January-15-2007

World Class Tenor Set to Inspire Retail Summit

We are excited to announce that the Sunday evening Keynote Speaker for the 2007 Retail Facilities Summit is World- Renowned Tenor Ronan Tynan

A world-class tenor, successful physician, champion disabled athlete, and most importantly, an inspiration, Dr. Ronan Tynan is truly a modern day "Renaissance Man." Barely out of his 30s, he overcame formidable personal challenges and achieved the kind of success only a mother could have wished for him.

Though he had always sung as a boy, he did not seriously consider formal voice study until he was 33, when he was well into his residency as a physician. The success he quickly found as a singer is a typical development in a life of extraordinary achievement.

Born with lower limb disability that might have sidelined him, Tynan was still "as wild as a March hare" when he was a growing boy in Kilkenny, Ireland, riding horses and racing motorcycles. When he was 20, his legs had to be amputated below the knee after an auto accident caused serious complications. While this would be enough to wreck most people's lives, it created in Ronan a tremendous desire to prove himself. Just weeks after the operation, he was climbing up the steps of his college dorm. Within a year, he was winning gold medals in the Paralympics as a multi-talented athlete. Between 1981 and 1984, Tynan amassed 18 gold medals and 14 world records of which he still holds nine.

Such determination soon propelled Tynan to conquer a whole new field. He became the first disabled person ever admitted to the National College of Physical Education and then a full-fledged medical doctor, specializing in orthopedic sports injuries, with a degree from prestigious Trinity College. At the age of 33, Tynan started taking voice lessons and, again, his natural talent shone through. In 1992, less than one year after he began studying voice, he won both the John McCormack Cup for Tenor Voice and the BBC talent show Go For It. The following year, he won the International Operatic Singing Competition in Maumarde, France. He made his operatic debut as Pinkerton in Puccini's Madama Butterfly and cut his teeth on the concert repertoire in performances of Verdi's Requiem, Mendelssohn's Elijah, Handel's Messiah, Rossini's Stabat Mater and Puccini's Messa di Gloria. In 1998, Tynan joined Anthony Kearns and John McDermott (later Finbar Wright) as The Irish Tenors, an instant worldwide sensation.

Ronan's rapid rise to prominence as a singer led to Sony Music offering him a recording deal. His debut solo album, My Life Belongs to You, was released in 1998 and jumped straight into the charts at number five and was certified gold. In the spring of 2005, Ronan released his self-titled debut album, which began a new era in his career. "I think it shows a greater versatility than any other album I've done," Tynan has said. "I wanted to sing a greater variety of music and spread my wings a bit, make a move out of the classic 'Irish tenor' vein." The album contains the heartfelt "Passing Through," which honors Ronan's mother, whose vibrant spirit has been taken away by the long night of Alzheimer's disease. Ronan debuted #2 on Billboard's Classical Crossover Chart, just behind Josh Groban, and was the 8th best-selling classical crossover album of 2005. It also reached #2 on the World Album Chart and peaked at #9 on the Contemporary Christian Chart.

"When Ronan sings," writes U2's Bono in a liner note for the new album, "the clouds cry but the sun turns up sooner than it would have. He sang for my father, Bob, as we put him in the ground, and it felt like shelter. The wind died down, the rain stopped for the loudest, softest voice we have … a great Irish tenor." Ronan's ability to simultaneously console and inspire is well-documented. In the wake of 9/11, the men and women of the New York Police Department and New York Fire Department and their families have been able to count on Ronan Tynan's abiding concern and beautiful voice. He has performed at benefits and memorial services for New York's Finest and Bravest, and his singing has softened the sorrow at many a funeral in the wake of the tragedy.

Tynan's singing offered the gentlest consolation at the funeral of President Ronald Reagan in the summer of 2004, when an international TV audience of more than 35 million heard him sing "Amazing Grace" and Schubert's "Ave Maria," at the personal invitation of Nancy Reagan. Of course, there have been plenty of joyous moments in Ronan's career as well. In the spring of 2004, the Belmont Stakes got off to a rollicking start when Tynan—a passionate horseman himself—christened the race with a ringing rendition of "New York, New York." This is of particular interest marking the first time ever in Belmont's 30-year history that a singer was invited to perform live as they traditionally play the version performed by Frank Sinatra. Tynan has performed for countless dignitaries worldwide including the wedding of New York's former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to Judith Nathan on the grounds of Gracie Mansion. His voice also brightened the 80th birthday celebration of former President George H.W. Bush last summer in Houston. If you're a fan of the New York Yankees — and Tynan himself is, big time — you might have heard him peal out one of his unforgettable performances of "God Bless America" in the seventh-inning stretch of a big game, which he frequently does.

Most recently, Tynan performed at A Capitol Fourth, a national Independence Day celebration at our nation's capitol where award-winning performers come together to pay tribute to the country they love for the enjoyment of millions of Americans.

One of the most sought after motivational speakers in the U.S,, Tynan has appeared on numerous television shows, including Larry King Live, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, and Primetime Live. He has even been the subject of a segment on ABC's 20/20, as well as an Irish documentary entitled Dr. Courageous. In January 2002, Simon & Schuster released his memoir, Halfway Home: My Life 'Til Now.

Ronan's latest effort, The Dawning of the Day (September 2006), is a collection of faith-based songs that are an extension of his artistic and spiritual being. "No matter what religion or orientation you are," Tynan claims, "this album can touch you in a deep and emotional way." Echoes of his renowned motivational speeches can be heard throughout; "The song, Going Home," in particular, touches on the themes fundamentals of family, encouragement, and the value of belief—of his talks.

The big Irishman has a special relationship with American audiences, and he considers New York his home away from home. "New York is powerful and intense, and it begs you to take it on," Tynan marvels. "If you do that and do it right, it will give you absolutely everything you want. The thing I love about New York and the states is that there are so many people who want you do well. They will you to do well. They encourage you, and they rejoice in your success. That's a great virtue. I think Americans are fantastic people, amazing," he says. And while Tynan claims that "America has given me so much more than I'll ever be able to give back," those who have soaked in the stirring beauty of Tynan's music and powerful message of hope may well just have to disagree.

For Additional Information Contact:
Michael P. Owens
Producer of the Retail Facilities Summit
212.232.8706
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