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Tenor

Manchester operatic tenor Martin Toal is one of the UK's leading operatic tenors in demand for major concert, sporting, corporate and charity events.

Martin is a classically trained operatic tenor who trained part-time between 1991and 2004, firstly with Mezzo Soprano Jane Irwin and then latterly with Wagnerian tenor and former Head of Opera Studies at Manchester’s Royal Northern College of Music, Jeffrrey Lawton. Whilst training, Martin performed the leading role in many operas, including Romeo in Gounod’s Romeo & Juliette, Don Jose in Bizet’s Carmen, Lensky in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Manrico in Verdi’s Il Trovatore, Cavaradossi in Puccini’s Tosca, and Edguardo in Donizetti’s, Lucia di Lammermoor. He also sang the tenor solo in many oratorios including Handel’s Samson, Judas Maccabeus, Israel in Egypt, Messiah, & Gounod’s Ste. Cecilia Mass, and Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Petite Messe Solonnelle. “He is, by a long way, the finest tenor we have ever used at the festival. We like his balance of classical opera and rousing Italian songs” (James Middleton, Secretary of Manchester Italian Festival)

Martin is a top class entertainer with a “phenomenal” tenor voice, who on 8th September 2007 performed the national anthem at Wembley in front of 90000 people and a worldwide TV audience of millions for England’s Euro 2008 qualifier against Israel – the first competitive England international at the new stadium. He has performed at many top sporting events including two of the four England 2006 World Cup football qualifiers staged at Old Trafford, Manchester (v Northern Ireland and v Austria in March and October 2005 respectively): Russell Watson and G4 did the other two. On 27th November 2004, he sang the national anthem before the Great Britain v Australia rugby league tri-nations final at Elland Road, Leeds, and sang the anthem as a duet with top soprano Lesley Garrett at the KC stadium in Hull in November 2005. He has appeared at many other stadia including on 1st April 2007 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff where he sang the national anthem for the Football League Trophy final, at Loftus Road, London, at Charlton Athletic’s the Valley, at the JJB stadium, home of Wigan’s football and rugby league clubs, and at Edgeley Park, the home of Sale Sharks, the current rugby union Premiership champions.

“He has a powerful voice, Martin Toal!” (John Motson, BBC TV)

Amongst the many celebrities Martin has sung for are the Earl & Countess of Wessex Edward & Sophie, Sir Alex Ferguson, former England football coach Sven Goran Eriksson and his partner Nancy Dell’Ollio, and head of the CBI Digby Jones. In July 2006, Martin was invited to sing during the FA’s summer conference dinner at Trinity Hall, Cambridge.

“Martin Toal added a touch of class to the evening”. (Alan Turvey, FA Main Board Director )

He is proud to have performed for many leading charity groups including the Prince’s Trust, Wooden Spoon Society, Cooperation Ireland, Marie Curie and at a recent event for the Rainbow Trust where Martin recently topped the bill with comedian Peter Kay.

“Your superb performance was much appreciated by everyone who was there ... your voice is pure magic!” (Anthony Westnedge OBE)

Martin features regularly in national and regional newspapers and magazines, and is frequently seen and heard on TV & radio. Over the past two years, he has appeared on BBC, Granada, Channel M, Sky News, Sky Sports and Sky Sports News, as well as singing live and being interviewed on FR3. Martin is a fluent French speaker.

“Une très, très belle voix!” ( Christophe Guyomard, French TV presenter)