Soprano Celine Byrne: ‘People said I shouldn’t have children even though I wanted them’

We chat to world famous soprano Celine Byrne about travelling the world, balancing singing with her family life and the pressures that modern sopranos face nowadays

Irish soprano Celine Byrne is known for her amazing voice. She’s travelled the world, singing to massive crowds and she’s also performed on stage with famous tenors like José Carreras.

Here, we catch up with the Kildare native to learn more about her life, from her childhood to how she balances work and family life.

Celine’s love of music started from an early age. “I grew up in the country and I remember my summers on the swing, singing away to myself. I started singing in the church choir in my village when I was 11, I would sing at mass every week with the choir.

“We went to places like Knock and I was up at the front of the bus with a microphone, singing through the hymn book. I was never shy or nervous about it.”

However, her family weren’t musical. “I grew up in a sporty household. My father played for Kildare GAA, as did his brothers and their father before them. I went to a lot of GAA matches with my dad. Classical music wasn’t a thing in the house. Nobody went for piano lessons or violin lessons or anything like that.”

So when did she decide to become a professional singer?

“The first singing lesson I ever got was when I was 18. I was in Italy working as an au pair. I saw an opera for the first time and fell in love with it. When I came back, I decided to get formal singing lessons.”

Celine did an undergraduate degree in Music from the Conservatory of Music and Drama in TU Dublin, where she was awarded the college Gold Medal for excellence. She also have a Masters in Music from the Royal Irish Academy of Music, where she won the outstanding achievement award.

“I then started entering competitions and I won a few of them, culminating in me winning the Maria Callas Grand Prix in Athens. That led to me being invited to different places to perform. I couldn’t accept all of those invitations as I had a young family at that stage.

“I turned down a lot of things because I had to. People thought that that would go against me, but I just followed my own path. I trusted my gut and prayed, and it led to a wonderful career that’s brought me all over the world.”

Is there any performance of hers that really stands out? “Singing with José Carreras [the Spanish tenor] was really special. We did a concert in the Roman Forum in Zadar in Croatia. It was outdoor and all the ruins were lit up. It was really beautiful. Other pinnacles of my career would be singing in Covent Garden, Carnegie Hall and other prestigious houses all over the world. They are all special to me.”

While her career is very busy, she says she’s able to balance work and family life a little bit easier now her children are older. “It was difficult when the kids were younger. I never wanted to leave them when they were babies as I felt guilty if they were at home and I was away. I grew my wings, career-wise, when they were all in school.

“I see so many women in this field choosing not to have children, and that’s their own choice, because they want to concentrate on their career. Everybody is their own individual person and they have to make their own choice, but I am so glad I have my children.

“People said I shouldn’t have children even though I wanted them, others said I’d have to leave Ireland and go abroad to make a career. I did neither of those things – I stayed in Ireland and had a family.”

• Join Celine as she performs music from the world of opera, stage and screen with her Songs of Inspiration and Hope concert. She will perform hits including You’ll Never Walk Alone, Fantasia, Ave Maria, Climb Every Mountain and more. The concert takes place in University Concert Hall in Limerick on 31 May at 7:30pm. Tickets cost €32 and are available from uch.ie
• W: celinebyrne.com

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