JAMESTOWN – Ronan Tynan will perform live on stage at The Reg Lenna Center for the Arts on Thursday at 7 p.m.

A classically trained vocalist and an original member of the Irish Tenors, Tynan will sing a variety of songs, including several Irish standards that will get audiences ready for St. Patrick’s Day. Tynan will be accompanied by his longtime pianist, Billy Lewis.

Tynan’s story is one of beating the odds and defying expectations. A lower limb disability didn’t hold him back as he was an active horse rider and motorcycle enthusiast as a child.

At 20 years old, Tynan’s legs were amputated below the knee after complications from an automobile accident. Within one year, he was competing in the Paralympics. He eventually won 18 gold medals and still holds nine world records.

Tynan became the first disabled person admitted to the National College of Physical Education, where he became a medical doctor specializing in orthopedic sports.

At the age of 33, he began studying voice and won the International Operatic Singing Competition. His operatic debut was in “Madame Butterfly.”

In 1998, Tynan made a splash on the world stage as one of the original Irish Tenors with Anthony Kearns and John McDermott, astounding American audiences in a series of popular PBS specials.

For several years, he has lived in the United States, first in New York City and now in Boston. The “big Irishman” has a special relationship with American audiences.

“America is powerful and intense, and it begs you to take it on,” Tynan said. “If you do that and do it right, it will give you absolutely everything you want. The thing I love about America is that there are so many people who want you to do well. They will you to do well.”

A Celtic fiddle duo will perform in the lobby of The Reg prior to Tynan’s concert. Sue Tillotson and Jim Cunningham have played together for many years, bringing a love of Celtic music and exciting instrumentation to their audiences. Tillotson plays fiddle, whistle and spoons and Cunningham plays guitar, bouzouki, cittern, Celtic harp and bodhran. Both are vocalists, too.

An Evening with Ronan Tynan tickets are priced between $25 and $60. Tickets may be purchased at www.reglenna.com, by phone at 484-7070 or at the box office at 116 E. Third St. in Jamestown.

This concert is made possible by support from United Arts Appeal, Trinity Biotech, Gebbie Foundation and Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation.