Gregory Harrington, the Dublin-born, New York-based Irish violinist, will perform at a tribute concert in honor of the legendary Irish tenor John McCormack at Carnegie Hall on Wednesday, December 17. McCormack, once the world's most famous Irishman, is still widely celebrated around the globe for his magnificent career and his contribution to Irish culture in New York. These days Harrington is making a considerable contribution himself. A classically trained violinist, he's been playing since he was a boy. "When I was four years old I heard a string quartet playing and I told my mum I'll do that," he told the Irish Voice. "I just loved the sound of it. I studied in the Royal Irish Academy of Music from the age of four until I turned 18. Then I trained in London." As one of the rising crop of younger artists in the classical music scene, Harrington has already proved himself to be an extremely versatile violinist and one of Ireland's brightest talents. This week he is preparing for his performance in Carnegie Hall, where he will take the stage alongside the celebrated English tenor Alfie Boe (multiple Brit Award winner and also a Tony Award winner for director Baz Luhrmann's La Boheme) and acclaimed Irish soprano Celine Byrne. Says Harrington, "I got a call from the producer to perform at this concert based on the strength of my solo CD. McCormack famously recorded a fantastic concert with Fritz Chrysler in the 1920s when Chrysler was the violinist of the era. And because there were tracks on my CD that had originally been recorded by Chrysler the producer thought of me when he scheduled the performances." Harrington will be accompanied by a 28 piece orchestra under conductor Robert Houlihan and compere Gordon Ledbetter, for an evening of Irish ballads, operatic arias and many well-known classical works in honor of the world's greatest Irish tenor. Musical selections include well-known arias and operatic favorites by Donizetti, Mozart, Puccini, Gounod and Mascagni, as well as a selection of Irish Ballads and archival footage of McCormack. Says Harrington, "I did a McCormack event in Dublin in 1997 where I met his grandson Count John McCormack, and that was a lovely experience that connected me to the singer. Growing up I also read about him and it's been a pleasure to get to know his music. He's an Irish icon, and from what I've read to date his life was fascinating." Born in Dublin, Harrington now performs and records internationally as a soloist and a chamber musician. His debut solo album "Reflections," on Estile Records, was launched to critical acclaim and has featured widely on television, radio, and internet campaigns. Alongside his exten-sive solo repertoire, Harrington is a also a devotee of contemporary music, with multiple projects on his plate at all times, and he has premiered works by Steven Gerber, James Macmillan, Ian Wilson, Jorge Sosa and Derek Ball. His upcoming recordings of the chamber music and orchestral concerti of James MacMillan are slated for September 2009. Tickets for the concert on December 17 are on sale at www.carnegiehall.org.