Media Release Wednesday 2 December 2015

Irish actor Simon Delaney to narrate The Snowman for National Concert Hall Family Christmas Show

A recipient of four Irish Film and Television Academy Best Actor nominations Simon Delaney is to host the National Concert Hall’s Family Christmas Show featuring the live screening of Raymond Brigg’s captivating film The Snowman. Simon will also narrate the story of The Snowman, accompanied by Howard Blake’s score played live by the Orchestra of the National Concert Hall.

The National Concert Hall Family Christmas Shows will take place Friday 18th December (2.30pm/5pm), Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th December (12pm/2.30pm/5pm/7pm) and will also feature the well-known ‘I’m walking in the air’ sung by boy sopranos Max O’Neill and/or Alex Mahon, both from County Dublin. It will also include seasonal favourites by guest soprano and former Eurovision Song Contest winner Eimear Quinn.

A magical concert designed for all the family, the captivating film, synonymous with Christmas, has established itself as part of the Christmas festivities for young and old.

The story of the young boy James and the Snowman comes to life on Christmas Eve as the two set off on a night time quest for adventure. On their travels, they meet dancing penguins, reindeer and many of the Snowman’s friends. They continue their adventure through the night sky, escaping the clutches of the evil Jack Frost, before returning home for Christmas morning.

Originally a children’s book published in 1978, it was turned into an animated movie in 1982 and first shown on Channel 4 late that year. It was later nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Short in 1983. The Snowman by Raymond Briggs is by arrangement with Snowman Enterprises Ltd. 2013.

The National Concert Hall Family Christmas show is presented by the National Concert Hall and is supported by The Irish Times and Newstalk 106.

National Concert Hall Family Christmas Show Tickets: €22|Child Ticket: €17|Family Ticket (2 adults & 2 Children): €73. National Concert Hall Box Office Tel: 01 417 00 00 or www.nch.ie (no booking fee)

ENDS
For further information please contact: Sinead Doyle, Marketing & PR Manager, National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2. Tel: 01 417 0057 / 087 1775334

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ABOUT SIMON DELANEY

Simon Delaney has been working as an actor and director for more than 17 years, in both Ireland and the UK, and more recently in the US.

Simon’s most recent role was as Brendan O'Connor in Trollied and Tom Cruz in the hilarious Mrs Browns Boys D’Movie.

Recent US screen credits include The Delivery Man, a feature film for Dreamworks, in which he plays Vince Vaughn’s brother. The Good Wife opposite Juliana Margulies and Touch which stars Kiefer Sutherland.

Another recent feature film is This Must be the Place with Sean Penn. Simon played the title role in John Carney's feature film, Zonad which was nominated for 6 Irish Film & Television awards including Best Film, and was a huge hit at the Tribeca Film Festival, receiving a 5 star review from Variety magazine. Other European screen work includes the Emmy Award Winning Moone Boy Series 1, 2 & 3(SKY TV), The Alan Partridge Movie (Baby Cow Production), Fathers & Son (RTÉ/ITV) and Roy for CBBC, which received two BAFTA nominations. Simon has shot two TV series for BBC, Pulling Moves in which played the lead role, and The Fall with Gillian Anderson.

Simon has received 4 Irish Film and Television Academy Best Actor nominations, and for the past four years has hosted the ceremony, live on RTÉ television.

Theatre credits include Stones in His Pockets (Charlie Conlon) at The New Ambassadors & Duchess Theatres in London’s West End, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (R.P McMurphy), Glengarry Glenross (Richard Roma), The Odd Couple (Oscar Madison), The Boys in the Band (Michael) and Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Le Vicomte de Valmonte). Simon performed the Irish premiere of Defending the Caveman at The Tivoli Theatre in 2007.

Musical theatre credits include Jerry Springer the Musical (Jerry), The Blues Brothers (Jake), The Full Monty (Dave), 42nd Street (Julian Marsh), The Wiremen (Tommo), Guys and Dolls (Nathan Detroit) and The Hired Man (Isaac Tallentire).
                
Directing credits include Beauty & the Beast (Olympia Theatre), Stones in his Pockets (German Premier & National Tour), Cinderella, The Full Monty (Irish Premiere), West Side Story, Sweet Charity, Honk, Oliver, Cabaret and The Hot Mikado.

ABOUT EIMEAR QUINN

Dublin born Eimear Quinn grew up in a family where singing (and choral music in particular) was hugely important. At fifteen years of age she started formal vocal training at the College of Music in Dublin. Eimear holds an honours degree in music from National University of Ireland, Maynooth.

In 1995, she joined the Celtic chamber choir ANÚNA and was one of their principle soloists performing all over Europe. She recorded two albums with the group. It was while singing with Anúna in St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin that songwriter Brendan Graham invited her to sing his composition The Voice as Ireland's entry to the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest. Eimear won the contest in Oslo later that year and subsequently undertook tours performing in Australia, America and all over Europe. She also made many television appearances and presented television and radio programmes for RTÉ and TV3.

Eimear has collaborated with a number of international composers on a range of musical and television projects. These have included performing and co-writing the score to Belgian drama series Stille Waters with Steve Willaert, working with Galician piper Carlos Nunez, performing with Sir George Martin, and Liam Lawton. She performed Voice of an Angel on Liam's platinum selling album Another World.

2006 was the 10th anniversary of Eimear's Eurovision win. To celebrate she released the album Gatherings, a collection of music she had recorded over the previous decade. This was Eimear’s third solo disc and followed ‘Winter Fire and Snow’ and ‘Through the Lens of a Tear’. 2006 was also the year that Eimear performed as part of ‘Ireland’s Finest in Concert’; a gala celebration of the 25th anniversary of the National Concert Hall, along-side Irish artists such as Sharon Shannon, the Chieftains, Paul Brady, Sir James Galway and Brian Kennedy. Ireland’s Finest was broadcast on RTÉ television and has been released as a DVD.

A year later she worked with the award winning film-maker, Philip King to complete a critically acclaimed documentary on the subject of her music and collaboration with Belfast-born composer, Neil Martin for RTÉ ONE Television.
 
The latest album release in 2007 was ‘O Holy Night’ a collection of carols, ancient chants and new compositions from Eimear, who also produced and arranged the album. ‘O Holy Night’ was inspired by the overwhelming reaction to her performance of ‘O Holy Night’ live on Ryan Tubridy’s Radio 1 show the previous year.