Noel Kelehan
Noel Kelehan (born December 26, 1935 - February 6, 2012 in Dublin ) was an Irish musician. He was the leader and conductor of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and musical director of Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). In 1998 he retired as a conductor.
life and career
Kelehan became known as a jazz pianist and above all as the conductor of numerous Irish submissions for the Eurovision Song Contest . He first conducted the orchestra for the Irish contribution in 1966 and last took part in 1998 . He directed the orchestra in five victorious Irish contributions in 1980 , 1987 , 1992 , 1993 and 1996 . In 1994 the victorious song was performed without orchestra accompaniment. However, the second-place title that year was the Polish contribution To nie ja! conducted by Edyta Górniak von Kelehan. He also conducted the contribution of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1993. In total, he led the orchestra for 29 Eurovision contributions, 24 of them Irish. In 1999 , after Kelehan's resignation, the use of an orchestra in the competition was discontinued.
Kelehan died in February 2012 at the age of 76 after a long illness in Dublin and was buried there.
Albums and releases
Kelehan released several jazz albums; In 1979 he recorded the album Ozone with the Noel Kelehan Quintet . In 1984 he wrote the string arrangements for the U2 album The Unforgettable Fire .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Irish conductor Noel Kelehan died at 76 , eurovision.tv February 6, 2012.
- ↑ Noel Kelehan's biography in English, www.andtheconductoris.eu
- ↑ Interview with Noel Kelehan, published in EA-Nieuws (magazine from www.eurovisionartists.nl), 2007–2008, no. 2
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kelehan, Noel |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Irish conductor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 26, 1935 |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 6, 2012 |
| Place of death | Dublin |