Irish Tenor Emmet Cahill in Concert in Middletown on March 21

Emmet Cahill, award-winning Irish tenor and a principal vocalist with the popular Irish music show Celtic Thunder, returns to Middletown for a concert at Saint Mary, Mother of God Church on Wednesday, March 21 at 7:30 p.m.

Cahill was invited to perform at the church after Jessica Kortenhaus, the church’s music director, attended his concert at the Middletown Arts Center last August. “I was so impressed with Emmet, I talked with him after the concert about coming to Saint Mary’s.”

And Cahill is looking forward to coming back to Middletown. “I am excited to be coming back to Middletown once again. I’m thrilled to be performing at Saint Mary’s Church for the very first time and to be working with Jessica and the choirs. I grew up singing in church at home in Ireland and am so looking forward to meeting the whole community. It’s going to be a great night of songs and stories. I will definitely be hoping for the audience to sing along with me, too!”

The 27-year-old from Mullingar, County Westmeath is passionate about sharing songs from his homeland to a new generation of music lovers. His debut orchestral album, “Emmet Cahill’s Ireland” was released in February 2017 on the Sony Music USA label and went to number one on the Billboard World Music chart. The album includes traditional classics such as “Danny Boy,“ “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling,” “An Irish Lullaby” and “Wild Mountain Thyme.”

“I am very proud to be Irish,” explains Cahill. “I want people to feel a real connection to the songs, as well as the people and the stories that they represent. There has always been a special relationship between the Irish and American people and I want to further enrich that friendship.”

In addition to performing selections from his album, Cahill will sing Broadway standards (“Music Of The Night,” “This Is The Moment,” “Bring Him Home”), nostalgic favorites (“Moon River,” “Edelweiss”) and hymns (“How Great Thou Art,” “Be Thou My Vision”), plus an occasional operatic aria that will showcase his classical vocal training received at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin.

Saint Mary's adult and children's choirs will perform several songs with Cahill.

Cahill began touring as a solo artist in 2015. He has performed in over 60 cities across the United States and Canada. Last year, Cahill opened the prestigious New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade with a performance of “Danny Boy.” He also made his U.S. solo symphony debut and has since performed with several symphonies. The concert in Middletown comes just a few days after Cahill makes his Carnegie Hall debut in New York.

General admission tickets for Emmet Cahill’s concert are $30 and may be purchased online at http://www.emmetcahill.com/tour-dates/, at the church or at the door. Saint Mary, Mother of God Church is located at 19 Cherry Tree Farm Road in Middletown.