Tenor Anthony Kearns to Return to Lismore Opera Festival in L'ELISIR D'AMORE

World-renowned tenor Anthony Kearns returns to the Lismore Opera Festival in the leading tenor role of "Nemorino" in Gaetano Donizetti's masterpiece, L'elisir d'amore, at the Lismore Castle Gardens in Lismore, Ireland this Friday and Saturday, June 2 and 3, 2017.

It will be Mr. Kearns' third major appearance with the Lismore Opera Festival - Ireland's only summer opera festival set in the stunning Lismore Castle and Gardens, in St. Carthage's Cathedral, and in the beautiful and historic great homes along the Blackwater River. Situated in what is often referred to as the Irish Riviera, the festival is fast becoming a much anticipated annual event on the European Music Festivals calendar.

"Anthony Kearns was a triumphal success as 'Don Ottavio' in Lismore Opera's production of Don Giovanni and, the following year, in the tenor role in Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle. We are so delighted to have him back as 'Nemorino' -- a role that he is perfectly suited for, with his rich, evocative and powerful voice," said Jennifer O'Connell, Lismore Music Festival founder and director.

Donizetti's most-performed opera brings to life the enduring story of Nemorino, a poor villager in search of a magic potion to capture the heart of the unattainable Adina. He soon falls prey to the schemes of a quack doctor who sells him a potion to make his dreams of love come true.

L'elisir d'amore (The Elixir of Love) is a two act opera buffa (comic opera), combining romance and comedy with exquisite music, including Nemorino's enchanting aria, 'Una furtiva lagrima.' The opera's premiere in Milan in 1832 was a triumph and secured Donizetti's place as one of the leading Italian operacomposers of his day.

Mr. Kearns stated that the "opera is light-hearted, full of life and beautiful music. I am pleased to work again with Dieter Kaegi, director, and Jennifer O'Connell, the co- founders of the festival." Kearns said he has worked with Kaegi on several operas over the past 20 years.

The distinguished Italian maestro Marco Zambelli will conduct the masterpiece for the Lismore Opera Festival.

In addition to Kearns, the other featured soloists will include:

Ania Jeruc ("Adina") -- a Polish soprano and 2004 recipient of The Suwalki President Scholarship who has won awards many competitions.

Damon Nestor Ploumis ("Dr. Dulcamara") -- has performed in sixteen productions as "Bartolo" in IL Barbiere di Siviglia, as well as numerous appearances in all of the core Rossini and Donizetti bass roles.

Sandra Oman ("Giannetta") -- an Irish soprano and 2004 recipient of the Margaret Burke Sheridan Memorial Award for excellence in the field of opera.

Rory Musgrave ("Belcore") -- a baritone from Cleggan, Connemara, he became an OTC Opera Hub Emerging Artist with Opera Theatre Company in 2014 - 2016, as well as receiving the PWC/WFO Emerging Artist Bursary in 2015 and the Arnholm Bursary in 2014 by Wexford Festival Opera.

Mr. Kearns returns to the role of Nemorino after performing L'elisir d'amore a year ago at the Gulfshore Opera in Naples, FL where Steffanie Pearce, Gulfshore Opera's general and artistic director remarked, "It's a pleasure to work with the great tenor, Anthony Kearns. His voice is extraordinary, and what he brings to the stage can only be described as pure magic."

Kearns has been critically praised for his vocal abilities and effortless range. Mr. Kearns made his official U.S. Grand Opera debut as the tenor in the role of "Edgardo" in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor with Opera Naples [Florida]. Since then, he has starred as: "Don José" in the Dun Laoghaire/ Rathdown Glasthule Opera Company's production of Georges Bizet's Carmen; the tenor with the Royal Dublin Society in The Lily of Killarney (part of "The Irish Ring" trilogy) which toured North America; the tenor role of "Don Ottavio," in Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Lismore Music Festival; and "Alfred" in a concert-staged performance of Johann Strauss' operetta, Die Fledermaus by the Emerald City [Steamboat Springs, CO, USA] Opera. Upon moving to the U.S., Kearns returned to Opera Naples as the tenor in Charles Gounod's Faust, a role he also performed with Opera Ireland (nominated for best production in the Irish Times Theater Awards). Other roles include "Fenton" in Giuseppe Verdi's Falstaff (Montepulciano, Italy).

Mr. Kearns took the American television audience by storm in 1999 as the youngest member of The Irish Tenors with whom he has ten CDs. American critics hailed Kearns as perhaps the most likely of the three (Irish Tenors) to "achieve the level of tenor super stardom now enjoyed by Pavarotti and a handful of other singers." Kearns has performed in the most prestigious venues around the world, from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House. He has performed for three U.S. presidents and for Pope Francis at a pre-Mass Concert in Philadelphia. He released his first solo album, With a Song in My Heart, in 2014.