A bass/baritone from Ballynahinch, Northern Ireland, Ryan graduated from Queen’s University Belfast with First Class Honours in Music in 2019, winning a Flax Trust QUB Music award in his final year. He then went on to study at University of Ulster in 2020, where he graduated with a PGCE Music.

He has just finished studying a Master of Music in Vocal Performance at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, tutored by Julian Tovey. Ryan is a member of M’ANAM.

I was fifteen and at Wallace High School when I first encountered choral music. Thanks to David Falconer our director, Michael McGlynn’s music was a big part of our repertoire and, believe it or not, the very first choral piece I learned was his setting of ‘Dúlamán’.

The Irish language was very alien to me and I couldn’t understand why our choir was singing in it. But as I looked into Anúna further online, I realised that this group had already achieved so much and were an internationally renowned ambassador for Irish music. Growing up in Northern Ireland and in a community where the Irish language is quite contentious, it is refreshing to know that it is possible to defy the divide. Music is such an effective way of writing your own identity, sharing your identity and expanding your horizons. A member of my community going on tour and getting on stage to sing in the Irish language is unheard of, but that is something of which I am really quite proud!

When I was eleven I joined a pipe band as a side drummer, and alongside my Dad we competed and won many competitions such as the UK Championships in 2015. Rhythm is probably what I find most interesting in any type of music. This paired with ensemble singing was what got me hooked on Anúna. In fact it was singing with Anúna that led me to learn how to play the bodhrán. I believe that a sense of the traditional idiom was invaluable for me to properly appreciate and enjoy performing the Irish and Scots-Gaelic pieces Michael has written and arranged.

One of the most interesting things about Anúna for me, is that it brings together singers from many different musical backgrounds with the shared intent of making beautiful music together. The music that Anúna creates has a unique sound, but it’s the stories that are told that are most exciting. Whether it be the lullaby, lament or dancing song, or a piece of a religious influence – there is a story to be told in a convincing and empathetic way. As a singer in Anúna, you have the responsibility to bring to life the story and the story-teller and to make this easily accessed by any audience of any language. I find singing to be an emotional outlet which can be used to channel your own emotions to invoke or interpret the emotions of the story-teller. This concept is something that has been discussed in-depth at rehearsals and something we take very seriously in any performance.

I have always sung, so I guess I didn’t fully understand what it meant to be a ‘singer’. I am very thankful to my piano teacher at the time, Nigel McClintock, for planting the seed in my head to start singing lessons. When singing became my main practice in 2016 at Queen’s University Belfast with David Robertson, I wasn’t ready for how my musical career would take off. I am still at a point in my life where I would sing for free, but I have been advised not to say that too often! The fact that I get paid to do something that I absolutely love and don’t consider ‘work’ is just a privilege.

In one of my final school concerts I sang the solo of Michael’s arrangement of the Spanish hymn ‘Ríu Ríu’ and under two years after, I sang the same solo with Anúna on our Dutch tour in April 2018. This was a surreal and special moment for me. Anúna has been there since the very start of my musical journey, and I am very grateful for the opportunities and experiences I have already gained and look forward to more exciting things to come. The singers in Anúna are not just my colleagues, but my close friends and to share the stage with these rockstars is genuinely one of the most exciting things in life.

A big part of my life and identity is my Christian faith, and I view my performing life as an integral part of expressing my faith. I sincerely believe that my gifts and talent are given to me by God, and I am very happy to continue developing them and exploring my potential as part of this very special ensemble.

SDG