Mezzo-Soprano Tara Erraught and Tenor Anthony Kearns Featured in "Ireland 100" Festival at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on May 23, 2016

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Kirsten Fedewa & Assoc. LLC (on behalf of Anthony Kearns)

May 04, 2016, 10:28 ET

WASHINGTON, May 4, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Two of Ireland's renowned soloists -- mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught and tenor Anthony Kearns -- bring to life the emotional impact of Irish song, and the hope and courage such works conveyed during times of famine, war and peace in a one-night-only concert on May 23, 2016. Part of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' 2016 major curated festival, "IRELAND 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts & Culture," the recital will feature well-known works and special gems by celebrated Irish composers and poets, as well as traditional songs.

Ms. Erraught and Mr. Kearns will perform music by famed Irish composers such as Percy French and Thomas Moore – as well as contemporary writer Brendan Graham -- which reflect the deep ties between the Irish and American people in the 7:00 p.m. Terrace Theater recital.

"The works chosen for this recital speak not only of specific events, emotions, or everyday happenings in Irish life, but they also give a window into the enormous talent that has come from the Irish Isle," said Ms. Erraught and Mr. Kearns in a joint statement. "All these songs have had a profound impact on our lives and careers, and we feel privileged to perform them as part of this centennial celebration of Irish emancipation."

Ms. Erraught and Mr. Kearns will each perform in solo appearances during Opening Night of "IRELAND 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts & Culture" on May 17, 2016 – an event directed and hosted by Olivier Award-winning actress Fiona Shaw with the National Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Irish conductor David Brophy.

The ARTISTS
Mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught, praised for her rich voice, expansive range and dynamic stage presence, is in demand worldwide. Still in her 20's, she is a resident principal soloist with Munich's Bayerische Staatsoper, has sung two world premieres, and toured the United States three times. A native of Dundalk, Ireland, Tara Erraught is a graduate of the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin. She recently served as an honorary ambassador for Ireland's 2015 nationwide Culture Night and performed in Wigmore Hall's Gala Concert, "Irish Culture in Britain: A Centenary Celebration" in April 2016. Her recital credits include Ireland's National Concert Hall, Music for Galway, and Wexford Festival; Carnegie Hall's Weill Hall, the Celebrity Series of Boston, Harriman-Jewell Series, The Broad Stage, and Ann Arbor's University Musical Society in the United States; the UK's Wigmore Hall; Japan's Tokyo Opera Nomori, and Canada's Vancouver Recital Society. Ms. Erraught has appeared with such opera companies as Washington, DC's National Opera, Ireland's Wide Open Opera, Bayerischer Staatsoper, Wiener Staatsoper, Hamburg Staatsoper, Theater an der Wien, the Glyndebourne Festival Opera and at the BBC Proms. She can be seen on DVD in the title role of Richard Strauss's "Der Rosenkavalier" (Opus Arte).

Tenor Anthony Kearns took the American television audience by storm in 1999 as a member of the PBS super-group, The Irish Tenors. Originally from County Wexford, Ireland and now residing in the U.S., Mr. Kearns has performed in the world's most prestigious venues, from Dublin's National Concert Hall to Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House. His career includes high-profile celebrity engagements, television appearances, concert tours, operas, and collaborations with the finest symphony orchestras. Mr. Kearns made his official U.S. Grand Opera debut in the role of "Edgardo" in Gaetano Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor with Opera Naples [Florida]. Other roles include: "Don José" in the Dun Laoghaire/ Rathdown Glasthule Opera Company's production of Georges Bizet's Carmen; the lead tenor in The Lily of Killarney which toured North America; and "Don Ottavio," in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Lismore Music Festival, as well as "Faust" in Charles Gounod's Faust, with Opera Naples, a role he also performed with Opera Ireland (nominated for best production in the Irish Times Theater Awards). Other roles include "Nemorino" in Donizetti's most performed opera, L'elisir d'amore, with Gulfshore Opera (Naples, FL). Acknowledged as "Ireland's Finest Tenor" at the Dublin Nation Concert Hall's Silver Jubilee, he recently headlined the media launch of Ireland 2016 in New York City. He has performed for three U.S. presidents and for Pope Francis I.

DETAILS:
"A Celebration of Irish Song -Tara Erraught and Anthony Kearns" -- with acclaimed pianists Deirdre Brenner and Jonathan Laird. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Terrace Theater, Washington, DC. May 23, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets: $29.00; www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/event/XQIRM; http://anthonykearnstenor.com/; http://www.taraerraught.com/