Celtic Tenors

The Celtic Tenors return to form

“I'm just so grateful to be back at work,” shares Irish vocalist Matthew Gilsenan from his hotel room in Alexandria, Virginia, where he and his musical cohorts James Nelson and Darryl Simpson will be taking the stage that night.

“For a while there, and like a lot of people, it felt like we were floating…and with little idea where we were going to wash ashore. For full-time musicians, the COVID-19 pandemic was a catastrophe as we simply weren't able to do what we do and love.”

With five full-length recordings to their name, along with a live DVD (The Homecoming), the trio have traditionally made their bread and butter either in the studio or on the stage.

“We all come from musical backgrounds,” says Gilsenan. “Music was a big part of each of our home lives growing up, and James, and Darryl and I have all had formal training and experience in a number of genres.”

While the troupe's members enjoy similar sonic roots, they also revel in the diversity of their geography.

“I am originally from Co. Meath. James is from Sligo but currently resides in Wicklow, and Daryl is from Omagh. So, we are from all over the island, and you can hear it in our accents.”

While appreciative to be back at work, Gilsenan admits that the music industry is in a very different place than it was when he first started singing.

“It is tougher to make a living at it today for sure, but there are many more opportunities available for young people to get creative than there was when I was that age. My son writes and records his own music. It is amazing to see him plugging away at it so passionately, then post his work to Spotify and promote it via social media. He is quite creative, and that is one of the best things about all this technology we now have at our fingertips - anyone can make music with a few instruments and a laptop computer.”

That approach, he explains, was different for The Celtic Tenors.

“We started off as a singing group and that is what we still do best to this day…”

“Yes, we all write our own music, and we have performed original material both as an ensemble and on our own. However, it is humbling - and sometimes hard - to sing our own songs when they are stacked up against all the other great material that we do.”

For now, Gilsenan is just happy to be back on the road, plying his trade.

“Ah, it has been really lovely. We all thought that the pandemic would spell the end of our careers, and the music industry in general. It was a deeply depressing time for creatives, and for everybody really. We kept the faith, however, and our patience paid off; this has been our first full-length tour in several years and audiences have been coming out in droves. It has been wonderful to see people supporting the arts.”

And - he notes - those audiences aren't just Irish ex-pats.

“Irish music isn't exclusive to the Irish, in the same way that Italian opera isn't exclusive to listeners in Rome or Florence or

Venice - good music is good music, regardless of where it comes from. So, yes, we do see and meet a lot of non-Irish people before and after our shows. They might be fans of the genre, or vocal ensembles in general, or perhaps they simply have some abiding passion for Irish or Celtic culture. Whatever the reason, the important thing is that they are there, in attendance, enjoying what we do.”

The band's concerts are quickly becoming all-ages events.

“More and more, we are starting to see entire families at our shows - parents, children, and even the wee grandchildren. For some, this is their way of passing along Irish cultural traditions to younger generations.”

As such, he muses, music is truly a universal language.

“It is the sound of our emotions - while our stories and circumstances may be different, and we may come from different backgrounds and parts of the world, one thing that all people share in common are feelings. Music stirs the soul and opens the heart - two qualities that the world is in dire need of these days.”

Given the current state of the world, and the collective hangover from the two-year lockdown, Gilsenan will never take his vocation for granted again.

“I know it sounds a little cliche, but sometimes you don't truly understand the value of something until you almost lose it. I think we just assumed that we would always be writing, rehearsing, recording, and performing. Today, the three of us have found a new and greater appreciation for both what we do and for the lives that we live.”