Swiss Celtic Connection

I was recently chatted to Daryl Simpson, the Irish Tenor that just happened to work as a professional opera singer in Zurich before he became a member of the Celtic Tenors. The group are presently touring Australia supporting The Celtic Women. The Celtic Tenors are rounded out by Matthew Gilsenan, a trained engineer and James Nelson who holds a music degree like Daryl but both gentlemen suggest that teaching music was not their forte, although they are committed to encouraging young talent in their role as musicians.

Daryl tells me he knows ‘precious little’ about Tasmania, except that we have ‘a wonderful devil’ and he does boast a Tasmanian connection. When Daryl was performing at an ANZAC service at Gallipoli he met, he tells me ‘a chap from Tasmania’ that had many good things to say about the state and encouraged Daryl to visit.

A visit to Tasmania isn’t on the itinerary this time around but Daryl is on tour in the rest of Australia with the Celtic Tenors. Daryl says he loves Australia and its people, he notes Australians ‘earthiness’ and the connection between ‘Ireland and Australia through the ‘Irish diaspora’. He is particularly taken by the Australians ‘openness’ and yes, he has a fondness for the climate too!

Daryl says the group like to have some fun with in their performance as they tell some stories that demonstrate their individual personalities. Daryl says the boys like to promote themselves as ‘ordinary blokes’ that the ‘lads’ can tag along with their wives to see. They are accessible and enjoy a chat after the show, in fact Daryl says that one of the Tenors, Matthew, is difficult to drag back to the dressing rooms, so engaged in conversation he becomes!

On this tour with the Celtic Women, the Celtic Tenors are also promoting their new CD ‘Timeless’ and DVD ‘The Homecoming’, the latter was filmed in the National Concert Hall in Dublin and Daryl assures me includes ‘great banter and music.’

Australian connections continue in The Celtic Tenors album ‘Timeless’ which has an Australian producer. Daryl tells me that there were some challenges with the album including giving many popular tunes the Celtic Tenor treatment. Daryl didn’t think that songs such as ‘From here to the moon and back’ by Dolly Parton would translate as a Celtic Tenor song but in fact it became one of his favourite songs on the album. There’s some more Australian flavour in the choice of songs with covers of the Bee Gees ‘How can you mend a broken heart’, a cover of their good friends Air Supply’s ‘All out of love’ and the much admired Seekers ‘The carnival is over’ which Daryl calls ‘a great song.’

You can see The Celtic Tenors supporting Celtic Woman on their Australian tour

Friday 18/09/15 Qantas Credit Union Arena, Sydney
Saturday 19/09/15 Royal Theatre, Canberra Sunday
20/09/15 Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne Tuesday
22/09/15 Adelaide Entertainment Centre Theatre Friday
25/09/15 Perth Arena

CD ‘Timeless’ and DVD ‘The Homecoming’ are out now.
Paula Xiberras