Emmet Cahill, the singer widely regarded as Ireland’s most exciting young tenor, will make a stop in Brevard as part of his 2023 national tour. On Thursday, April 13, at 7:30 p.m., Cahill will perform at the Brevard-Davidson River Presbyterian Church as a benefit for the Brevard Philharmonic’s Donate Your Instrument Program.
“We are always excited to host internationally acclaimed artists,” says Brevard Philharmonic executive director Dusty Campbell. “We are especially excited to present Emmet to Brevard simply because he is an exceptionally gifted vocalist bringing his world of talent to our little corner of Western North Carolina.”
Emmet Cahill
Formerly lead singer for the PBS phenomenon Celtic Thunder, Cahill has now embarked on a thriving solo career. He recently made his sold-out debut at Carnegie Hall, his Ireland album debuted at number one on the Billboard World Music charts and he made recent appearances on the Today show, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and at the Pentagon.
Cahill’s last appearance in Brevard two years ago was a sold-out evening of Christmas music. His upcoming concert will reveal an entirely different side to this well-rounded singer. He will offer a varied program of Irish classics, gospel favorites and Broadway hits.
“Emmet, who has been compared to Josh Groban, will perform familiar, folk, sacred and accessible melodies with gorgeous, flawless vocals,” says Campbell.
Cahill, who came from a musical family, learned piano at age five and began vocal training at age seven. He received his formal classical training in opera at the prestigious Royal Irish Academy of Music where he earned a BA in Musical Performance. The school recognized his abilities early on by giving him the “Most Promising Young Singer” award. In 2013, he was named “Irish Tenor of the Year” by the Irish/American Music Association. Cahill toured as lead singer with the international Irish music group Celtic Thunder until 2017. Today, as the most sought-after Irish Tenor of his generation, he has performed in more than 80 cities across the US and Canada.
All proceeds from the evening benefit Brevard Philharmonic’s Donate Your Instrument (DYI) initiative. DYI is an outreach of the orchestra’s Music in the Schools Program. Its mission is to put an instrument in the hands of every child who wants to play one, but who cannot afford their own. This program serves Brevard High School, Brevard Middle School and Rosman Middle/High School and provides string instruments for both Rosman’s Appalachian Music Studies classes and Mountain School of Strings.
“Every year there’s a whole slew of new kids who want to play music, who want to learn,” says Brevard Philharmonic violinist Aleta Tisdale.
Tisdale conceived of DYI seven years ago when she ran into a high school student whose love of music was so strong she was volunteering with the Philharmonic, but didn’t have money for an instrument. Today, more than 100 instruments have been donated, refurbished/repaired and distributed to young musicians by the Brevard Philharmonic and its DYI program.
Tickets are $55. To purchase, call 828.884.4221 or visit BrevardPhilharmonic.com.
