ian priestley
Test tube tenor
Do you remember Ian Priestley? White coat, lab glasses, busy dissecting. You probably wouldn't recognise him now, writes Caroline Petrie. He's left his test tubes to tour as a professional tenor and most recently sang as Luke Skywalker - at least a galaxy away from his origins in microbiology.
In 1985 Ian graduated with a degree in microbiology and stayed on at the University of Dundee to gain his doctorate. In 1994 he swapped his career in science to take up a course in music at Guildhall School of Music.
Originally from Nottingham, Ian spent a few years working and studying part-time before he got his first break in showbiz in the chorus of the D'Oyly Carte Opera based in Wolverhampton.
Since quitting science, Ian has sung a wide range of professional roles. 'I was mainly singing in the chorus in Gilbert and Sullivan productions up until last year when I played my first solo in The Magic Flute by Mozart.'
Ian returned to Dundee in 1998 to work full time with Tayside Opera. Since then he has returned to his alma mater four times as a professional. His last production in Dundee was at Dundee Rep Theatre where he sang tenor as the main character Duke (Luke Skywalker to you Star Wars fans) in a show called Opera Gallactica which toured the United Kingdom.
Changing careers runs in the family. Ian is married to another Dundee graduate, Catherine (nee Green) who graduated with a general science degree and went on to Northern College, now a faculty of the University of Dundee, to receive a teaching qualification. She is now working in IT.
Although Ian works all over the UK as a freelance artist, he and Cathy have set up home in Cambridgeshire. You can catch Ian singing at his next performance in Scotland in May but before that he's going to be in Milton Keynes performing a Schubert recital.
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