Celtic Thunder singer brings solo tour to Greensburg

Those who attend a May 6 music event just outside Greensburg may find themselves singing with one of Ireland’s most popular tenors.

At least that’s what Celtic Thunder singing star Emmet Cahill has in mind for his solo concert appearance at Our Lady of Grace Church.

“I always tell people to sing along with us,” Cahill said in a recent phone interview during a break in his tour of more than 60 U.S. and Canadian cities. “We try to create an atmosphere where we make people feel very connected to the music.

“I’m singing songs that are as relatable today as when they were written,” many more than 100 years ago. “Music is one of those mediums people go back to again and again.”

Dramatic staging and large performance spaces have become associated with the Celtic Thunder shows, which have aired repeatedly on PBS TV stations with a mix of Irish and Scottish songs and popular modern tunes. Cahill, 28, has been a principal singer with the show since 2011, including on its 10th anniversary tour that visited Pittsburgh’s Benedum Center in September.

Many of Cahill’s solo dates instead take him to church sanctuaries, where he is accompanied only by his pianist, the local church choir — and his audience.

Appropriately, he’s included well-known religious songs with his repertoire of Celtic and popular selections. Audience members can expect the program to encompass songs such as “How Great Thou Art” as well as “Danny Boy,” “Irish Eyes Are Smiling” and Broadway hits like “The Music of the Night.”

“I try to sing each song in a way I feel at the moment,” Cahill said. “It’s very spontaneous. I don’t use sheet music.”

In fact, each of his concerts includes a section where he will sing requests from the audience — arranged on the spot by his accompanist, Seamus Brett, who has had production roles on recordings by Cahill and Celtic Thunder.

“It’s live and off the cuff,” Cahill said. “It’s a lot of fun. I never know what order he’s putting them in or what key he’s putting them in.”

Cahill added the Greensburg date to his tour after meeting the Rev. Jerry O’Shea of Hempfield, a retired priest who caught a show by the tenor last May at the parish he formerly served as pastor, St. Winifred Roman Catholic Church in Mt. Lebanon.

“He has a beautiful voice,” O’Shea said of Cahill. “He comes across very well during his interaction with the audience.”

In between songs, Cahill likes to share tales about his hometown, Mullingar, in Ireland’s County Westmeath, and about his experiences discovering America as a touring artist over the past seven years.

”I’ve seen more of the country than many Americans have,” he noted.

Cahill began vocal training at age 7 and received a music performance degree from the Royal Irish Academy of Music. In 2010, he was awarded the John McCormack Bursary for most promising young tenor. He’s also won multiple prizes at Ireland’s national Feis Ceoil music competition.

Released in 2017, his debut solo CD, “Emmet Cahill’s Ireland,” climbed to the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s World Music chart. He followed up with a sold-out Carnegie Hall performance in March 2018.

This year, he recorded a second album, “Blessings of Music,” which reflects the song selection on his current tour and will be available for purchase at the Greensburg concert.

“It’s been quite a journey so far,” Cahill said. “I want to continue to do this, to bring my story and music to audiences.”

Our Lady of Grace Church is located at 1011 Mt. Pleasant Road. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. performance cost $30 and are available at emmetcahill.com. For an additional $15, audience members may arrive early for a 6 p.m. meet-and-greet with Cahill.