About
British Baritone Damian O’Keeffe is a soloist and Early Music singer who began his musical career as a Choral Scholar at St John’s College Cambridge under Dr George Guest.
He has sung with a range of Early Music ensembles including the Cardinall’s Musick, King’s Consort, Binchois Consort and Henry’s Eight, singing in venues across Europe and America including, Lufthansa Festival, Spitalfields Festival, The Purcell Room, BBC Proms, Cadogan Hall and the Bath Festival, Princeton and Columbia Universities, Rutgers, Amsterdam, Turin and Milan. While working with the Cardinall’s Musick, he recorded the discography of William Byrd (The Byrd Edition), as well as recordings of Cornysh and Dunstable. As a member of The King’s Consort, he has been involved in several recordings including Lo Sposalizio and Let the Bright Seraphim. With Henry’s Eight he recorded Gombert and Lassus and appeared in live Radio 3 broadcasts at Cadogan Hall and the Bath Festival. He has recently appeared with Alamire at the York Early Music Festival performing Tallis Songs of Reformation.
As a soloist Damian performs a wide repertoire from baroque to contemporary music in concert halls, recitals and cathedrals.
Notable performances across the country include, JS Bach: St John Passion (under Paul Agnew) and JS Bach: St Matthew Passion (under Nathalie Stutzmann), Elgar: The Kingdom, Orff: Carmina Burana all with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Mozart Requiem with Westminster Cathedral Choir.
Recent engagements include: Haydn: The Creation, Handel: Samson, Haydn: Nelson Mass, Dvorak: Stabat Mater, A.Scarlatti: St John Passion, Tallis: Songs of Reformation with Alamire, Brahms Requiem
Future engagements include: JS Bach: St Matthew Passion, Vaughan Williams: 5 Mystical Songs, GF Handel: Messiah
When not performing, Damian leads workshops and teaches singing to pupils of all ages on a private basis successfully preparing pupils for Oxbridge choral scholarships and conservatoires alongside working with both boy and girl choristers at cathedrals across the North West of England
Future engagements:-
2023
Wednesday 8th March 2023 12.15pm: Recital (programme tbc) – Blackburn Cathedral, John Robinson – Piano
Saturday 25th March 2023, 7.30pm: Brahms: Requiem – Chester Music Society and Orchestra – Chester Cathedral
Sunday 26th March 2023, 6.00pm: Stainer: Crucifixion – St Nicholas, Blundellsands
Saturday 1st April 2023, 7.30pm: Handel: Messiah – Vale of Clwyd Singers – Chester Cathedral
Sunday 2nd April 2023, 7.00pm: Maunder: Olivet to Calvary – St Anne’s Stanley, Liverpool
Saturday 20th May 2023, 7.30pm: Faure: Requiem – Chester Music Society and Orchestra – Chester Cathedral
Saturday 3rd June 2023, 7.30pm: Haydn: Paukenmesse – Pennine Spring Music Festival, St Thomas the Apostle, Heptonstall, West Yorkshire
Saturday 10th June 2023, 7.30pm: Haydn: Theresienmesse, Mozart: Requiem – Liverpool Welsh Choral Union and orchestra – Tung Auditorium, Liverpool.
Wednesday 28th June 2023, 1.00pm: Recital: programme tbc – Wednesdays at One Series, Martin Bussey – Piano, St John’s Church, Chester
Sunday 27th August 2023 – The Whyte Effect, Guilford Cathedral
Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd October 2023 – VOCE (Voices of Cambridge Ensemble) – Winchester Cathedral
Previous engagements 2022
(Engagements prior to 2022 can be found in the ‘previous engagements’ tab, on a separate page on this site)
Saturday 26th February 2022: Brahms: Requiem – Chester Music Society Choir Day (not a public performance). St Mary’s Creative Space, Chester
Saturday 26th March 2022, 7.30pm: Faure: Requiem, Duparc: Songs – Liverpool 64 Choir and Orchestra, Liverpool Cathedral
Sunday 27th March 2022, 6.00pm:J. Maunder: Olivet to Calvary – St Nicholas’ Church, Blundellsands
Saturday 2nd April 2022, 7.00pm: J.S Bach: St Matthew Passion – William Byrd Singers and 18th Century Orchestra, Stoller Hall, Manchester.
Sunday 3rd April 2022: Stainer: Crucifixion, Sheffield Cathedral, Sheffield
Sunday 10th April 2022, 7.00pm: J. Maunder: Olivet to Calvary – St Anne’s Stanley, Liverpool
Friday 15th April 2022, 7.30pm: Stainer: Crucifixion, Liverpool Parish Church, Liverpool
Wednesday 11th May 2022, 12.45pm: Recital: Bridging the Atlantic – Sheffield Cathedral, Piano – Ian Seddon
Thursday 2nd June 2022 7.30pm: Finzi: In Terra Pax plus English Song pieces – Pennine Spring Music Festival, St Thomas the Apostle, Heptonstall, West Yorkshire
Saturday 4th June 2022, 8pm: Hieronymus Praetorius: Alamire (Director: David Skinner) with His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts, Regensburg Early Music Festival, Germany
Saturday 2nd July 2022, 7.30pm: Haydn: The Creation – Cantiones Choir with Border Orchestra – 40th Anniversary Concert, Holroyd Community Theatre, Oswestry
Friday 22nd – Sunday 24th July 2022 – Rodolfus Foundation Choral Course Singing Teacher
Wednesday 10th August 2022, 1pm: Recital: Love Through the Eyes of Time – Wednesdays at One Series, Martin Bussey – Piano, St John’s Church, Chester
Saturday 17th September 2022, 7.30pm: Vaughan Williams: 5 Mystical Songs – Chester Cathedral, Chester
Saturday 22nd – Sunday 23rd October 2022 – VOCE – Exeter Cathedral
Saturday 12th November 2022, 7.30pm: Faure: Requiem, Vaughan Williams: 5 Mystical Songs – Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral
Friday 25th November 2022, 1.30pm – Recital: Vaughan Williams @ 150 – Liverpool Cathedral, Stephen Mannings – Piano
Saturday 26th November 2022, 7.30pm: Mozart: Coronation Mass, JS Bach: Wachet auf – St Peter’s Singers, Heswall
Saturday 3rd December 2022, 7.30pm: Handel: Messiah – Blackburn Music Society and The Cathedra Players – Blackburn Cathedral
Recordings
Nicolas Gombert: Eight Part Credo – Lugebat David Absalon and Other Motets
Henry’s Eight
Label: Hyperion
William Byrd: The Masses
The Cardinall’s Musick – Andrew Carwood, David Skinner
Label: Gaudeamus, ASV Digital
Lo Sposalizio (The Wedding of Venice to the Sea)
The King’s Consort, Robert King
Label: Hyperion
A Marriage of England and Burgundy
The Binchois Consort, Andrew Kirkman
Label: Hyperion
Schedule
Please see above for full details (in the ‘about’ section).
For full details of my recent and upcoming performances, please click into the ‘about’ section of the website.
Recent Engagements
Date: 11th December 2021, 7.30pm
Location: St Helen’s URC
Christmas Concert (St Helens Choral Society)
Date: 20th November 20201, 7.30pm
Location: All Hallows Church, Mossley Hill, Liverpool
Vaughan Williams: Five Mystical Songs and F Mendelssohn: Elijah excerpts (Liverpool Welsh Choral Union)
Date: 7th March 2020 7.30pm
Location: St Werburgh’s Church, Chester
Haydn: The Creation (Chester Bach Singers)
Date: 15th February 2020
Location: King’s School, Chester
Soloist for Chester Music Society Choral Workshop
Date: 14th December 2019 7.30pm
Location: St Helens, Lancashire
‘White Christmas’ Concert – Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on Christmas Carols and Holst: Christmas Day (St Helens Choral Society)
Date: 7th December 2019 7.30pm
Location: St Paul’s Church, Colwyn Bay
Haydn: St Nicholas Mass (Colwyn Bay Choral Society)
Date: 16th November 2019 7.30pm
Location: Our Lady of Compassion Church, Formby, Merseyside
Handel: Messiah (Formby Choral Society)
Date: 9th November 2019 7.30pm
Location: Morley Central Methodist Church, Leeds
Mendelssohn: Elijah (Morley Music Society)
Date: 18th October 2019
Location: Liverpool Cathedral Lady Chapel
Recital: Love and Beauty (Accompanist – Lee Ward)
Date: 13th July 2019 7.30pm
Location: Chester Cathedral
Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem
Chester Cathedral Nave Choir
Date: 6th July 2019 7.30pm
Location: St Michael Le Belfrey, York
Tallis: Songs of Reformation
Alamire (Director: David Skinner)
York Early Music Festival
Teaching and Workshops
When not performing, Damian leads choral workshops and has a significant number of singing pupils of all ages.
He successfully prepares pupils for:
Oxbridge choral scholarships
Conservatoires
ABRSM examinations up to Diploma Level
M Mus recitals
Admission to cathedral choirs
Auditions
Solos
In addition he provides vocal tuition to boy and girl choristers and choral scholars at cathedrals across the North West of England.
For prices and availability:
Gallery
