About Seán

Irish tenor Seán Tester studied Drama, Dance and Singing at the Drogheda School of Performing Arts (known locally as The Little Duke Theatre) which is where he found his love for the performing arts.  Seán also draws on a strong background in choral singing as a dedicated member of St. Peter's Male Voice Choir, Drogheda.  Seán is a recipient of the BVOF | RIAM John Pollard Bursary which saw Seán continue his studies with teacher Owen Gilhooly-Miles and coach Dearbhla Collins on the Masters in Music Performance (Vocal Studies) programme at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

In the world of opera, Seán has made his international role debut in Switzerland in an Irish National Opera co-production of Rossini’s ‘Guillaume Tell’ in the role of “Rodolphe” at Nouvel Opèra Fribourg/Neue Oper Freiburg.  In a RIAM Opera production of Dominic Argento’s ‘Postcard from Morocco’, Seán played the roles of Man with an Old Suitcase, Puppet No. 1 and Operetta Singer.  Seán has also completed a co-production of Purcell's 'The Fairy Queen' at Korcula Baroque Festival, Croatia and Sligo Baroque Festival, Ireland singing the famous aria "If love's a sweet passion" and playing the role of Mopsa.  Seán has also been engaged by the Irish National Opera Chorus for Irish National Opera’s productions of Rossini’s ‘Guillaume Tell’, Gounod’s ‘Faust’, Puccini’s ‘La Bohème’ and Verdi’s ‘La Traviata’. 

In oratorio, Seán has performed as tenor soloist in Handel’s ‘Messiah’, Carl Orff's ‘Carmina Burana’, Beethoven's ‘Choral Fantasia’, Emanuele D'Astorga's ‘Stabat Mater’, and Haydn's ‘Die sieben letzten Worte des Erlösers am Kreuze’.

Seán was awarded the Patricia Eberhart Aria Prize for his performance of ”Ah! Mes amis… Pour mon âme” from Donizetti’s ‘La Fille du Régiment’ in the 2023 Irené Sandford Award for Singers.  Seán immensely enjoyed his time as a participant in "Celebrating the Voice" with international star mezzo-sopranos Tara Erraught and Angela Brower as part of Drogheda Classical Music.  Seán was a quarterfinalist in the 2024 International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition in Jurmala, Latvia. In May, Seán had the honour of performing as the musical guest at the State dinner hosted at Áras an Uachtaráin by H.E. Mr. Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland for H.E. Mr. Sergio Mattarella, President of Italy.