Page 181 - Gonzaga at 60
P. 181
SIMON MORGAN: BARITONE
I had the great privilege of atending Gonzaga at a ime when there was a great musical presence in
the corridors. First, Fr Brennan, with Perfect Pitch and a great ability on the church organ. Next the
very encouraging, and musically very knowledgeable, Mr Pots, whose openness to performing in choir
music that the students themselves had chosen led to rendiions of pieces as diverse as ‘The Chorus of
the Hebrew Slaves’ from Nabucco by Verdi, and ‘The Pilgrims Chorus’ from Tannhauser by Wagner. A
fantasic introducion to music. And an anecdote about the formidable Gerry Murphy: one evening, the
enire class of students of Leaving Ceriicate Music were invited into his home to celebrate the birthday
of the Hungarian composer, Bela Bartok. The seven of us spent an evening listening to recordings
of Bartok’s music, while eaing Hungarian goulash in honour of his homeland ... certainly the only
seventeen-year-old students in the country doing such a thing on that paricular evening!”
Simon Morgan Top: Gonzaga choristers at
Class of 1995 Graduation. Above: Simon
Morgan
Simon’s Operaic roles include Ipparco in L’Egisto, Cox in Cox and Box, and Belcore in Cosi Fan Tute
at the NCH; Antony in Sweeney Todd at the Gate (Winner of Best Opera Producion at the Theatre
Awards in 2008). Marcello in La Boheme (Loughcrew Opera) and Silvio in Pagliacci (Wonderland
Producions). Extended highlights include Danilo (The Merry Widow), Orestes (Iphegenie in Tauride),
Guglielmo (Cosi Fan Tute), Marcello (La Boheme), Hercules (Alceste), Tonio (Pagliaci), Scarpia (Tosca)
and Eugene Onegin (Eugene Onegin).
Bass solo performances include Schubert and Haydn Masses, Bach’s B Minor Mass, Christmas
Oratorio, The Mozart Requiem, Saint-Saens Oratorio De Noel, The Chichester Psalms (Bernstein) and
the Baritone Solo in Carl Orf’s Carmina Burana.
Simon has recorded extracts from Mirandolina by Marinu for Wexford Fesival Opera, and has
writen and arranged music for RTE, the BBC, Placido Domingo, and The RTE Concert Orchestra, with
whom he peformed live on Lyric FM at the NCH. He is coached by Conor Farren.
I had the great privilege of atending Gonzaga at a ime when there was a great musical presence in
the corridors. First, Fr Brennan, with Perfect Pitch and a great ability on the church organ. Next the
very encouraging, and musically very knowledgeable, Mr Pots, whose openness to performing in choir
music that the students themselves had chosen led to rendiions of pieces as diverse as ‘The Chorus of
the Hebrew Slaves’ from Nabucco by Verdi, and ‘The Pilgrims Chorus’ from Tannhauser by Wagner. A
fantasic introducion to music. And an anecdote about the formidable Gerry Murphy: one evening, the
enire class of students of Leaving Ceriicate Music were invited into his home to celebrate the birthday
of the Hungarian composer, Bela Bartok. The seven of us spent an evening listening to recordings
of Bartok’s music, while eaing Hungarian goulash in honour of his homeland ... certainly the only
seventeen-year-old students in the country doing such a thing on that paricular evening!”
Simon Morgan Top: Gonzaga choristers at
Class of 1995 Graduation. Above: Simon
Morgan
Simon’s Operaic roles include Ipparco in L’Egisto, Cox in Cox and Box, and Belcore in Cosi Fan Tute
at the NCH; Antony in Sweeney Todd at the Gate (Winner of Best Opera Producion at the Theatre
Awards in 2008). Marcello in La Boheme (Loughcrew Opera) and Silvio in Pagliacci (Wonderland
Producions). Extended highlights include Danilo (The Merry Widow), Orestes (Iphegenie in Tauride),
Guglielmo (Cosi Fan Tute), Marcello (La Boheme), Hercules (Alceste), Tonio (Pagliaci), Scarpia (Tosca)
and Eugene Onegin (Eugene Onegin).
Bass solo performances include Schubert and Haydn Masses, Bach’s B Minor Mass, Christmas
Oratorio, The Mozart Requiem, Saint-Saens Oratorio De Noel, The Chichester Psalms (Bernstein) and
the Baritone Solo in Carl Orf’s Carmina Burana.
Simon has recorded extracts from Mirandolina by Marinu for Wexford Fesival Opera, and has
writen and arranged music for RTE, the BBC, Placido Domingo, and The RTE Concert Orchestra, with
whom he peformed live on Lyric FM at the NCH. He is coached by Conor Farren.
