(SOUTH ORANGE, NJ) -- When people say "don't quit your day job," it usually doesn't bode well for musical success. But for the members of the classical crossover singing phenomenon The Priests, they somehow managed to climb to the top of the charts in the United Kingdom, Australia and Europe at breakneck speed, and still keep working at what they love best- being parish priests in Northern Ireland.
Since recording their first album in 2008 their dizzying schedule has included singing for the Pope, the Royal Family and the Irish President along with recording several albums, PBS Specials and concertizing throughout Europe and North America. All of these activities are in addition to pastoral duties in their home parishes in Northern Ireland.
Now they are coming to the South Orange Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m. in a one-night-only performance as part of a limited United States tour.
"We are very pleased to have been selected as one of the 10 performance venues for The Priests 2015 U.S. tour, stated Mark Packer, executive director of the South Orange Performing Arts Center. "Their glorious singing will serve to inspire all who hear it and we are proud to present this unusual and exciting classical act."
Tickets for The Priests are available by calling the South Orange Performing Arts Center at (973) 313-2787 or by visiting the website at www.sopacnow.org/527/ThePriests.
About the PriestsThe Priests are a classical musical trio made up of three Roman Catholic priests from Northern Ireland. The priests are Fathers David Delargy, Martin O'Hagan and Eugene O'Hagan.
All three have been singing together since they met in the 1970s as students at St MacNissi's College, County Antrim, and immediately realized their musical prowess as a singing trio. They were nicknamed "Holy Holy Holy" by their peers due to their shared determination to enter the priesthood. But it was a priest at their school who first noticed how talented they actually were. After leaving St. MacNissi's, they followed their vocational training at The Seminary in BelfastThe Priests concluded their training at the revered Irish College in Rome.
Almost immediately their combined and rare talent was recognized: They were invited in person by the Pope's private secretary, Monsignor Magee (the Papal Master of Ceremonies) to sing for Pope John Paul II in the sacred liturgy on numerous occasions.
The Priests' careers overlapped once again as they all eventually returned to Ireland, where they began their work in various special ministries. Each now lives the life of a full-time Parish Priest, tending to the spiritual needs of his parishioners and official duties at all church services.
In 2008 they recorded their first album, The Priests. They were stunned to find themselves holding the title in the Guinness Book of Records for the "Fastest Selling Classical Debut Album of All Time."
In the three consecutive following years - 2009, 2010 and 2011 - The Priests were nominated for the internationally-acclaimed Classical Brit Awards for "Classical Album of the Year".
The trio has also been featured in two PBS performance specials that have been hugely popular among American TV viewing audiences: The Priests in Concert at Armagh Cathedral and The Priests in Concert at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.
The Priests Charitable Trust, to which The Priests donate the vast majority of their royalties, helps build schools in places like Cambodia, Uganda and Thailand, and looks after retired priests and the homeless.
About SOPAC
Since 2006, SOPAC has been serving as a premier performing arts center in the region. SOPAC offers innovative artistic and cultural experiences for diverse audiences in an intimate, inviting environment. The premier arts center hosts a variety of live performances, community events and education programs for all ages. To further expand its offerings, SOPAC has a partnership with the Juilliard School of Music to present Juilliard @ SOPAC-a series featuring upcoming musicians from the acclaimed conservatory. SOPAC is home for Seton Hall University Arts Council's performances, including Classical Concert Series, Jazz N' the Hall performances and Seton Hall Theatre productions. SOPAC also presents performances by its theater company in residence, Midtown Direct Rep, and its dance company in residence, Lydia Johnson Dance. For more information, visit SOPACnow.org
Join us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.
Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.
With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.
A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].
