O'Sullivan, John (‘Jean Sullivan’ ‘John Francis Sullivan’) (1877–1955), tenor, was born 27 October 1877 in Cork, son of John J. O'Sullivan, an apothecary in Killarney, Co. Kerry, and Frances Anne O'Sullivan (née Coffee). When O'Sullivan was about 7 years old his father died, and his mother took him and his sister Ann to Forges-les-Eaux in Normandy, France, to live with a great-aunt. On her death they moved to Rouen, where O'Sullivan was sent to the Lycée Corneille and sang with the choir of Rouen cathedral. On 30 October 1899 he began his studies with Masson at the Paris Conservatoire, and it is likely that he made his operatic debut the following year with the Opéra Populaire at the Théâtre de République.
On 16 March 1901 the United Irishman carried the following text, which appears to be the earliest reference to O'Sullivan as a singer: ‘Amongst the artistes who have promised to contribute to the musical programme for the occasion is Mr O'Sullivan, a young Irishman, who is fast making a name, even in critical Paris. He left Ireland as a child and has not revisited it since, but he loves the green island none the less warmly for his long absence from it, and prefers singing Irish songs to any others. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire, and is one of the most popular concert singers in his city, and has, besides, sung on several occasions at the Grand Opera.’ In 1901 he began to make a name for himself through private performances at various salons throughout Paris and also performed the works of the French-Irish composer Augusta Holmes (qv).
In 1908 he went to England, where he joined the Moody–Manners opera company and took the stage name ‘Louis Laurier’. Making his debut on 21 August 1908 in ‘Tannhäuser’ at the Lyric Theatre in London, he toured all over Britain, appearing in several different operas including ‘Madama Butterfly’ and ‘Faust’. He returned to France in 1910 and as ‘John Sullivan’ he sang the part of the Duke in ‘Rigoletto’ at Toulouse and toured France for the rest of the year. 1911 saw him in Geneva singing the lead in Reyer's opera ‘Sigurd’, and it was while there that he sang the part of Arnold in Rossini's ‘Guillaume Tell’ for the first time. This role was much feared by tenors because of the high tessitura, and was consequently often transposed by those more timorous than O'Sullivan. In time he was to become much sought-after for his ability to do justice to the part of Arnold. In 1911 he also appeared as Roméo in Gounod's ‘Roméo et Juliette’.
By 1913 O'Sullivan had a repertoire of more than thirty roles, which included Raoul in ‘Les huguenots’, Tannhäuser, Samson, and Romeo. In 1914 he made his debut at the Opéra de Paris as Raoul in ‘Les huguenots’, and his performance brought him to international prominence. During the first world war he worked with the Red Cross but still managed to pursue his career, with various concert and opera performances that included numerous roles at the Opéra de Paris in the period 1916–18. On Campanini's invitation he left for the US at this time and made his American debut in a performance of ‘Guillaume Tell’ that was specially staged for him (27 November 1918) in Chicago.
While in Chicago he also sang in ‘Samson and Delilah’, ‘Roméo & Juliette’, ‘Werther’, ‘Faust’, ‘Pagliacci’, and other operas. Touring many US cities with the Chicago Opera Association (including New York, where he made his debut as the lead role in Fevrier's ‘Monna Vanna’), he also sang in Canada. A contemporary news article described him as ‘for six years a principal tenor at the Paris Opéra’ (New York Times, 26 Jan. 1919, p. 45). Of his performance in the title role of ‘Werther’ at the Lexington Theatre, New York, on 18 February, the same column commented that ‘There could hardly have been a better Werther than the O'Sullivan heard last evening’ (New York Times, 19 Feb. 1919). Briefly returning to Paris during the summer, he again travelled to Chicago in the second half of 1919, where he added Massenet's ‘Hérodiade’ and ‘Carmen’ to his repertoire. Despite being offered a third contract he opted to return to France in early 1920, where he sang in ‘Roméo et Juliette’, ‘Monna Vanna’, and Berlioz's ‘La damnation de Faust’.
Once again he toured France, and after a performance of ‘Tannhäuser’ in Nice in 1921 received the following message: ‘Dear Monsieur Sullivan, I'd like to express all my admiration for the way you sang and acted the role of Tannhäuser. The scene and the narration of the last act confirm my conviction that many great successes await you in Siegfried, Tristan and Parsifal. You have what it takes to interpret those heroes of the Wagnerian drama: voice, power, verve, [and] acting ability. I must also compliment you on your clear diction and perfect intonation. Bravo again and yours faithfully, Jean de Reszke’ (quoted in notes to John O'Sullivan, CD (1994)). A commendation of this nature from the great tenor Jean de Reszke was considered at this time the highest possible accolade that any singer could receive.
In 1922 O'Sullivan travelled to Italy, where he made his debut at the Teatro Lirico in Milan in September; the following month he appeared in ‘Il trovatore’ at Teatro dal Verme. After an extensive tour of Italy he went (1923) to South America, where he sang at the Teatro Colón before embarking on a tour of many South American cities. In 1924 he toured Europe and the following year (1925) performed in major cities in Egypt, Argentina, and Spain. At Barcelona (c.December 1925 / January 1926) he performed the title role in ‘Otello’ for the first time. In 1926 he once again toured Italy, during which time he made his debut at Arena di Verona as Manrico in ‘Il trovatore’.
The following year (1927) he made his Covent Garden debut to mixed reviews and later departed for a tour of central Europe in 1928. He returned to Paris in 1929, where he befriended James Joyce (qv) who, despite not knowing O'Sullivan's work prior to the two men meeting, became a champion of the tenor's career. Beckett would later recall accompanying Joyce to see O'Sullivan perform in 1929. The following year (1930) Joyce organised O'Sullivan's only Dublin performance at the Theatre Royal on 27 April, and in May he gave a concert in Killarney. These were his only Irish performances, but he remained busy performing all over his adopted country throughout the 1930s. In 1936 he appeared at the Queen's Hall, London, in ‘La damnation de Faust’. Joyce's letters show that O'Sullivan was still performing in 1939 and he made his last appearance at a concert at the Salle Pleyel, Paris, in 1943, during which he sang excerpts from the third act of ‘Tannhäuser’ with P. Nougaro (baritone) and L. Fourestier (conductor). He died in Paris on 28 April 1955 (although a number of sources erroneously date his death as 9 February 1948).
He married Marguerite Dequin, a pianist whom he had met during his days at the Paris Conservatoire; they had four children including one son, John (‘Jacques’), and a daughter who survived him. O'Sullivan made a wide selection of recordings from 1907 to the late 1920s. A good selection of them was released on compact disc by the Symposium label (Symposium CD 1152), while a number of other CDs also feature his work. There is a photograph, together with an unofficial discography, at www.francoisnouvion.net/english/osullivanindex.html.