Liam Lawton
Encyclopedia
Fr. Liam Lawton is an award winning multi platinum
, Irish
, singer-songwriter
and Roman Catholic priest
.
, where he was influenced by Sean Lavery
, the Director of Sacred Music. He was ordained in 1984 and was based in a parish
in Carlow
.
who signed him for a number of albums. His EMI début, Another World, was released in Ireland later that year. This album achieved double platinum
status and was followed by his second album Time which also was hugely successful. Time was recorded with the National Philharmonic Orchestra
in the city of Prague
. Lawton’s music has been recognized for its unique quality. Liam’s choral music is used by choirs all over the English
-speaking world and has been translated into Spanish
, German
and Swedish
.
In the year 2000 Liam’s work was recognized in the US when he was invited to compose a work for the Irish American
community in Chicago
under the patronage of Mayor Richard Daley
and his wife Maggie. This work was performed in Chicago Symphony Center with narrator screen veteran Gregory Peck
. In the 10 years of the events existence Liam is the only composer that has been invited to return at least four times and has had such guest artists as John Cusack
and John Malkovich
narrate his work. Over this time Liam has also toured Sweden
and Norway
achieving top ten status in the Norwegian Charts.
In 2006, Lawton performed and record his new compositions. Set in Dublin’s docklands this event was the first of its kind to be staged on water in Ireland’s capital
. The concert which took place over two nights was recorded for high definition
DVD/CD release in to the US and Worldwide markets in 2007. This unique special event, with a stunning stage design
by Alan Farquarson, featured guests Roisin O’Reilly and boy soprano
Joseph McManners
, the full Irish Film Orchestra and Chorus along with traditional Irish instruments. The event was attended by almost 5,000 people. The orchestral arrangements were done by the world renowned composer and arranger Nick Ingman
whose films include Shakespeare In Love
, Cold Mountain
, Billy Elliott and Finding Neverland
.
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
, Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, singer-songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and Roman Catholic priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
.
Education
He received his theological training at St Patrick's College, MaynoothSt Patrick's College, Maynooth
St Patrick's College, Maynooth is the "National Seminary for Ireland" , and a Pontifical University, located in the village of Maynooth, 15 miles from Dublin, Ireland. The college and seminary are often referred to as Maynooth College. The college was officially established as the Royal College...
, where he was influenced by Sean Lavery
Sean Lavery
Sean Lavery was a Roman Catholic priest for the Missionary Society of St. Columban, also known as The Columbans. He was born in Lurgan in 1931, County Armagh....
, the Director of Sacred Music. He was ordained in 1984 and was based in a parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
in Carlow
Carlow
Carlow is the county town of County Carlow in Ireland. It is situated in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km from Dublin. County Carlow is the second smallest county in Ireland by area, however Carlow Town is the 14th largest urban area in Ireland by population according to the 2006 census. The...
.
Musical career
Discovered in 2004 by record giants EMIEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
who signed him for a number of albums. His EMI début, Another World, was released in Ireland later that year. This album achieved double platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
status and was followed by his second album Time which also was hugely successful. Time was recorded with the National Philharmonic Orchestra
National Philharmonic Orchestra
The National Philharmonic Orchestra was a British orchestra created exclusively for recording purposes. It was founded by RCA producer Charles Gerhardt and orchestra leader / contractor Sidney Sax due in part to the requirements of the Reader's Digest-History:...
in the city of Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. Lawton’s music has been recognized for its unique quality. Liam’s choral music is used by choirs all over the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
-speaking world and has been translated into Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
.
In the year 2000 Liam’s work was recognized in the US when he was invited to compose a work for the Irish American
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
community in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
under the patronage of Mayor Richard Daley
Richard J. Daley
Richard Joseph Daley served for 21 years as the mayor and undisputed Democratic boss of Chicago and is considered by historians to be the "last of the big city bosses." He played a major role in the history of the Democratic Party, especially with his support of John F...
and his wife Maggie. This work was performed in Chicago Symphony Center with narrator screen veteran Gregory Peck
Gregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck was an American actor.One of 20th Century Fox's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an...
. In the 10 years of the events existence Liam is the only composer that has been invited to return at least four times and has had such guest artists as John Cusack
John Cusack
John Paul Cusack is an American film actor and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 50 films, including The Journey of Natty Gann, Say Anything..., Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Red Line, Stand by Me, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Serendipity, Runaway Jury, The Ice Harvest,...
and John Malkovich
John Malkovich
John Gavin Malkovich is an American actor, producer, director and fashion designer with his label Technobohemian. Over the last 25 years of his career, Malkovich has appeared in more than 70 motion pictures. For his roles in Places in the Heart and In the Line of Fire, he received Academy Award...
narrate his work. Over this time Liam has also toured Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
achieving top ten status in the Norwegian Charts.
In 2006, Lawton performed and record his new compositions. Set in Dublin’s docklands this event was the first of its kind to be staged on water in Ireland’s capital
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The concert which took place over two nights was recorded for high definition
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
DVD/CD release in to the US and Worldwide markets in 2007. This unique special event, with a stunning stage design
Scenic design
Scenic design is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers have traditionally come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but nowadays, generally speaking, they are trained professionals, often with M.F.A...
by Alan Farquarson, featured guests Roisin O’Reilly and boy soprano
Boy soprano
A boy soprano is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range. Although a treble, or choirboy, may also be considered to be a boy soprano, the more colloquial term boy soprano is generally only used for boys who sing, perform, or record as soloists, and who may not necessarily...
Joseph McManners
Joseph McManners
Joseph McManners is an English actor and singer. He lives on a non-working farm in Petham near Canterbury and recently left Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys for Tonbridge School after being awarded a drama and academic scholarship.-Singing career:McManners decided to become a singer after he...
, the full Irish Film Orchestra and Chorus along with traditional Irish instruments. The event was attended by almost 5,000 people. The orchestral arrangements were done by the world renowned composer and arranger Nick Ingman
Nick Ingman
Nicholas Ingman is an orchestra conductor and composer.Early recordings include:*'Big Beat' *'The Love Album' *'Terminator'...
whose films include Shakespeare In Love
Shakespeare in Love
Shakespeare in Love is a 1998 British-American comedy film directed by John Madden and written by Marc Norman and playwright Tom Stoppard....
, Cold Mountain
Cold Mountain
Cold Mountain may refer to:* Cold Mountain , by Charles Frazier* Cold Mountain , a film adaptation of the novel by Charles Frazier** Cold Mountain , the soundtrack to the film...
, Billy Elliott and Finding Neverland
Finding Neverland
Finding Neverland is a 2004 semi-biographical film about playwright J. M. Barrie and his relationship with a family who inspired him to create Peter Pan, directed by Marc Forster. The screenplay by David Magee is based on the play The Man Who Was Peter Pan by Allan Knee...
.