Galactic Kumos
PBS TV production, which features a variety of commercial Irish and non-Irish material sung by an assortment of male vocalists and others, and who also calls itself Celtic Thunder.The group known for its specials on PBS is a singing group composed of male soloists who perform both solo and ensemble numbers. Celtic Thunder debuted in August 2007 at The Helix in Dublin, Ireland. They are accompanied by the Celtic Concert Orchestra under the direction of Phil Coulter, the musical director of the group.Since the group's formation, Celtic Thunder has released eight albums: Celtic Thunder, Act Two, Take Me Home, It's Entertainment, Christmas, Heritage, Storm, and Voyage as well as eight live performances on DVD entitled Celtic Thunder: The Show, Take Me Home, It's Entertainment!, Christmas, Heritage, Storm, Voyage and Voyage IIIn December 2009, Billboard magazine named Celtic Thunder Top World Album Artist. Their first three albums also placed in the Top 10 for World Albums.Celtic Thunder is known for its eclectic style with songs ranging from a soloist to an ensemble focus. The group is backed by the Celtic Thunder Band on their concert tours, and their live shows are known for the use of dramatic effects via lighting and choreography as well as a stage set resembling an ancient stone pathway suggestive of those referenced in Celtic lore.In March 2009, Celtic Thunder opened the Saint Patrick's Day Parade in New York City, and later that day performed for President Obama, Michelle Obama and the then Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, at the White House.
On November 28, 2010, Celtic Thunder member Paul Byrom announced his resignation from the group to begin a solo career. He left the group when the 2010 concert tour was over. Byrom released his album "This is the Moment" in November 2011 which went to number one on the World music charts and embarked on a solo tour of the United States and Toronto, Canada which spanned the continent from Portland, Oregon to BB King's in New York City. He has also appeared as a singer of the National Anthem at Boston Celtics' games.On August 21, 2011, Damian McGinty announced on The Glee Project's Live Viewing Party, that he would be stepping down due to his new role on Glee.
About the members!
Keith Harkin: Keith Harkin comes from County Derry in Northern Ireland, where he started performing for the public at the tender age of four, wowing audiences with his beautiful voice and musical talent. Now at 25, Keith has played to audiences across Europe the USA and Canada. He has performed at the Tavistock Festival in the UK, and at the Glasgowbury Festival in Northern Ireland for the past three years and has composed and recorded songs for the BBC show Dha Theanga. Keith is also an accomplished songwriter and guitarist and has opened concerts for acts such as John Martyn, The Undertones and David Kitt and has recently been signed to the newly helmed David Foster Verve Music Group, and is readying his forthcoming solo debut CD while he continues his integral role in Celtic Thunder. He describes his musical likes and influences as “anything with a bit of heart and soul, Tom Waites, Neil Young, The Beatles, Bon Iver, Fleetfoxes. Keith is also an avid surfer, and spends his time catching waves on the West Coast of Ireland when he is not songwriting or touring with Celtic Thunder.
Keith is a guitar fanatic, and appreciates a rich sounding acoustic tone, a mellow jazzy blues feel, or even a rock and roll distorted twang that he can blast through his Fender amp. His inability to pass a guitar shop means that his collection of guitars grows every time he goes out on tour!
On returning back to Derry from a recording session in London in 2005, Keith heard about the auditions for Celtic Thunder that were underway and decided to chance calling into the auditions, just as they were finishing. He auditioned and was invited then and there to attend the final auditions in Dublin, and ultimately selected as one of the five soloists for the Celtic Thunder show. Self-described “singer-songwriter-surfer” Keith does not fit into any particular role in Celtic Thunder. “I’m just doing what I’m doing, being myself,” he says. “I don’t really have to play a part. I just get up there with my guitar, and I get to perform. In Voyage Keith performs the solo numbers The Dutchman and his original song All Day Long, as well as joining the others for the powerful ensembles Dulaman and the rousing Irish ballads Galway Girl and The Clancy Brother’s Medley.
Ryan Kelly:Ryan comes from The Moy in Co. Tyrone in Northern Ireland. Although he studied accountancy at Queens University, Belfast and is a qualified Chartered Accountant by trade, music and theater have always been Ryan’s true passion. He first began singing in public at the age of seven and has won many accolades and awards for his performances, including SCOR 2007, a national Irish Singing Competition, and the BBC’s Country Cool competition in 2003. In his solo career to date Ryan has performed alongside Westlife, Girls Aloud and Simply Red at the televised “Children In Need” Charity Concert. He also released his solo debut album In Time in October 2011 to great critical acclaim and was nominated for an Irish Music Award in the same year. Ryan’s love of musical theatre has also let him to perform the lead role in the Willie Russell musical “Blood Brothers” and the role of Judas Iscariot in “Jesus Christ Superstar”.
Ryan is also a fanatical sports fan and has also played Gaelic football and basketball at national level. One of the highlights of his Celtic Thunder journey so far was the opportunity to stand in the Bank North Garden in Boston and sing the US National Anthem to open a game for his beloved Celtics.
Ryan’s love for drama made him the perfect pick for the role of the “rogue” or “Dark Destroyer” in Celtic Thunder Shows. Nothing could have prepared Ryan however for the momentum surrounding Celtic Thunder. “It’s great fun being the bad guy,” said Ryan. “For me, there’s no better role, and they’ve given me great songs to do it with. Besides, thankfully I’m a much better singer than I was an accountant!”
In Voyage Ryan performs the Garth Brook hit Friends in Low Places, as well as the dramatic Black is the Color, he joins with Emmet and Neil for the a cappella rendition of the Irish classic love song Lagan Love and picks up the tempo and the tin whistle on the ensemble number Galway Girl.
George Donaldson:Born and raised in Scotland and a bus builder by trade, George Donaldson is the Scot in Celtic Thunder. He is a self-taught and accomplished musician, who has mastered guitar and flute and is currently being taught to play the fiddle by his daughter Sarah. George’s love of Celtic music stems from his childhood in Glasgow, where his main influence was his late father Bernard, who had a love and appreciation of all kinds of live music. One of George’s greatest thrills was performing for his Dad and 65,000 other fans at the Glasgow Celtics opening match of the 2000 season at Celtic Park in Glasgow. Now at 42 years of age, George is a well-established singer in the vibrant Glasgow and West of Scotland Folk scene, and he released his first solo CD in 2011 entitled The White Rose. George was also nominated for an Irish Music award in 2011. His musical influences are Harry Chapin and Jim Croce, and the Scottish group The Proclaimers. George has recorded folk sessions for BBC Scotland and has made appearances at Glasgow’s own Celtic Connections and the Glasgow West End Festival.
George has toured as part of Celtic Thunder in America and Canada and as as soloist in Europe, and he has a very special fondness for Germany, whose language he continues to attempt to master. He has also performed (alongside the other soloists in Celtic Thunder) at the St Patrick’s Day Parades in New York, Boston and Chicago in the US.
George was cast in Celtic Thunder is the “steadfast” one, and he carries the distinction of being the sole Scotsman in the show, as well as the only married family man of the group. Although George misses his wife and daughter when he is on tour, he enjoys the easy camaraderie on and off stage with the other members of Celtic Thunder. He sees the new direction his life has taken with Celtic Thunder as being the most exciting of his musical career to date and feels he has best of both worlds, a rich and supportive family life at home and a fun and challenging job that allows him to travel. In Voyage George pays homage to one of his musical heroes and performs the Harry Chapin classic Cat’s in the Cradle. He also performs the fan favorite Red Rose Café and of course joins the rest of the soloists in the ensemble numbers
Damian McGinty:Damian is 20 years old and comes from Derry in Northern Ireland. He has been singing and performing for over a decade and won his first music competition when he was six. His musical influences are big band and swing classic artists such as Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. Damian is also a huge Michael Buble fan. Damian's public profile was significantly boosted in 2006 when he won a singing competition and was invited to make appearances at various concerts in Northern Ireland including the Millennium Forum for Derry City football team. The following year a CD he recorded for Charity was passed along to Celtic Thunder Producer Sharon Browne and Music Director Phil Coulter, and they invited him to audition for their new show. Damian's excitement and enthusiasm for performing is infectious, and after seeing him audition he was immediately cast in the role of the teenager or boy wonder. Since then he has completed four coast-to-coast tours of the USA and Canada, and Celtic Thunder has sold over one million CDs and DVDs as well as over 400,000 concert tickets. Damian has also performed in six Celtic Thunder specials for Public Television. His fans have watched with delight as he has progressed from the boy soprano who joined the show at 14 to the deep baritone he is today, essentially growing up before their eyes.
Damian became a huge fan of the television show GLEE when he was on tour with Celtic Thunder and has followed it avidly while touring in the US. Last year he saw an announcement on MySpace for auditions for a guest part in GLEE and decided to give it a shot. He performed 'Lean On Me' as his audition piece, filming the video on his laptop. He told Sharon about it and she then filmed Damian doing 'Lean on Me' again. When they discovered the guest part advertised on MySpace was for a girl dancer and other roles and not a singer, they had a laugh about it and Damian got teased a lot but Sharon sent the tape on anyway to Robert Ulrich.
Robert liked it and although it didn't fit the role advertised he put it aside for future use. Damian was thrilled when Robert Ulrich later contacted him to come to the auditions in Los Angeles for another project he was working called The GLEE PROJECT. Damian went to the auditions in LA last December and was bowled over when he made it to the final 12 contenders, selected out of 40,000 hopefuls. The Glee Project has been an incredible experience for Damian as he has grown and developed as an artist with each episode. Damian keeps pinching himself, in his wildest dreams he never though he would make it onto the cast of The Glee Project, let alone into the final four. Being in the final four is just amazing. "I feel honored, I feel amazed, I just feel incredible" says Damian. "After the start I had in the competition, I really struggled and struggled to fit in. I fought and I battled and my performance in the bottom 3 against Cameron and Emily everyone expected me to go home and I turned it around. It's been an absolute honor".
After winning "The Glee Project", Damian landed a guest star role in Fox's Hit Television Series "Glee" as a foreign exchange student Rory Flanagan from Ireland who arrives as a sophomore at McKinley High in the third season episode "Pot o' Gold" - first broadcast on November 1, 2011. Damian has sung four solo covers on the show, and appeared in many group performances. Damian's Guest Role was initially for seven episodes, but was asked to extend his contract with "Glee" and moves forward into further episodes.
Paul Byrom:Paul Byrom is often hailed as Ireland’s premier young tenor and with good reason. The Dublin-born tenor began voice study and training when he was just seven years old and later went on to study under the legendary Dr. Veronica Dunne, Ireland’s leading lady of opera and a renowned vocal teacher. He was a professional singer by his early teens and Paul recorded his first album as a boy soprano at 14. His second release, entitled VELVET, was in 2005 and it reached #2 in the Irish music charts. Paul went on to release his Christmas album entitled "I'll Be Home For Christmas" in 2008, which charted in the Classical Billboard Charts. Paul has also appeared in a “Fair City”, an Irish soap opera and as a finalist on “Celebrity Jigs and Reels” (Ireland’s answer to Dancing with the Stars).
His talent as a tenor has taken him far and wide, and some of the many highlights of his career to date include performing for dignitaries such as Irish President Mary McAleese, Emperor Akihito of Japan and Former Irish President and UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson. Paul is an avid sports fan and he has also performed at many large-scale and high profile sporting events such as an All-Ireland Final in Croke Park, Dublin, a Six Nations rugby game in Landsdowne Road, Dublin, and a Pittsburgh Steelers American Football game at Heinz Field in the US. Finally on Saint Patrick’s Day in 2009 Paul had the honor of performing (along with the other soloists of Celtic Thunder) at the White House for President and Mrs. Obama and their guests.
His solo performance in Heritage My Love is Like a Red Red Rose is a beautiful rendition of an old Scottish traditional love song and his duet with Damian on Just a Song At Twilight transports the listener back in time. In Celtic Thunder’s latest show Heritage. Celtic Thunder "Heritage" (2010) is Paul’s last performance with the show as he goes out to continue his solo career.
Overlay by 
Folara!
Profile by User not found: russia!