It’s not over until a SHU senior sings! Christine Byrne, senior voice and theater performance major, had the opportunity to perform at SOPAC with The Priests, a classical music trio, on March 25, during the trio’s exclusive regional appearance that is part of a limited U.S. tour. The Priests will only have 10 performances in the U.S. The Priests, a trio made up of Roman Catholic priests from Northern Ireland, has managed to climb to the top of the charts in the United Kingdom, Australia and Europe while continuing to represent their parish. The priests are Fathers David Delargy, Martin O'Hagan and Eugene O'Hagan. They have performed in front of the Pope, the Royal Family and the Irish President along with recording several albums and concertizing throughout Europe and North America. After recording their first album they found themselves holding the title in the Guinness Book of Records for the "Fastest Selling Classical Debut Album of All Time," according to the press release for the event. In the three consecutive years following, The Priests were nominated for the internationally-acclaimed Classical Brit Awards for "Classical Album of the Year," according to the press release. Dr. Jason Tramm recommended Byrne to SOPAC for the special concert, according to Laurie Pine, director of media relations at SHU. “I am excited that SHU senior voice major, Christine Byrne, will perform with the Priests, a world class musical ensemble,” said Dr. Tramm in an email. “We are very proud of Christine’s hard work and look forward to many other great performance opportunities for her in the future.” During the performance, Byrne sang “She Moved Through the Fair,” “Nella Fantasia,” “Amazing Grace” and “Wishing you Were Somehow Here Again.” Byrne did not get to rehearse with the Priests until the day of the performance and expressed excitement during the interview because of how kind she heard they were. “(The performance) will be an incredible, professional experience and an exciting one,” Byrne said. After she graduates, Byrne plans to attend the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama for a Masters in Vocal Performance and Theatre Performance. “I want to sincerely thank Dr. Tramm, Professor Yates and Professor Reader for preparing me and helping me get opportunities like this as a senior at the University,” said Byrne in an email. Rebecca White can be reached at rebecca.white@student.shu.edu.
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