Greg DalyPhilip Scott has taken the long road to becoming one of Ireland’s top church vocalists, writes Greg Daly
Philip Scott can regularly be heard singing in Kildare’s Carmelite church, and soon could be a household name with an RTÉ Nationwide devoted to him ahead of a concert at the National Concert Hall, but his path to success has been anything but straightforward.
Born in Kildare, Philip grew up in the orbit of the Curragh, where his father was in the army band, and from the age of 13 was regularly involved in Gilbert and Sullivan musicals in the National Stud. A pop band in his late teens got as far as signing deals in England, but nothing came of this, and he got into Ireland’s cabaret scene in his 20s.
It was during this period, performing at weddings around the country, that he was first diagnosed with depression.
“I was dyslexic as a teenager and poor in school,” he says, with his depression starting then, not being helped by him having low self-esteem as he drifted into jobs that neither paid well nor nurtured his creativity.
“I was in my late twenties before I was diagnosed,” he says, explaining how he spoke to friends about his difficulties. “Once I got a diagnosis with that I felt it was another problem I could fix,” he continues, “and could work on that to build self-esteem and perform properly.”
Depression
Depression wasn’t simply something that could be solved, though, and a few years ago his life as a wedding singer had clearly run its course. “My mood was very low towards the end of the cabaret scene,” he says, “I was suffering with depression, and was going to stop altogether.”
Driving home one night, though, he drove into the Curragh’s Herbert Lodge Arts Centre where the soprano Regina Nathan said she would assess him. “The process of learning techniques of tenor and practicing moved me along and opened up doors within me as the singing improved,” he says.
It wasn’t long after this, however, that his mother passed away in 2011.
“It wasn’t a conscious decision, but I started going to Mass and singing at Mass on Sundays,” he says, continuing, “It seemed to be something that just happened – I seemed to be drawn towards it, and gradually became aware of it, but it was a very organic thing that happened. It wasn’t a big epiphany – it was more of a slow boiler.”
At Mass, he says, he would “obviously” pray, but would also talk to his mother “and ask for guidance and clarity”. Quiet periods during and before Mass were very helpful in allowing him to reflect and gather his thoughts, he said, but coming along to Mass had other benefits too.
“Mass helped me to see how important community was in Kildare and in general,” he says, continuing, “It has become a very important hinge in my life too. You get to know your community properly when you go to Mass. You can be on the edge of your community for years and not realise what’s really going on. Church brings people together in a good way.”
With such a deep affection for his church community, it seems apt, then, that Philip will soon be singing the songs of the late papal count John McCormack in Ireland’s National Concert Hall.
“I’ve long had a great affection for John McCormack’s songs,” he says, explaining that they suit his range, and that the more he’s learned of the count, the more he admired him as “an Irish emigrant success story” and identified with him as “a family man, a man with a strong faith, a man who worked a lot for charity”.
As for his preparations for the concert, Philip says: “I’m not nervous – there’s a lot of work to do. I’ll be nervous on the day or on the day before, but there’s too much work at the moment!”
Philip Scott will be on Nationwide on October 2, and will perform at the National Concert Hall on October 4.