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Irish Singer Séan Tyrrell: A 'Reporter' of Songs

seantyrrell.com

On the night of a prestigious engagement at the Purcell Room in London, Irish singer Seán Tyrrell was asked if he could provide a set list for the lighting designer. "No," he told the stage manager, who then asked if he knew which song he would sing first. "I'm sorry, I really don't," he replied. "I won't know until I get to the microphone."

Tyrrell has earned his freeform approach to live concerts through experience. He tells Cara Lieurance in an interview that he was part of the folk revival scene in Dublin in the early 1970s, and later Greenwich Village, NY and San Francisco, CA. Over time he developed a mental playlist of hundreds of songs, even when he stopped playing professionally in midlife. He returned to performing when, according to Tyrrell, "most people are thinking about retiring."

Tyrrell also takes an original approach to phrasing, accompaniment, and even melody lines in traditional Irish songs so that they suit his gifts as a singer and storyteller. "I'm a reporter of songs, more than a singer," he says. He plays on a family of vintage mandolins (many are early Gibson models), as well as tenor guitar.

Seán Tyrell will perform Saturday, September 24 at 7:30 pm at the Richland Community Hall. Tickets are $15, cash required; children under 12 are free.

Cara Lieurance is the local host of NPR's All Things Considered on 1021 WMUK and covers local arts & culture on Let's Hear It on 89.9 Classical WMUK weekday mornings at 10 - 11 am.
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