At The Mike Stand With... Emma Kate Tobia

By Mike Fitzpatrick

Scottish-born, County Mayo-raised, County Cork-residing singer Emma Kate Tobia, is a tricky one to categorize, no really, she is, we've tried and we found her ever so em, well, tricky to categorize.

The classically-trained award-winning soprano is known for mixing her traditional Gaelic roots with more operatic tendencies, resulting in a wonderful combination of tunes from each genre, many of which are sung 'as Gaeilge' (in Irish). Having already made a name for herself in the US, appearing on WNBC on Saint Patrick's Day, ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange and embarking on an American tour which took in 19 different cities, these are indeed exciting times for the critically-acclaimed Emma Kate, and we don't use the word "indeed" round her too often you know.

Her first album, the well-received 'Aisling na nGael (An Irish Dream)', can be purchased through the cdbaby, Amazon and iTunes websites. Emma-Kate, welcome to At The Mike Stand.

What would you like your own tribute act to be called?
"My Way". I like to think that I put my own slant on every song that I perform and record. They all have a piece of me included.

When's the last time you laughed out loud?
Every day I laugh out loud, it's so good for you! Best therapy in town. Hey, I have three kids so they'd make you laugh, though sometimes you'd want to cry also!

What act would you like to have seen perform live?
Il Divo - They represent classical but hip and really gorgeous guys! Worth looking at anytime. I like the polished sound they create and hope that I could do something similar with my music.

What team do you support?
I support the Irish Rugby team. I don't really follow soccer but the World Cup is on at present so I watch the highlights every night, just to keep up to date and be able to answer questions from my son.

What period in history would you most like to have visited?
As a woman I'd find it hard to go back to when we didn't have the vote and equal rights, but then of course during the period of the Brehon Laws in Ireland, women such as Queen Maeve of Connaught were very powerful. I'd like to have been around then.

What song would you most like to have written?
Amhráin na bhFiann (Ireland's National Anthem). I really put my heart and soul into singing it when I get the opportunity to perform it in the USA, especially around St Patrick's Day. "You Raise Me Up", that song goes from strength to strength ever year and I hear that it will be included in the next series of 'Glee', lucky Brendan Graham!!!

Who or what, would make you leave a room?
Someone eating and chewing with their mouth open, ughh! I'd be out the door so quickly!

What decade rules (and why)?
I like the decade we are in now, I'm not a person who would look back with nostalgia, I live today to the full and regret nothing. I know that times are hard but there is always hope and we have been through recessions before and we can get through this one.

What cover version do you most enjoy performing?
"I Will Survive", by Gloria Gaynor. As a small child I would be up in my room with the usual hairbrush microphone belting out this song with great gusto. I can still sing it today, last performed by me at a large charity Fashion Show in Cork City last month.

What movie role would you like to have played?
Scarlett O'Hara played in "Gone With The Wind" - Oh to play alongside Clarke Gable. Wow!

What's the first album you remember buying?
The first album I remember buying was of Maria Callas and it was a present for my father for his birthday. He loved Callas and was a very fine tenor himself. He and I performed together in later years and even had the opportunity to sing a duet only three weeks before he passed away. It was a special moment for me I can tell you.

Who's your favorite Beatle?
Paul McCartney.

What's your favorite Christmas song?
"Driving Home for Christmas" by Chris Rea, followed by The Pogues with Kirsty McCall and "Fairytale of New York".

Who's the most rock and roll person who ever lived?
I'd have to say Mick Jagger, still rockin'!

What artist/song/genre do you secretly enjoy listening to?
I love to listen to the Black Eyed Peas, AC/DC, Kelly Clarkson, Alexandra Burke, as well as Il Divo, Michael Bublé and a plethora of Irish Musicians such as Paul Brady, Mary Black, The Chieftains, Irish Tenors, Freddie White and lots more. Now I call that diverse, don't you??

Who would you most like to meet/have met?
Ted Kennedy is a man I have always admired and although he got a copy of my album handed to him by Hilary Clinton through our Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Michael Martin, I never managed to meet him in person before he passed away. He was a great man.

What book can you read again and again?
My favourite book is 'Star of the Sea' by Joseph O'Connor followed by 'The Grapes of Wrath' by Joseph Steinbeck.

What's the greatest album ever recorded?
Not sure I can answer that, I'm not convinced that any album is the greatest ever. I like bits of lots of albums, I'm never truly satisfied with a whole album, including my own CD 'Aisling na nGael - An Irish Dream'. I always believe that no matter how long you spend on an album there is room for improvement. I guess that's what drives me forward all of the time.

What artists would you most like to have played with in the band of your dreams?
My supergroup would include the Vienna Symphony Orchestra with Irish pianist John O'Connor on piano and Catherine Leonard on lead violin with James Galway on flute. Oh please can I also have Leonard Bernstein as conductor with Anthony Kearns as guest solist.

What do few people know about you?
That I have three children and I qualified as a fashion designer from Limerick School of Art and Design before I started my vocal lessons and I was also the President of the college students union for a year in Limerick.

What sitcom character can you most identify with?
Kelsey Grammer's 'Frasier' - genius !

What movie can you watch over and over again?
'The Shawshank Redemption'. My all time favourite movie! I could watch it over and over, closely followed by Midnight Run.

Who's your favorite cartoon character?
Kermit the Frog... awww.

What's the greatest place you've visited?
New York. I love it!! When I leave New York I can't wait until my next visit , I get withdrawal symptoms , honestly. It's unique.

What's mankind's most wonderful invention?
The Internet. Now we have instant access to information and it all makes sense.

Who's the funniest person who ever lived?
Fellow Scotsman Billy Connolly has always been my favourite comedian. His wit and often irreverent manner makes me giggle.

Who's your favorite namesake (person who shares your first name)?
Jane Austen's 'Emma' . Don't really know of many other Emma Kates in the world who are famous.