One thing for sure is that at an early age Tony unknowingly knew that unconditional love would always be a part of the person he was meant to be giving back to the purpose of his existence by being there to help others in this world would build him into the man that he is today.  

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As he reached his junior high school years he auditioned and was accepted into an accelerated arts summer program called “ The Governors School for the Performing Arts “ which later became a full-time school giving him credits that could later be used towards collage. You would never guess how grateful he was to be attending such a school, a school that gave him a voice and some of the most important tools to becoming the successful humble and blessed well-rounded artist he is today. 

 

During the summers when school was out he found himself traveling to Richmond Virginia to be a performer singer , dancer and actor at the known theme park called Kings Dominion which in later years became Paramount's Kings Dominion. 

 

It was there during his performing years that he was able to experience and attend summer concerts which had a line up of amazing well-known artists from Miss Patty LaBelle Mr. Luther Vandross to Richard Marx and the mesmerizing James Taylor. 

It was all of these class act artists as well as many others that would shape his style of singing but also keeping true to himself. 

 

He remembers Mrs. Carolyn Ipock Myers   his choir teacher once working on a song with him and well let us just say the much younger Tony K Irving didn’t have much rhythm back then. I’m guessing it was noticeable when she quietly pulled him aside one day and was like “ my dear Anthony, I don’t quite get it , but why are you so and she made a square box with her two hands which made him laugh so loudly in agreement. So with great dedication and hard work through the rest of his schooling from the knowledge passed on from his brilliant professors at the Governors Magnet School, he made a vow to be the best he can be at his craft.

 

After graduation and having already worked summers in Richmond Va , Tony decided he wanted to venture off , travel and see the world , well you needed money to do such a thing and not being independently wealthy, he auditioned to be a lead vocalist for a certain Entertainment company named Peter Grey Terhune which in the end placed him onboard his first cruise ship that did just that, traveled the world. 

 

In the years that followed between working for Peter Grey, as well as one of the founders of cruise ship entertainment Jean Ann Ryan and Norwegian Cruise Line Tony had gotten to broaden his knowledge of what it meant to be a world traveler, learning how different cultures had their meaning to the lives they lived and in this, his acceptance and unconditional love played a role and the meaning of “ I know no stranger “ his love and understanding, he believes is one of his most cherished assets. 

 

After doing some extensive traveling for months at a time he missed his family and life at home so he decided to come back to Virginia to get back into what his first love as a child was which so happened to be equestrian riding. 

 

Surprise, something many of you didn’t know Equitation, believe it or not, Tony an accomplished equestrian in his spare time grew up taking English Pleasure and Western Pleasure riding lessons from two of the most talented horsewomen trainers that existed in the horse world Dr. Sharon E. Dirmeyer and Virginia S. Godwin  

After a short stint back on the farm taking lessons as well as taking care of the Arabian horses on the farm Tony decided to give New York a try so he asked his trainer who had now become his boss if he could take a few days off to drive up to New York from Virginia to have a go at a couple of auditions. 

 

New York proved to be a success. Tony , taking a leap of faith wasn’t truly sure what to expect. He drove the seven hours up to the city stayed with a friend and fellow entertainer who lived in Jersey City and put on his best dressed to beat the pavement in the BIG CITY. 

 

His first call was for the Broadway Musical written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg , Miss Saigon and the second was for a more familiar show due to the musical content showcasing 39 pop standards including rock and roll and rhythm and blues that was Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller’s Smokey Joe’s Cafe… 

 

Both auditions seemed to had gone well but noting was yet in the bag so Tony packed up his car and drove back down to Virginia in time to be back on the farm for the next morning. Some days went by and the phone call came in Mr. Irving I would like to congratulate you we at Troika Inc. would like to offer you a role in the sit-down production of Broadway’s Musical Smokey Joe’s Cafe being performed in Reno, Nevada!  

Tony couldn’t believe it and so his next adventure began. It was an amazing experience working with a cast of such caliber of talent as well as learning from the original broadway choreographer Joey McKnelly. Performing the music of Leiber and Stoller every night was such an honor, iconic song such as Stand By Me, Spanish Harlem to I Who Have Nothing. 

 

While during his contract in Reno, Nevada for Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Tony received a phone call from Germany. He had thought it was a friend calling. He let it go for as it didn't seem anything urgent. A week went by and yet another phone call from Germany, mind you he hadn’t thought about the open call he had gone to in New York City. 

 

Yes, exactly that … Stella Production for  Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg’s Miss Saigon was calling to offer him a job with the musical. He couldn’t believe it. Germany, Stuttgart , am I truly going to up and move back to Germany back to the country he had spent the first five years of his life. 

 

Two and a half years of performing in Miss Saigon was yet another great experience to be a part of , an amazing show and one of the longest-running Broadway shows but to be performing it in German, just wow! Sure why not pick up another language while we’re at it. 

 

The show ended and Tony came away from this with amazing friends that still today are in his heart but instead of returning to the states something else had his heart and Tony took a chance and moved to Paris, France….. Let’s conquer the world he thought joking to himself. But Paris it was and on to new adventures of yet experiencing a new culture and learning a new language to be able to survive. Not long after he arrived in Paris in 1999 he landed his first job working for Mickey yes, Disneyland Paris. Singing for Mickey was a treat as he was able to watch the faces of little children light up seeing the magic happen in front of them. Such a blessing it was to have been accepted so fast as he settled into the Parisian lifestyle. Still today a part of him stays in Paris with mostly wonderful memories but with the good came the bad and that was the loss of his best friend his Mom Francine to complications of a double lung transplant. He found the strength to keep building a foundation to become the man his mother would be proud of and low and behold a year later after his moms passing the rupture of his almost 10-year relationship pushed him to spread his wings and take to the high seas once again. 

 

Tony was blessed to be able to pick up share his talent and travel again, letting him see new amazing places around the world , it also lead him to his heart which little did he know was in the country of Croatia and from that moment he would call it home. 

 

The Chance of a lifetime 

 

During Tony’s time onboard ships, he encountered a gentleman that had heard him sing , this gentleman decided that he wanted to help him with his career and offered to record an album. 

 

In 2018 Tony traveled to London in the UK to record his debut cover album “ Bared Soul “ This album was just what was missing. He picked the songs that felt good and that was built for audiences young to the young at heart ranging from Stevie Wonder to Tom Jones and also picks from great broadway musicals such as Miss Saigon to Pippin. 

 

Tony, is delighted to be giving to his listeners for the first time a place where they can hear his heart , to know him is to hear his heart sing  , Give them a way that they can bring others along for the ride and share his light. 

 

Being able to share his god-given gift his voice has been a continued blessing, it’s allowed him to see the world and to encounter human beings from all walks of life, to show people that unconditional love does exist. 

 

Keep the Music alive because Without Music Life Would Bflat 

 

Kind Regards Tony K Irving

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