Every seat was filled. Last holiday season, The Celtic Tenors sold out their entire Canadian Christmas tour from coast to coast. One magical night at Belleville’s historic Empire Theatre became ‘The Celtic Tenors: Live at The Empire Theatre,’ the 16-track live album that has had fans singing along all year. Now Matthew Gilsenan, Daryl Simpson BEM and George Hutton are coming back for more. Celtic Christmas 2026 opens November 25 in Weyburn, Saskatchewan and runs through December 20 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, with every ticket on sale now.
This year’s run takes the trio from the Prairies to the Okanagan, across the United States and back through Ontario before a festive finale in Newfoundland. The trio returns to Calgary’s Knox United Church, plays Vernon and Oliver in British Columbia, and makes a California stop at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. In Pennsylvania they’ll play The Newtown Theatre and then three nights at Zelienople’s Strand Theater, where fans packed the house for three shows earlier this year. Back in Ontario they’ll play Casino Rama Resort, Oshawa’s Regent Theatre and the Brockville Arts Centre, and on December 17 the Empire Theatre in Belleville, the very room where their live album was born.
Recorded in a single evening and released this spring through Slammin’ Media and Believe Distribution, ‘Live at The Empire Theatre’ captures everything audiences love about a Celtic Tenors concert. Timeless favourites like “Danny Boy,” “Whiskey In The Jar” and “The Impossible Dream” sit next to bold surprises like Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida.” Their bilingual take on Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect Symphony,” which moves from English into Italian, led the way as a single. ATV Today called it “less a cover than a re-framing,” with “the faint electricity of a room holding its breath.” Last year’s single, a sweeping version of “The Holy City,” came from that same night.
Onstage, the three tenors are accompanied only by musical director Brian McGrane. Each concert blends centuries-old ballads, cinematic arrangements and breathtaking a cappella harmony with the warm humour that makes every show feel like an evening among friends.
Each voice brings its own story. Founding member Gilsenan, from Kells, County Meath, leads with emotive power and stage presence. “For me, every concert is about connection—sharing a song, a story, and leaving the world a little brighter,” he says. Simpson, from Omagh, Northern Ireland, is an operatically trained tenor whose British Empire Medal honours his work for peace and reconciliation through music. “Music has the power to heal, unite, and inspire—on stage and far beyond,” he says.
Derry’s Hutton, who has toured with Anúna and performed with Hozier and Phil Coulter, brings youthful flair and a practical touring tip: “If there’s one thing I can’t do without on tour, it’s a good cup of tea!”
Over two decades, The Celtic Tenors have sold more than a million albums and performed on six continents, earning their place as Ireland’s most successful classical crossover act. Their PBS television special, airing on stations from WNET in New York to KVCR in Los Angeles and streaming on PBS.org and the PBS App, has introduced them to a whole new American audience. Their music has racked up more than six million Spotify streams.
The celebration carries on into the new year. The trio returns in February and March 2027 for dates in Florida, Alberta and British Columbia, including a pair of Vancouver Island concerts presented with the Vancouver Island Symphony.
Last Christmas, Canadian audiences snapped up every seat and one night in Belleville became an album. This December, The Celtic Tenors bring the magic back to the Empire Theatre stage, and fans would be wise to grab their tickets early.