Joseph O'Mara

as Don Jose in "Carmen" by Bizet

Joseph O'Mara
1864-1927
Irish Tenor

Studied in Milan, Italy, London stage debut in 1891 as Ivanhoe in "Ivanhoe" by Arthur Sullivan In 1894 he first appeared at Covent Garden Theatre. For three years, he was the principal tenor at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, also appearing in the pantomime there and elsewhere. In 1896, he created the Mike Murphy, in "Shamus O'Brien" by Charles Villiers Stanford's

After a series of concert engagements in London, Travelled again to America to create the tenor lead in Reginald De Koven's "The Highwayman". Leading tenor with the Moody-Manners Opera Company in London from 1902 to 1908, also performing extensively in Ireland with the company. Returned to Britain and joined the Thomas Beecham Company, singing tenor leads over the next few years, while also continuing to perform in concerts. In 1912, he founded O'Mara's Travelling Opera Company, in which he was the principal tenor until his farewell performance as Lohengrin in 1926. In all, O'Mara sang 67 tenor roles.