Niall Morris
Encyclopedia
Niall Morris, born in Dublin, is a well-known Irish
classical
singer. He studied music at Trinity College and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
. He completed his studies at the National Opera Studio in London.
He performed principally with English Touring Opera
and the d'Oyly Carte Opera Company
. Amongst the opera
roles he has performed on stage are Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore
, Davey in Jonathan Dove
's Siren Song, Ralph Rackstraw in H.M.S. Pinafore
Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni
, Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream
, Fenton in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Paris in La belle Hélène
, and Antonio in The Duenna
. He created the tenor roles in Thomas Adès
first opera Powder Her Face
which was later released on EMI Classics
and nominated for a Grammy (Best Opera Recording 2000).
Morris is a former member of the Irish singing group, "The Celtic Tenors
" who won the German "Echo Award" for Best Classical Crossover Artists in 2002. Morris left the group in 2006 and since then has worked as Company Manager for Opera Ireland as well as performing as a solo artist and with soprano Sandra Oman and baritone Simon Morgan in the vocal group, "Trilogy" and with soprano Donna Malone and baritone Simon Morgan in the "Opera Waiters"
He has more recently moved into opera directing and his production of Puccini's "La Boheme" at
Loughcrew Garden Opera received excellent reviews from the critics.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
singer. He studied music at Trinity College and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama is an independent music and dramatic arts school which was founded in 1880 in London, England. Students can pursue courses in Music, Opera, Drama and Technical Theatre Arts.-History:...
. He completed his studies at the National Opera Studio in London.
He performed principally with English Touring Opera
English Touring Opera
English Touring Opera is an opera company in the United Kingdom. From 1979 to 1992 it was known as Opera 80.- About the company :Opera 80 was founded in 1979 by the Arts Council of Great Britain as the successor to Opera For All; in 1992 the company changed its name to English Touring Opera...
and the d'Oyly Carte Opera Company
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas. The company performed nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until it closed in 1982. It was revived in 1988 and...
. Amongst the opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
roles he has performed on stage are Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore
L'elisir d'amore
L'elisir d'amore is an opera by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. It is a melodramma giocoso in two acts...
, Davey in Jonathan Dove
Jonathan Dove
Jonathan Dove is a British composer of opera, choral works, plays, films, and orchestral and chamber music. He has arranged a number of operas for English Touring Opera and the City of Birmingham Touring Opera , including in 1990 a famous 18-player two-evening adaptation of Wagner's Der Ring des...
's Siren Song, Ralph Rackstraw in H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, England, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical...
Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
, Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream (opera)
A Midsummer Night's Dream is an opera with music by Benjamin Britten and set to a libretto adapted by the composer and Peter Pears from William Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream...
, Fenton in The Merry Wives of Windsor, Paris in La belle Hélène
La belle Hélène
La belle Hélène , opéra bouffe in three acts, is an operetta by Jacques Offenbach to an original French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy...
, and Antonio in The Duenna
The Duenna
The Duenna is a three-act comic opera, mostly composed by Thomas Linley the elder and his son, Thomas Linley the younger, to an English-language libretto by Richard Brinsley Sheridan...
. He created the tenor roles in Thomas Adès
Thomas Adès
Thomas Adès is a British composer, pianist and conductor.-Biography:Adès studied piano with Paul Berkowitz and later composition with Robert Saxton at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London...
first opera Powder Her Face
Powder Her Face
Powder Her Face is a chamber opera in two acts, Op. 14 by the British composer Thomas Adès , with an English libretto by Philip Hensher. The opera is 2 hours 20 minutes long...
which was later released on EMI Classics
EMI Classics
EMI Classics is a record label of EMI, formed in 1990 in order to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogs for internationally distributed classical music releases....
and nominated for a Grammy (Best Opera Recording 2000).
Morris is a former member of the Irish singing group, "The Celtic Tenors
Celtic Tenors
The Celtic Tenors began life as the Three Irish Tenors on RTE's Theatre Nights on October 1995. The group at that time consisted of James Nelson, Niall Morris and Paul Hennessey....
" who won the German "Echo Award" for Best Classical Crossover Artists in 2002. Morris left the group in 2006 and since then has worked as Company Manager for Opera Ireland as well as performing as a solo artist and with soprano Sandra Oman and baritone Simon Morgan in the vocal group, "Trilogy" and with soprano Donna Malone and baritone Simon Morgan in the "Opera Waiters"
He has more recently moved into opera directing and his production of Puccini's "La Boheme" at
Loughcrew Garden Opera received excellent reviews from the critics.
Sources
- Donal Lynch, New notes on an old friend, The Independent (Ireland), February 24, 2008.
- Padraic McKiernan, Celtic Tenors put new life into classics The Independent (Ireland), February 24, 2002.