Well-known baritone, Derek Ryan, will join the choir foe this year’s Samaritan Concert.
The Samaritan Annual Concert, which will be held in the Friary Church, Athlone on Thursday December 8 at 8pm also features the Army Band of the 4th Western Brigade conducted by Captain Fergal Carroll and local group Anam. The compere on the night is Siobhan Gavin. Tickets are priced at €10 and are available from Musicworld, Golden Island Shopping Centre and The Castle Gift Shop, Castle Street, Athlone.
Derek Ryan, a native of Tipperary, began his vocal training in 1997 with Dr Veronica Dunne at the Leinster School of Music. During this time he worked with renowned pianist Jennie Reddin McDonald.
His first performance was with the legendary Rathmines and Rathgar musical society in 1998 for their production of Fiddler on the Roof. His first principal role with the society was to play Judd Fry in Roger and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma. He received critical acclaim for his portrayal and was invited then to join Festival Productions, a company he still works with today, Lyric Opera, Opera Ireland, and Anna Livia, appearing on stage in Il Trovotore with the late Bernadette Greevy.
The Tipp man has played in Carnegie Hall and has collected a few accolades along his journey, including Best Male Vocal in the Waterford International Festival of Light Opera (Tipperary Musical Society ) and Best Overall Performance (Festival productions ) at the Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in Buxton, England. He has co-written and starred in a tribute show to Paul Robeson (a lifelong hero of his ) that toured the country to critical acclaim and has directed Echoes of the Past, a musical and narrative Irish history show written by Cristoir Gallagher.
He sang with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in their production of Jesus Christ Superstar, playing Caiaphas, with Jacinta White, Steve Balsamo, and Tipperary’s own Pat Shortt along with a host of Irelands top musical theatre performers
Changing direction from opera, Derek moved to a more contemporary singing style with the help of Robert Bicknell, the renowned vocal coach based in London. His latest album Always On My Mind is one example of his fresher vocal style.
Derek runs his own production company M.R. Productions and is co-founder of Arravale Artists, concentrating on the promotion of youth talent throughout the country.
The Samaritans are available 24 hours a day at 1850609090 in total confidence.
The Samaritan Annual Concert will be held in the Friary Church, Athlone on Thursday December 8 at 8pm. Tickets are priced at €10 and are available from Musicworld, Golden Island Shopping Centre and The Castle Gift Shop, Castle Street, Athlone.
