Tenor Anthony Kearns Performs at Bell Cultural Events Center Tonight, 9/15

Internationally-acclaimed tenor Anthony Kearns will make his debut performance at the Bell Cultural Events Center at the Mid-America Nazarene University tonight, September 15, 2012 from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm.

Karen Phillips, coordinator of the Bell Cultural Events Center, said: "We are excited to showcase Mr. Kearns' remarkable talent and are pleased that he will be joining us for what will be an inspiring evening of music." "I'm delighted to perform for a new audience at the state-of-the-art Bell Cultural Events Center," ? Mr. Kearns said, noting that his music will feature favorite and classical songs, with "something to please everyone." He will be accompanied by Dale Morehouse, chair of Vocal Studies Division and associate professor of voice (Opera) at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Kearns performed with Mr. Morehouse at a special concert in North Kansas City earlier this year. Mr. Kearns sings an extraordinary repertoire, with music from Ireland to Broadway, to Viennese romance to Italian classics, French art songs, and traditional German Lieder.

His music is for audiences of all ages, and includes fun-loving popular, timeless classics as well as uplifting, spiritual and patriotic songs. Located on the campus of MidAmerica Nazarene University, the Bell Cultural Events Center was first opened to the public in the fall of 2007. The Bell Center's Mabee Performing Arts Hall is frequently heralded for its fine acoustics and has welcomed artists such as Preservation Hall Jazz Band, tenors Nathan Granner and Ben Gulley, pianists Nielson and Young, and the Kiev Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, among others. MNU's Department of Fine and Performing Arts and Kansas City's own award-winning Fountain City Brass Band each claim the Bell Center as "home." Mr. Kearns, a founding member of the singing sensation, The Irish Tenors, has performed in the Kansas City area during previous tours. 

Last spring, he made a cameo appearance before a delighted audience at Union Station Kansas City's Grand Opening Gala for their 100th anniversary of "Titanic: The Artifacts Exhibit." Kearns noted that the RMS Titanic was "a glorious ship built in Ireland with an Irish crew, who had her last port of call in Ireland on her way to New York." Most recently, Kearns performed during the Special Military Tribute of Baltimore, MD's 137th Preakness in May and at a benefit for USO Operation Enduring Care. He frequently performs for military and other charitable causes including the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, ThanksUSA, and many others. Last month, Kearns was featured in a special presentation of Gioachino Rossini's masterpiece, Petite Messe Solennelle, at the St. Carthage's Cathedral in Lismore, Ireland. He also performed at the James Galway Prom which featured legendary flutist James Galway and David Brophy with the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast.

Mr. Kearns' entry into tenor history was extraordinary. In 1993, Kearns heard of a contest: "Ireland's Search for a Tenor" while working in sales at Dun Laoghaire, Ireland. He sang "Danny Boy" over the telephone, hitchhiked his way to Dublin for the finals, and won the national competition singing "The Impossible Dream" and "Danny Boy" as an encore. (Kearns recently told his amazing personal story to former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee during his Fox weekend prime time show, "Huckabee.")

Since then, Kearns has been astounding audiences and critics alike with his powerful vocal abilities, technique and extraordinary range. In 2006, he was acknowledged as "Ireland's Finest Tenor" at the Dublin National Concert Hall's Silver Jubilee. In 2010, Mr. Kearns was named "Best Irish Tenor" by the Irish Music Association (based in Independence, Mo). Mr. Kearns has starred in 5 PBS specials and 10 CDS with his Irish Tenor colleagues, who are considered to be one of Ireland's top musical exports and one of PBS' most successful acts to date. He is a respected ambassador of Ireland to the world, having performed in some of the world's most prestigious venues from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney (Australia) Opera House. Last year, he was featured in a PBS Special "Hallelujah Broadway," where he and others sang famous Broadway hits with a spiritual message, such as "Bring Him Home" and "Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord." He is a member of The Recording Academy ("The GRAMMYs"). 

To learn more or for ticketing information, visit: www.mnu.edu/bellcenter, or call the box office at (913) 971-3636. For more information about Mr. Kearns, visit www.anthonykearnsmusic.com.

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