NEWBRIDGE & NAAS, 18 July 2002: by Trish Whelan. County Kildare was represented in two operas running on alternate nights in the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin in recent weeks.
Celine Byrne (Naas) and Suzanne Dunne Byrne (formerly of Newbridge) took part in ‘Martha’ by Von Flotow and ‘Il Trovatore’ (Verdi) with the Anna Livia International Opera Company.
Both had solo parts as well as singing with the chorus.
“Martha is in German while Il Trovatore is in Italian so we’re both pretty lingual at this stage,” said Celine who is well known in Naas having taken part in many musicals and shows in the town.
She is presently studying for a Music Performance degree in the Conservatory of Music and Drama in Rathmines. In 2000 she won Best Female singer in the prestigious AIMS Awards and was runner up in the Best Overall Performance in the AIMS with Naas Musical Society’s performance of The Merry Widow.
She has recently taken part in the Opera Ireland Festival and played the lead role of Fiordiliti in Cosi Fan Tutte. Celine also appeared on the Christmas Late Late Show with Gay Byrne in 1999 and did vocals for the Eircom’s share ad.
While a Newbridge woman, Suzanne Dunne now lives in Castledermot. She has appeared in numerous shows from an early age.
She studied in the College of Music for many years and went on to be a soloist with the world famous Bunratty Singers and with the Carlow Chamber Choir.
Suzanne has performed many oratorias throughout the country, but appearing with the Anna Livia International Opera Company marked her debut in opera.
