Joseph O'Mara

Joseph O'Mara (16 July 1864 – August 5 1927) was an Irish opera singer of the Victorian era.

Biography

Born at Limerick, Ireland, O'Mara was the second youngest of thirteen children, [http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:PQ2UXcVtUIMJ:www.mccormacksociety.co.uk/Mccormack/Studies/An%2520Irish%2520Quartet%2520by%2520Padraic%2520O%2520Hara_files/An%2520Irish%2520Quartet%2520by%2520Padraic%2520O%2520Hara.htm+joseph+o%27mara+ivanhoe&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=6&gl=uk] born to James O'Mara, the owner of a bacon factory. His mother died when O'Mara was a teenager. [http://www.askaboutireland.ie/asset?id=6096] He was educated at a Jesuit school, the Crescent College. As a boy, he sang as a chorister in Limerick Cathedral. At the age of 18, largely through the influence of schoolfriends, he went to sea for 12 months and returned to his father's business, "having seen as much as I wanted to in that time". [http://humphrysfamilytree.com/OMeara/joseph.opera.html] He also sang in the choir of St. Michael's Church in Limerick. O'Mara's family was prominent in Limerick, producing a number of mayors of the city, including his nephew Stephen O'Mara (1886-1959), who was mayor from 1921-1923. [http://www.askaboutireland.ie/show_narrative_page.do?page_id=3374]

Early career

Encouraged by his friend J. F. Murray, O'Mara studied opera in Milan under Signor Moretti for two years, and in 1891 he made his London stage debut when he landed the title role in the original production of the opera "Ivanhoe" by Arthur Sullivan (of Gilbert and Sullivan) at the newly-built Royal English Opera House in London. This was followed by "La Basoche" at the same opera house, after which he returned to Milan for further study. [http://www.askaboutireland.ie/asset?id=6096]

in 1897, where, with his new wife, the former Miss Power, O'Mara enjoyed great personal success. Throughout the rest of his career, Mike Murphy would remain one of O'Mara's signature roles. [http://www.askaboutireland.ie/asset?id=6096]

O'Mara and his wife returned to London for a series of concert engagements, but in the Autumn of 1897, they travelled again to America where O'Mara created the tenor lead in De Koven's "The Highwayman." O'Mara gave many private concerts at the beginning of the new century, but happily returned to opera as leading tenor with the Moody-Manners Opera Company in London from 1902 to 1908, performing in "Maritana", "Cavalleria", "Faust", "Lohengrin", "Pagliacci", "Il Trovatore", "Carmen", Charles Gounod's "Romeo et Juliette", and the first English-language production of Puccini's "Madame Butterfly" (1907), [http://www.musicwithease.com/puccini-butterfly-history.html] also performing extensively in Ireland with the company. O'Mara was granted the Freedom of the City of Limerick in 1908, the only time that a singer achieved this honor. [http://www.askaboutireland.ie/asset?id=6087]

O'Mara achieved a number of "firsts" for Ireland and Irish tenors: He was the first tenor in Ireland to sing Enzo in "La Gloconda" and in 1908 the first such Rodolfo in "La Boheme". Later he was the first to sing Cavaradossi in Ireland and in the same season was in the Irish premiere of "Samson et Dalila." O'Mara's fame spread even further when he starred, in 1908, in Patrick Bidwell's musical "Peggy Machree" at The Broadway Theatre in New York City, earning uniformly enthusiastic reviews for his acting as well as his singing. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=980DE4DC103EE233A2575BC1A9669D946997D6CF] In 1909, O'Mara returned to Britain and joined the Thomas Beecham Company, singing in "Carmen", "Faust" and "Tales of Hoffman", among others over the next few years, while also continuing to perform in concerts.

A recording of O'Mara survives from 1901, which was featured on Mo Cheol Thu, RTÉ Radio 1, on 25 October 1992. His recordings included "An April Birthday" and "Friend and Lover", by Landon Ronald, in 1902, and "Ochone! When I used to be young" from "Seamus O'Brien", 1911.

O'Mara's Travelling Opera Company and last years

In 1912, he founded "O'Mara's Travelling Opera Company", in which he was the principal tenor until 1926. In 1913 he opened their Dublin season singing Raoul in "The Huguenots". At the Theatre Royal, Leeds, his company performed Puccini's "La Boheme" and "Madame Butterfly" in 1918 and Verdi's "Rigoletto" in 1921. The company also revived many Michael Balfe works. In all, O'Mara sang 67 tenor roles. The "Irish Times" of Dublin wrote in February, 1918: "Mr. O'Mara's "Lohengrin" is to my mind one of his best parts, it is not a hurricane of passion like 'Tannhauser', it demands a purer vocalism, a quiet dignity, a calm and spiritual character, and yet, at the back of it all, an abundance of reserve power. This is what we get from Mr. O'Mara, we never lose sight of the fact that his "Lohengrin" has come from another sphere and that no earthly Prince has power to restrain him, O'Mara sang his music with such fervour." [http://www.askaboutireland.ie/asset?id=6096] His farewell performance was as "Lohengrin" in 1926.

In 1926, O'Mara was the first tenor to broadcast in Ireland at the opening of the new Irish radio station (Raidio 2RN - now R.T.É.). [http://www.mccormacksociety.co.uk/Mccormack/Studies/An%20Irish%20Quartet%20by%20Padraic%20O%20Hara_files/An%20Irish%20Quartet%20by%20Padraic%20O%20Hara.htm] He and his wife had five children, Eileen, Nora, Power, Moya and Joey.

O'Mara died in Dublin at the age of 63.

References

* [http://www.askaboutireland.ie/asset?id=6096 Potterton, Robert. "Joseph O'Mara" (1970)]
* [http://www.askaboutireland.ie/asset?id=5963 Riordan, Anthony. "Joseph O'Mara: Operatic Tenor" in "Old Limerick Journal", No.29, Winter 1992]
* [http://humphrysfamilytree.com/OMeara/joseph.opera.html Biography of O'Mara with collection of sources]
* [http://www.askaboutireland.ie/asset?id=6476 Smith, Gus. "Joseph O'Mara" in "Irish Stars of the Opera", Madison Publishers Ltd (1994)]

External links

* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=980DE4DC103EE233A2575BC1A9669D946997D6CF O'Mara and the American tour of 1908]
* [http://diamond.boisestate.edu/gas/other_sullivan/ivanhoe/klein.html O'Mara and "Ivanhoe"]