“McCarthy was masterly at linking movements to give the score a compelling unity and trajectory, and at balancing exuberance and gravitas to perfection”
Joe Banno, Washington Post
Mike McCarthy is a versatile, creative musician whose career encompasses a wide range of musical genres. Equally comfortable with music of medieval times to conducting soundtracks for Hollywood blockbusters, Mike has dedicated his career to creating musical experiences of the highest quality and with a twist of ingenuity.
As a singer, Mike travelled the globe with groups such as The Sixteen, the Monteverdi Choir, and the Gabrieli Consort. He has recorded extensively with these ensembles and most notably the Cardinall’s Musick and Oxford Camerata. As director of the London Oratory School Schola, London’s premiere concert boy choir, Mike worked regularly with the Royal Opera House, London Symphony Orchestra, and Philharmonia, both in concert performance and in the recording studio. The Schola was also featured on numerous soundtracks including Sleepy Hollow, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Harry Potter.
Mike is well known as a choral conductor. During his tenure at Washington National Cathedral, he led the music for the Funerals of Presidents Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and George Herbert Walker Bush, as well as many national services of mourning and celebration. The Cathedral’s robust concert series offered a broad range of classical masterworks. Repertoire of the Baroque and Classical eras were performed on historical instruments of the day, giving a unique authenticity in sound and style.
Mike’s greatest passion is education, inspiring singers and instrumentalists, both young and not so young, to explore the depths of musical expression to find moments of transformation within themselves and others.