Rivenmaster has always taken pride in finding some of the best talent in the world and England born, 13-year-old Cormac Thompson is no exception. After making contact through my good friend Matthew Todd, I was delighted to finally be able to reach his parents to tell them of an amazing opportunity for Cormac to attend Prodigy Camp with Director Rick Stevenson in Washington State. It’s been a few months now since his experience in the states, and now I’m proud to introduce him here to the world with his complete story written largely by his mother Alison and father Anthony Thompson. Big thanks to Cormac’s family for allowing Rivenmaster to be a part of Cormac’s journey!
Cormac’s Story:
Winning a school talent competition when he was 9 years old must seem like a long time ago now for the young British talent, Cormac Thompson but it was back in 2018 that he had his first taste of success. Singing and accompanying himself on the portable keyboard that his mum and dad got him for his birthday on e-bay! Keane’s “Somewhere only we Know” could be heard belting out from the Scout Hall.
Cormac’s first main break came though when he joined the children’s choir of Manchester’s, world famous, Halle Orchestra. Successfully auditioning to be their Christmas soloist, Cormac sang ‘Howard Blake’s’ iconic song ‘Walking in the Air’ to a full screening of the globally acclaimed film ‘The Snowman’. Accompanied by The Halle’s symphony orchestra, the concert was held at ‘The Bridgewater Hall, to a sell-out house of nearly 2,500. While only 9 yrs. old at the time, it was still a very memorable performance, even if a bit knee – shaky.
After this, Cormac started to take his singing a little bit more seriously but then along came 2020 and the pandemic, it looked like that was the end of that! …. Or was it?? Unable to visit his much – loved Nannie in Northern Ireland, he decided to record songs for her and put them up on YouTube (they are still there). What a surprise, for the then 11yr old, when his mum got an email from global record label Decca. Within weeks Cormac was auditioning again, this time at world famous London studio ‘Metropolis’ where the highlight for him was not just the experience itself but getting to play ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ on Freddie Mercury’s very own Fazioli piano, housed in studio A.
The audition went well, Cormac was signed, and he spent the rest of the summer holidays keeping it a secret, learning songs and recording his debut album! Once the news was out, there was a flurry of media interest and Cormac’s unique story hit the headlines. TV and radio interviews, to promote the album, followed. Many on Zoom but not all and on the 4th, December 2020, finally people got to hear what all the fuss was about.
Peaking at #11 in the UK Classical charts and getting to #3 on Australia’s Classical Crossover charts; it was a great privilege for Cormac to be label mates with the likes of Andrea Bocelli, and Gregory Porter. Cormac’s album ‘Hear my Voice’ also won the coveted award for “Album of the Week” on Global Media’s station ‘Classic FM’ and it was really exciting for him to hear his songs played on national radio.
A performance on national TV and another Christmas concert, with the Ulster Orchestra in Belfast this time, brought the excitement of the album to a close. Cormac’s favorite bit by far, when he was in Northern Ireland, was finally getting to see his Nannie again.
Fast forward to May 2021 and undeterred when the record deal came to an end, with the support of his family, pianist / producer Dominic Ferris and his singing teacher, Daphne Sumbler, a now 12 yr. old Cormac, carried on recording. Some of his biggest hits to date, have been as an independent artist, racking up well over 7.5 million views and streams across all digital platforms.
Cormac’s unique way of taking well – known songs, like ‘Empty Chairs at Empty Tables’ from Les Misérables and ‘Bright Eyes’ from the 1978 film ‘Watership Down’ and re-imagining them to more current events, clearly demonstrates just what can be achieved with a little bit of thought and determination.
A finalist in the BBC’s Young Chorister of The Year competition (2021), he almost made it to the semi-final of ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ too! 2022 continued to be a year of firsts when Cormac was offered a place at ‘Prodigy Camp’ in the USA. London to Leavenworth, Washington State beckoned. And it was here, surrounded by beautiful mountains and on the banks of ‘Icicle Creek’ that the next stage of the journey begins. A camp for talented teens, for the first time ever, Cormac was surrounded by people who loved to create things, just as much as he did. Whether it was writing songs or directing films, or campfire chats, it didn’t really matter, it was the atmosphere, the nurturing of the camp staff and the friendships that Cormac made, that will stay with him forever. In his own words ‘this has changed me’ what an accolade for an experience that only lasted 7 days and he just can’t wait to go back next year.
The rest of 2022 went well, there was even time to squeeze in a bit of mountain biking, in between starting the new school and recording the 9 new tracks, for release in 2023. The song writing experiment that started at Prodigy Camp is well underway and the kit needed for it is on the Christmas list, e-Bay again maybe? It’s as good a place to start as any!
Cormac is beyond grateful to everyone who has supported him in his journey so far but there does need to be a special shout – out to his parents, Alison and Anthony, his singing teacher Daphne, pianist and producer Dominic Ferris and producer Jon Cohen and tenor Matthew Todd, not to mention the wonderful team at Prodigy Camp too, whose collective belief in him has made all of this possible.
A very special mention must also go to all the wonderful people who stream Cormac’s music, watch his videos on YouTube and follow and support him on social media too. None of this would have a great deal of point if no-one wanted to listen and it means the world to him that they do.
Like with any teenage boy who sings, a changing voice isn’t always an easy voice to manage. As a passionate advocate for young boy singers, Cormac hopes that what he has been able to achieve will inspire others. Very much at the beginning of his own journey on that, the next few years should be very interesting indeed for the young musician from England.
UPDATE : March 25th 2023
A Borrowed Gift: Cormac’s Story So Far
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