BY KAREN BOSSICK
Emmett O’Hanlon says he was seduced by music at six.
The New York-born lad began taking guitar, piano and drum lessons then and two years later he began taking voice lessons.
His singular focus paid off. Now 28, he’s starred in an array of musical genres from singing in the popular Irish vocal group Celtic Thunder to opera.
On Monday the high-baritone will perform a cabaret show encompassing film tunes, the American Songbook, Broadway show tunes and even two arias at the Argyros Theater for the Performing Arts in Ketchum.
The President’s Day crossover cabaret concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $30 and are available at www.theargyros.org.
The concert could encompass such songs as “Unchained Melody,” “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and even “Evermore” from “Beauty and the Beast.”
“I listened to him on You Tube and was impressed by how versatile he is,” said Frank Meyer, co-founder of Sun Valley Opera, which is bringing O’Hanlon to Sun Valley. “He’s had a lot of vocal training, which enables him use his voice in a variety of ways. This particular concert is not so much classical but a fun show that should appeal to everyone.”
O’Hanlon loves to surf and snowboard. And he’s a power lifter, which gives him the ummph he needs to belt out songs.
But his blood is thick with musical platelets. His mother, who hails from Carrick-on-Suir in Co. Tipperary, and his father, who comes from Co. Armagh, both sang and were involved with theater at an early age. And his brother and sister both studied music at university.
O’Hanlon himself received a Bachelor’s Degree in Voice from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati where he performed as a soloist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. He recently completed his Master’s Degree in voice at Juilliard School in New York.
He was the only American finalist in Placido Domingo’s 2017 Operalia Competition held in Kazakhstan. And he recently he won the 2018 Opera Birmingham vocal competition.
He has sung with Lyric Opera of Chicago. And this season he will debut in “Pagliacci” with Opera San Jose and he will return to the Des Moines Metro Opera to sing in Bernstein’s “Candide.” He also will debut with the New World Symphony for “Unanswered Questions: A Leonard Bernstein Journey” conducted by Edwin Outwater.
COMING UP:
Sun Valley Opera will present a Signature Salon Concert featuring two-time Grammy-nominated mezzo-soprano Emily Fons on March 12. Fons has sang a variety of roles, including that of Ruby in Santa Fe Opera’s world premiere of Jennifer Higdon’s “Cold Mountain.”
The concert will be held at 7 p.m. March 12 in a private home. Tickets are $150, available at www.sunvalleyopera.com.