Celtic Thunder singer brings solo show to Mt. Lebanon
As a member of Celtic Thunder, tenor Emmet Cahill performed at Heinz Hall in December, and the world-renowned Irish singing group is scheduled to play the Benedum Center in September.
“Pittsburgh is somewhere we always stop,” he said. “We never do a tour without coming back.”
And Cahill likes the area so much, he’s returning between the two Downtown gigs for a solo show from 7:30 to 9 p.m. May 24 at St. Winifred Church in Mt. Lebanon. Proceeds help support the church.
Photo by Brendan Duffy
Emmet Cahill
Trading the high-energy production of a five-vocalist Celtic Thunder concert for a more intimate atmosphere, he brings his acoustic guitar and a pianist for a family-friendly evening of Broadway standards, nostalgic favorites, church hymns and, of course, Irish classics.
“They’re songs I grew up singing in Ireland, but I’ve found that they’re songs that really connect to people here in the States,” Cahill said. “Americans really want to identify with where they’ve come from, where their families were from, and so many people have traveled to Ireland and traced their roots back to Ireland.
“And these songs, in many ways, bring people home,” he continued. “They give them an opportunity to kind of connect with their ancestors, their homeland, with songs like ‘An Irish Lullaby’ and ‘Danny Boy’ and ‘When Irish Eyes Are Smiling.’ They mean so much to people over here.”
A native of Mullingar, County Westmeath, about an hour’s drive from Dublin to the east and less than two hours the other direction from Galway, Cahill grew up as part of a musical family: He’d join his parents, brother and sister in performing at churches throughout Ireland.
His vocal talents earned him a music scholarship in high school, and he later attended the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin, where he was named Most Promising Young Singer and earned his bachelor’s degree in music performance. In 2009, he was chosen to perform at a special concert for the president of Ireland, and the following year, the Irish music organization Feis Ceoil awarded him the John McCormack bursary as most promising young tenor.
- Principal vocalist with Irish music show Celtic Thunder since 2011
- Four No. 1 albums on the Billboard World Music chart with Celtic Thunder
- Performed for the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon and for Mary McAleese, former president of Ireland
- Debut orchestral album, “Emmet Cahill’s Ireland,” released February 2017 on Sony Music USA, reached No. 1 on the Amazon, iTunes and Billboard World Music charts
- Opened the 2017 St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City with a performance of “Danny Boy”
- Made Carnegie Hall debut in New York City on March 16, 2018
- Multiple prizewinner at the national Feis Ceoil singing competition in Ireland
- Twice sang the Irish National Anthem to 90,000 at sports fans at Croke Park Stadium in Dublin twice
- Cantor at Cathedral of Christ the King Church in his hometown of Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland
The opportunity to join Celtic Thunder came in 2011.
“I was in my first year in university and heard about auditions for an Irish music show I knew nothing about. It was over a series of months and a couple of rounds of auditions, and Sharon Browne,” Cahill said about the group’s founder and director, “asked me to come out on the road and tour and join the guys.”
“Celtic Thunder X,” recorded at an October concert celebrating the group’s 10th anniversary, was released in March in audio and video formats, including a PBS special in the United States. Cahill is featured vocalist on the tracks “The Crow On The Cradle,” “Phil The Fluter’s Ball” and “On The Street Where You Live.”
“Emmet Cahill’s Ireland,” his first solo album, reached No. 1 on several World Albums charts shortly after its February 2017 release. The collection of Irish classics reflects what Cahill brings to his solo shows.
“That’s the kind of atmosphere we like to create,” the 27-year-old said, “a bit of nostalgia and a real connection between the audience and the songs, and in many ways, kind of connecting them to memories.”
For more information and tickets to the May 24 concert, visit www.emmetcahill.com.