Known for her soaring and angelic vocals on albums such as 2009's Legato and 2018's The Gift of Music, Margaret Keys is a Northern Irish classical soprano vocalist. Her voice and sound are popular internationally and she has established a wide following on both sides of the hemisphere, having been recognized by label representatives in Australasia. She has also performed and worked on Broadway and the West End. She is widely known for her unique reinterpretations of popular songs such as "Tears in Heaven" by Eric Clapton and "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan. Born in Derry, she developed a keen interest in music and the arts from a very young age, deciding to pursue a career in performance. Her vocal talent was immense; after entering a competition at 15, she was awarded the gold medal for best overall singer in music examinations at the Trinity College of Music in London, England. She went on to acquire a First Class Honors Degree in Music Education before going on to study for a Master’s degree in Singing and Performance at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. It was at the Academy that her general skill set expanded along with her singing, having learned German, French, and Italian to perform certain opera pieces. She went on to spend some time in New York City where she trained for the theater after receiving the BBC Fame Academy bursary. This led to her appearance in transatlantic productions of shows such as Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast, and My Fair Lady, in which she performed alongside renowned tenors such as Russell Watson and Alfie Boe. She subsequently signed a record deal with Universal Records Australia and put out her debut album, Legato, in 2009. Over the next few years, Keys went on to perform her own material as well as operatic classics worldwide. She took time off between tours to focus on her music education endeavors, having founded MKeys Productions, which focuses on organizing children's productions for charity. In 2011, she performed as guest artist with the Fron Male Voice Choir on their U.S. tour, and reappeared in 2015, where she made her debut performance at the Royal Albert Hall for the Christmas with Stars show. 2015 also saw her perform at a special concert in Philadelphia to honor Pope Francis' State Papal visit before another stateside performance in December 2016 at New York's Carnegie Hall for the Holiday for Peace Concert. 2017 saw her return to the U.S. to appear with the Atlanta Pops Orchestra, and then it was back to the U.K. for a performance at the London Palladium for the Sunday Night at the Palladium show. She subsequently performed at the HRH Prince of Wales Foundation Concert for Children and Arts, which led to her being appointed the official Irish Ambassador for the organization. In summer of 2018 she put out her second record, The Gift of Music. ~ Rob Wacey