, and then when we went to America, we were selling out stadiums of 25,000 (and) 30,000 people. We knew that there was a powerful reaction to us and that people loved our music. Remember, there’s over 40 million Irish Americans in America, so they adored our culture. They’re even more Irish than we are. It was bound to be a recipe for some success.
We invigorate the old Irish ballads, and we play with full orchestra. We have never moved away from that. You get a powerful experience and people just absolutely love it.
Anthony Kearns: I have a different opinion. I thought it was going to be a flash in the pan, one year, out — you know, a TV show, a tour, that’s it and back to reality. But, as it happens, it didn’t. We did show two and show three, and it got legs. Of course, we were starting with a great base of Irish people across North America.
Q. Declan, you're the newest member, having joined in 2019. What appealed to you about joining Ronan and Anthony?
Declan Kelly: Well, I knew of the guys from many years ago. We all trained around the same time in Dublin. I had been following their progression, and I have even bought one or two CDs of the Irish Tenors. My career went a slightly different way, in the world of opera, but when they approached me in 2019, I was more than willing to join them. It’s been a fantastic journey. Sadly, COVID was a bit of a blip in the middle of it, but I’ve loved every concert. It’s great fun being on stage with them.
Q. Why do you think Irish music appeals to people from so many different backgrounds?
Tynan: Our music covers three major areas. It covers romance, it covers the trials and tribulations of life, and it covers our history. In that respect, it relates to battles that we fought in 1916 and other areas. There are contemporary Irish songs that we sing that are very well known to people, like “The Town I Loved So Well.” ... Then we move to (Irish songwriter) Percy French medleys. We sing all the songs that people recognize, but the beauty of our music is it’s attractive to all nationalities. We find we’re able to go across the board. The Asian community loves our songs, the English love our songs; every culture. We tug at the emotional strings, and people are allowed the privilege to reminiscence about people they have loved and left. ...
The funny thing is, we’re all country men. We’re not city slickers. ... We grew up in a country background. I think that has cemented our moral compass. Twenty-five years in this game, it’s very easy for musicians and for singers to deviate from the past once success hits you, but we’ve been grounded by our parents and our families.
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Q. You'll have the Columbus Symphony behind you in the upcoming concert. How much rehearsal time do you have with each orchestra you play with?
Kearns: We send out the parts to the main sections of the orchestra in advance. Piano gets it, the lead violin, the harp and the percussion get the parts in advance, so that gives them a chance to look at it. When we get together, there’s an intense three-hour rehearsal for the orchestra on the day, and that’s with every orchestra and every city we visit. That’s factored in in all of our contracts — three-hour rehearsal and then the show. These are professional musicians; they’d read this (music) in their sleep.
Q. What have audiences been like since COVID?
Kelly: I think it has pretty much returned mostly to what it was. We had full houses in Hawaii and here in South Carolina. Everybody was sort of up on their feet.
Q, Each of you has performed at some very solemn and important events. Ronan, you sang at the funeral of President George H.W. Bush. Anthony, you performed when Pope Francis was visiting Philadelphia. Is there a special sense of duty of pressure at such events?
Kearns: It’s a great honor. It says that you’re in the system, they look to who can they get that will deliver a performance, so it’s nice to be included in the circle of people that they call upon regularly. That’s a great thing for a singer — to be asked to step up and to be in the company of Andrea Bocelli, who performed the night before for the pope. ... It’s nice to be called upon, and when you do, you get up and you get on with it.
Tynan: I always found that, when you’re asked or invited to sing at these major events, it’s a huge honor but it’s a lot of pressure. Instead of the ordinary 1,500 to 2,000 people, you’re in front of 20, 40 million people (watching) worldwide. It is pressure, but as Anthony said, it’s a huge honor to be asked to do something like that. ... Over the years, I’ve been involved with the Bushes and Reagans. They are things that I will always harbor in my memory. Particularly President Bush, he was wonderful to me; he was like a father.
Q. What can you share about the concert in Columbus?
Kearns: There’s a lot of new rep that people will not have heard the Irish Tenors perform. First of all, they will have never heard Declan in Columbus, or anywhere in Ohio. ... We perform Irish songs in the concert, about 25-26 songs in the program, but we do feature other pieces as well. We have a “Moon River” medley, which features some great American songs. There’s lighthearted, upbeat music. There’s toe-tapping music. There’s the old ballads that we’re famous for.
At a glance
The Irish Tenors will perform with the Columbus Symphony at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St. Tickets start at $53. For more information, visit my.cbusarts.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: The Irish Tenors to join Columbus Symphony at the Palace on March 25
