Emmet Cahill, photographed in Harold’s Cross, Dublin. {Photography by Brendan Duffy.}

By: Sharon Aron Baron

Emmet Cahill, widely regarded as “Ireland’s most exciting young tenor” and principal vocalist with the PBS Irish music phenomenon Celtic Thunder, returns to Coral Springs by special demand to perform a pre-St. Patrick’s Day concert at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church.

Last year was Cahill’s first time performing in Coral Springs, and they had a fantastic turnout.

“Everyone was so warm and friendly,” said Cahill. “I can’t wait to come back and see everyone again.”

Held on Monday, March 9 at 7:30 p.m., the concert will feature traditional classics from the Emerald Isle, including Danny Boy; and That’s An Irish Lullaby, as well as church hymns Be Thou My Vision; How Great Thou Art; as well as Broadway and movie favorites. He will also take audience requests during the popular song request medley segment of the concert.

Cahill said he performs songs that have humanity in them, that tell a story.

“People want to feel connected to what I’m doing — they want to go away feeling that they’ve had an experience themselves. Through my songs and my stories, I want to make the audience laugh and cry.”

The 29-year-old from Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland, has been a principal vocalist with Celtic Thunder since 2011, performing in over 700 shows across the United States, Canada, Australia, and Ireland. Celtic Thunder has sold over 3 million worldwide over the last eleven years, with 15 albums reaching number one on the Billboard World Music Album charts.

Growing up in a musical household, pursuing a career in music was a natural path for Cahill.

At the age of five, his father, an accomplished musician, began teaching Cahill his first music lessons, leading to a five-year Scholar Cantorum music scholarship at his local secondary school where he studied voice, organ, piano, and violin.

Reflecting on his early education, Cahill said it was in the cathedral in his hometown of Mullingar that he first learned how to sing and perform in public.

Awards and accolades include being named “Tenor of the Year” by the Irish Music Association in 2013, “Most Promising Young Tenor” by the John McCormack Society in 2010, and “Most Promising Young Singer” as an opera student at the prestigious Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin.

In the five years that Cahill has toured as a solo artist, he’s hit many milestones, including performing to a sold-out audience at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 2018. Cahill’s debut orchestral album “Emmet Cahill’s Ireland,” a compilation of traditional Irish songs and ballads, was released in 2017. Accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland and released on the Sony Music USA label, it went to number one on the Billboard, Amazon, and iTunes World Music Album charts.

He has been a featured guest artist with several U.S. symphonies, including Space Coast Symphony Orchestra in Central Florida. In 2017, Cahill had the honor of opening the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade with a tender rendition of “Danny Boy.” Last year on this most celebrated day for the Irish, he was invited to sing at the famed St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.

Seamus Brett, Celtic Thunder’s assistant musical director, will accompany Cahill on the sanctuary piano. Brett has worked extensively in the Irish and international music community as both a musician and a producer with many talented and respected entertainers.

“Seamus is brilliant,” says Cahill. “He has performed for many Irish presidents, on national television in Ireland and beyond and with the Irish theatrical show Riverdance. You’ll see for yourself his incredible piano playing, particularly during the audience request medley.”

Cahill said St. Elizabeth Ann Seton church had stunning acoustics and they’ll create a special atmosphere this evening.

“I’ll also be asking the audience to sing along with me – so have those voices ready and warmed up,” he said.

Tickets are $35 – $50 and may be purchased online at EmmetCahill.com or at the church office.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church is located at 1401 Coral Ridge Drive in Coral Springs.

Author Profile

Sharon Aron Baron

Editor of Talk Media and writer for Coral Springs Talk. CST was created in 2012 to provide News, Views, and Entertainment for the residents of Coral Springs and the rest of South Florida.