Heritage Week: Midday Music (Eric Gentet)

As an official part of the National Ireland Heritage Week 2024, top soprano Eric Gentet – Le Rossignol (Nightingale) (18) will present a lunchtime solo concert on Wednesday 21 August in the Lady Chapel of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin at noon accompanied on piano by his talented brother Marc (12).

Eric will sing solo soprano items from the Messiah, first performed by the choir of Saint Patrick’s in April 1742. In Dublin, Eric will also present classical and Operatic pieces as well as the well-loved folk songs of old Ireland. The Programme will comprise a selection from Handel’s Messiah, traditional standards from the UK and Ireland, and operatic and liturgical music, including pieces by Fauré, Purcell and Vivaldi.

Eric is entering his 2nd year of a Bachelor of Physical Science and studies Lyric Singing at the Paris Conservatoire, and Marc is studying for his Bacalaureat-1 at school and a Master’s Degree (Year 3) at the National Conservatoire of Music & Dance in Paris.

Eric has several times wooed the hearts of Irish audiences with his pure soprano voice, the last at a concert in homage to the great boy sopranos of the past, including Ireland’s own Billy Neely, Derek Barsham, Michael Morley, and Richard Bonsall, the last boys to sing using the traditional Head Tone techniques.

Eric’s voice has been compared favourably to the greatest boy sopranos of the past. A Voice which seems to come directly from our Past. Eric sings in the same way as the boy sopranos of the past, who retained their angelic, controlled vibrato, singing voices long after the speaking voices had broken. This voice-technique totally disappeared after the 1950s.

At the age of 8, Eric became famous in France when he was the youngest child to sing opera on French TV, shocking the judges that he could sing so many difficult arias in 9 languages. Immediately, he was known as Eric Le Rossignol. He was then invited to be a soloist with the Choir of the Red Army. At the age of eleven, he was a soloist with a choir of 10,000 children and orchestra in front of 40,000 spectators and viewed by millions on French TV. After that Eric performed in many churches, in France, Northern Ireland, South Korea, Portugal, and twice in Australia.

Eric said: “The voices of the old boy sopranos live through me and I aim to keep and develop my soprano voice. Now I have the ability and maturity to sing some of the great emotional Operatic works originally written for boys but now only performed by women.”

It is hoped that both Eric and Marc will have great success in the future.

This highly sought-after event fills up quickly, so booking in advance is essential to secure your place. If your preferred session is sold out, don’t despair. Feel free to email Clark Brydon (Education & Safeguarding Officer) at education@stpatrickscathedral.ie who may be able to advise on availability.