As a group and individually, they have appeared on numerous lrish, Australian, Canadian, Polish and American radio and television programs, and have been featured in many magazine and newspaper articles. Anthony, as a solo artist, has had successful tours of ltaly, Germany, lreland and the United States.
Today his solo career is flourishing, and although he loves the traditional songs of his youth and is recognized as an accomplished vocal interpreter of them, his great passion is for grand opera and he continues to study the genre. While his concerts are usually a blend of traditional lrish music, light opera standards and beautiful arias from the world's grand operas, he is fast putting his stamp on many of the tenor classics, including Be My Love, Because You're Mine and Love Thee Dearest, and on many of the traditional lrish classics such as Mother Machree and Macushla, the poignant love song made famous by Count John McCormack.
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Anthony J. Kearns, lreland's rising young tenor, was born into a family of two boys and four girls on August 17, 1971 in the tiny village of Kiltealy, nestled in the foothills of the Blackstair Mountains of County Wexford, lreland. He is the middle child. The entire family is musically gifted, although Anthony is the only one to pursue music as a profession.
Possessed of a natural ear for music, Anthony began his musical career at the tender age of 4, when he picked up his mother's button accordion and began to sound out the traditional lrish melodies he heard around the house. Eventually, he graduated to the full sized instrument and later played trombone in the St. Mary's FCJ Convent School's orchestra in Bunclody.
His singing career began early also, at about 10, and soon Anthony became the solo vocalist at all the school's masses and concerts. St. Mary's Convent School is well known for its musicals and while he was a student there, Anthony sang lead roles in Oklahoma, Godspell and Fiddler on the Roof. As a teenager he represented County Wexford and Leinster in the All lreland Finals of Readoiri, Ceol an Geimhridh, and Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann, singing competitions in lreland.
Throughout these teenage years, Anthony entered musical competitions, talent shows and singing pub contests, hitchhiking his way from competition to competition. Upon earning his leaving certificate from secondary school, he attended Cathal Brugha Catering College in Dublin and found a job in the Grand Hotel in Wicklow. This inn is well known locally for its weddings and receptions and Anthony quickly became the resident singer at many of the hotel's functions. He was known as the "singing barman."
At this time, his repertoire included everything from country western to pop, to the traditional lrish songs sung in the old style called "sean nos." Usually sung a cappella in lrish Gaelic, this style of vocalization is most often heard in one of the three areas of Ireland where lrish is still spoken as a community language: the Gaeltachtai of Munster which includes parts of Cork, Kerry and Waterford; the Connacht Gaeltachtai, on the west coasts of counties Galway and Mayo; and Ulster Gaeltacht, entirely within the county, Donegal. Anthony, like most sean nos singers from outside the three areas, sang in English.
While working in telecommunication sales in the seaside town of Dun Laoghaire, one morning he heard about a singing competition, "Ireland's Search for a Tenor," being sponsored by the Gay Byrne radio show. The year was 1993, and the contest was held in conjunction with the issue by the Bank of lreland of a new 10 pound note, often called a "tenner." Anthony picked up the telephone, called the radio station and sang over the phone right there and then. After two more auditions, he was invited to the finals held on North Earl Street in Dublin. Again he hitchhiked to the city and, despite being the only competitor as yet untrained, won. This led to an appearance on RTE's Late Late Show and his professional career was launched.
Throughout the mid 90's he continued to study voice in Ireland and Wales, all the while entering and winning singing competitions throughout the country. He toured in Germany and ltaly as principal tenor and soloist with the ltalian lnstitute Choir, an organization founded to forge cultural links between ltaly and lreland. In 1995 he won the title "Best Male Singer" at the renowned Waterford lnternational Festival of Light Opera for his portrayal of Frederick in Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance. Twice he won the prestigious Dermot Troy Trophy for oratorio and, again in 1999, he earned the prize at the ESB Veronica Dunne lnternational Singing Competition.
In 1998 while studying in Wales, he was invited to audition for a new trio being assembled for a Public Broadcasting Service special called "The lrish Tenors". He won the spot and the rest, as they say, is history. The lrish Tenors went on to international acclaim.
Known as a true lyric tenor, Anthony feels his voice is best suited for ltalian and French opera . He made his opera debut on October 6, 2001 in Dublin singing the role of Alfredo in Verdi's "La Traviata." In April 2006, Anthony sang the lead role of young Faust in Opera Ireland's presentation of Faust.
So, an abundance of talent and a penchant for hard work have carried the little boy from Kiltealy, who sang at all the masses, to an international celebrity who now sings in the world's greatest venues.
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One of the judges of the competition was internationally renowned soprano and voice coach, Veronica Dunne. Dr. Dunne recognized the potential of the young man from Wexford and took him under her wing at the Leinster School of Music and Drama. Anthony had found the style of music best suited to his voice and the teacher to show him how to develop it.
Their eight CD's, The Irish Tenors from Dublin, Home for Christmas, Live from Belfast,, Ellis Island, The Best of the Irish Tenors, We Three Kings, Heritage and Sacred have sold millions of copies and their North American, Australian/New Zealand and lrish tours have enthralled thousands of ardent fans around the world.
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