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It’s an approach that has served the bould Ross well over the years, ever since he first made his mark by winning the John McCormack Medal for Overall Best Male Singer at the prestigious Feis Ceoil, whilst still studying at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama.
Ross!
t was whilst in his early teens that Ross Scanlon first heard John McCormack.
t was whilst in his early teens that Ross Scanlon first heard John McCormack.
McCormack hits America 1918
The Bray lad’s very first music teacher, Anne-Marie O’Sullivan, introduced the 13-year-old to the man regarded as Ireland’s greatest ever tenor.
It was love at first aria.
“The thing about John McCormack is that people either love him or hate him,” says Scanlon. “He was a rock star back then too, pretty much the Bono of his day in that Marmite effect. For me, I just keep being surprised by his work, always finding something fresh, something I hadn’t noticed before.
“Every time I step up and sing John McCormack, it takes me back” smiles Ross. “Like sitting down with an old friend and celebrating old times. The trick is to make it fresh, to reignite that vibrancy John had, every time…”