Emmanuel Lawler

Emmanuel Lawler is widely regarded as one of Ireland's leading tenors, and he is also an important educator. He has a wide repertory with bel canto opera at its core but also includes Baroque music, contemporary music, and collaborations with popular musicians. Lawler began singing as a child and was already a veteran by the time his voice broke, performing in Ireland and continental Europe as a boy soprano. He attended the National University of Ireland at Maynooth and went on to Trinity College London as a Licenciate and Fellow, studying with Stuart Burrows. Lawler traveled to Italy for further studies with tenor Carlo Bergonzi, and he earned a Diploma di Perfezionamento there from the Accademia Musicale Chigiana. He has performed internationally, including in China, in opera and as a recitalist, making appearances in such top halls as the Royal Opera House in London, the Royal Albert Hall, and Carnegie Hall in New York. A member of the faculty at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama in Dublin, Lawler has also performed in educational concerts at the National Concert Hall in Dublin and toured in this capacity with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. He has appeared on various recordings with the London Symphony Orchestra and the English Chamber Orchestra, as well as with Irish groups. In 1994, he was featured on a Naxos recording of Arthur Sullivan's incidental music. Italian opera is at the center of his repertory, but he has performed in music ranging from the Baroque (under The Sixteen conductor Harry Christophers) to contemporary (in the premiere of Marc Hoyland's Vexilla Regis at London's Covent Garden). A notable feature of his career is that he has collaborated with various popular artists, including rock group U2, actor Mel Gibson, and Irish folk vocalist Ronnie Drew (The Dubliners), on whose final album Lawler appeared as Drew's duet partner. Lawler's recitals often juxtapose operatic arias with popular songs and Irish melodies. He is a recipient of Ireland's John MacCormack Memorial Medal.
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