Mary’s Story
Mary Callaghan Lynch is the 14th of 18 children. She and her twin brother, Joseph were born a week before Christmas--hence the symbolic names. (Interestingly, if it weren’t for the Christmas connection, Mary was to have been named Cecelia—after the patron saint of music.)
Mary’s parents (Mary O’Brien and John Callaghan) met in high school when they were cast as the romantic leads in the G & S operetta, H.M.S. Pinafore. They both attended Syracuse University on full scholarship—Mary for voice, John for organ—and married at the end of Mary’s freshman year.
The Callaghan home was filled with religious art and music. Mary’s father worked three jobs to support the family. Not surprisingly, family outings were not an option. However, each holiday season, all would gather around a rarely-watched television to revel in Gian-Carlo Menotti’s “Amahl & the Night Visitor." It became Mary’s most cherished holiday memory.
Mary received her BFA from Marygrove College in Detroit—where she enjoyed “being in the right place at the right time.” The training she received was invaluable. As an undergraduate, Mary began performing with The Michigan Opera Theatre and also performed in commercials and musical theatre. While singing at a funeral, she met her future husband, Patrick (who happened to be the funeral director).
Patrick had his own musical legacy—his grandmother, Marvel O’Hara, was an accomplished coloratura soprano who discovered and mentored George Shirley—the first African American singer to perform at The Metropolitan Opera.
Mary and Patrick had two children: their daughter has grown to become a well-regarded opera singer, performing with the Seattle, Cincinnati, Michigan, Cleveland and Nashville Operas, among others. She is scheduled to perform with the Arizona Opera, New Jersey Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, and others, through 2010.
For the past 10 years, Mary has served as Aretha Franklin’s opera coach, teaching her a number of arias, including Lucianno Pavarotti’s signature aria, “Nessun Dorma.” Aretha Franklin performed the aria at Pavarotti’s request at the Waldorf in New York City and again the following week at the Grammy Awards—with a mere 35-minute notice. It was a stunning success, and numerous orchestras sought her to perform the aria with their musicians.
When approached to do a benefit for the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) community in 1999, Mary decided to produce and perform in “Amahl & the Night Visitors”—the cherished performance from her childhood memory. This led to the opera being presented at The Music Hall Center in 2001. It featured renowned composer Gian-Carlo Menotti as director of the 50th anniversary production. In addition, Paula Tutman of WDIV-TV produced a documentary—and it was shown as part of the celebration.
In 2002, Mary established The Motor City Lyric Opera to bring music—with a focus on ethics—to the inner city students and families of Detroit. Since that time, over 70,000 students seniors and patients have experienced just that—free of charge.
Mary continues to sing annually at The Motor City Lyric Opera’s Patricktide and other various venues.