On Saturday 11 May, the John McCormack Society’s guest speaker in Buswell’s Hotel at 11.00 a.m. is Jeremy Meehan from Cork. Jeremy, in collaboration with the legendary Ward Marston, was instrumental in delivering the digital restoration and resissuing of John McCormack’s Odeon, Electrical and radio broadcast recordings.

More information can be read here: https://www.marstonrecords.com/products/mccormack-patrician

Jeremy says:

“I’m delighted to be asked to present a programme for the Society. I’ve called my talk ‘A Miscellany of Curiosities’. I’ve tried to pick a wide range of pieces that each have some quirky aspect to them, and I hope there will be something for everyone.”

One piece, that will be familiar to any lover of opera, is the aria “Pour mon âme, quel destin!” from Donizetti’s La Figlia del Reggimento, with its spectacular High Cs, sung here by the tenor Juan Diego Florez.

Our next in-person talk will be held in Buswells Hotel, Dublin, on the 13th of April. It will start at 11am and all are welcome. This talk was planned for November 2023 but had to be postponed so we’re delighted that we’ve been able to reschedule it. It will offer a unique perspective on McCormack and his recording legacy.

David Kelly’s talk ‘John McCormack – Connections and Associations’ will explore the recordings the Irish tenor made of material from Tin Pan Alley and their later associations with some of the biggest crooners that followed, such as Frank Sinatra and Perry Como. It promises to be a fascinating look at this popular song form.

Here’s John McCormack’s recording of Irving Berlin’s ‘All Alone’. The song would go on to be recorded by many artists.

Frank Sinatra recorded ‘All Alone’ in 1962. It is a very different interpretation to the recording made by John McCormack.

Yesterday’s talk, Singers of a Bygone Era, at Buswells Hotel was a delight. One stand out recording, among many, was the glorious performance of the Italian baritone Apollo Granforte. Check out his Largo al factotum from Rossini’s Barbiere di Siviglia. Thrilling!

Our next talk takes place on Saturday the 9th of March in Buswells Hotel, Dublin. It commences at 11am and all are welcome.

David Clarke will take us on a journey that will span a diverse range of singers from the 1910’s to the 1930’s. A total of 16 recordings will be played that will feature artists such as Rosa Ponselle, Emmy Destinn, Claudia Muzio, Enrico Caruso, Feodor Chaliapin, Giovanni Martinelli, and Tito Schipa. Three of the recordings will also be by our own John McCormack. But you won’t be hearing his version of Macushla. The honour on the day will be bestowed on Heddle Nash. A prominent English tenor, he happened to share a birthday with John McCormack, though ten years younger than the Irish tenor.

One of the McCormack recordings to be played on the day is his interpretation of Tu Che a Dio Spiegasti L’ali (You who spread your wings to God) from Gaetano Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. Here’s the recording to give you a taster of what to expect.

The Society’s next talk – Shared Memories and Recollections – will be presented by John O’Carroll, and will take place in Buswells Hotel, Dublin on the 10th February at 11am. All are welcome.

The talk will explore the theme of shared memories of John MacCormack, revealing our childhood & family experiences of the singer. What do people remember? What stories do they have to share? 

This will be a forum for collective audience participation and will be accompanied by a presentation that is illustrated with some favourite images, clips & songs.

Our next talk takes place this coming Saturday 9th of December at 11am in Buswells Hotel. It’s not really a talk, as we will be screening John McCormack’s film ‘Song O’ My Heart’ which he made for Fox Pictures in 1930. There will be a brief introduction before the screening.

John was paid the princely sum of €500,000 for his starring role, underling the global fame and popularity of the Irish tenor. The film features the only recorded footage of McCormack performing on the concert stage.

The following clip is of McCormack performing the 18th century French love, Plaisir d’amour.

Our next in-person talk will be held in Buswells Hotel, Dublin, on the 11th of November. It will start at 11am and all are welcome.

David Kelly will deliver his talk ‘John McCormack – Connections and Associations’ that will explore the recordings the Irish tenor made of material from Tin Pan Alley and their later associations with some of the biggest crooners that followed, such as Frank Sinatra and Perry Como. It promises to be a fascinating look at this popular song form.

Here’s John McCormack’s recording of Irving Berlin’s ‘All Alone’. The song would go on to be recorded by many artists.

Frank Sinatra recorded ‘All Alone’ in 1962. It is a very different interpretation of the song to that of McCormack’s.