David O’Leary is from County Wexford, Ireland and has established himself as one of Ireland’s leading young tenors.
David discovered his voice when he was in high school and was coaxed into auditioning for a chorus role in the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. After singing two lines of a hymn David was cast in the lead role of ‘Joseph’, despite having zero stage experience. And so began his vocal journey.
Later roles in the musicals Brigadoon, Me and My Girl and The Boyfriend cemented David’s love for the stage and he began formal vocal training in Dublin.
A keen chorister, David successfully auditioned for the Irish Youth Choir and joined the National University of Ireland (Galway) Chamber Choir, as well as the renowned Galway Baroque Singers.
A versatile performer, David also played the role of ‘Butler’ with the world renowned Bunratty Singers at Bunratty Castle, Ireland while studying voice privately in Dublin and London and attending the National University of Ireland, Galway, where he studied Law and French.
At the time, NUI Galway didn’t have a musical theatre program but were nonetheless extremely supportive of David in his burgeoning career. One such example of this support was their hiring David to perform for an alumni event to take place in New York. While in Ireland, David learned in the national media, that NUI Galway would host a gala dinner in honor of President Clinton at the Metropolitan Club in NYC. After reaching out to the university, David was directed to contact the gala organizers directly in New York. A phone call from his bedroom in Ireland on a Tuesday morning, along with singing three lines of the Fields of Athenry to a skeptical gala organizer, was enough to secure his performance at the gala, and he was on a flight that Friday.
This performance for former President Clinton had a major impact on David and his ambitions. An avid consumer of political news, David quickly identified as a motivating goal: Move to the United States and work toward performing for the President of the United States. After a lot of hard work, he had the honor of being the sole performer at the Friends of Ireland Luncheon in the US Capitol for an audience including President Obama, Vice-President Biden and Speaker Boehner.
To help pay for college, David spent his summers in New York where he worked as a caddie at the prestigious Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaroneck, NY. A keen golfer himself, David relished the opportunity to work in such a prestigious club and used his earnings to help pay for his private vocal training. Chance encounters with people on the course led to numerous performance opportunities, including singing at opening of games for the New York Giants, New York Mets and New York Rangers.
The story of a former caddie performing at major sporting events came to the attention of Golf Channel, and David was the subject of an NBC Golf Channel Special, led by renowned anchor and commentator Jimmy Roberts. In the US sporting arena, David has performed the “Star Spangled Banner” to capacity crowds for the New York Giants, the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies.
He has performed at some of the most prestigious venues in New York City including Waldorf Astoria, for the American Irish Historical Society Gala, a gala performance at Merkin Concert Hall, and Yankee Stadium. In Ireland, David has performed at major events including the All-Ireland Football Semi-Final at Croke Park, Dublin, in front of a stadium crowd of 83,000 and worldwide TV audience.
A versatile and much sought after artist, David maintains a busy national and international schedule and is a founding member of “Trí:The New Irish Tenors” alongside Karl Scully and Michael McCorry Rose.