Getting a Handel on classical singing

HE may have rode his luck at times but eventually Clarecastle’s Dean Power claimed third place in the Veronica Dunne Singing competition, as well as the awards for best male singer, best Irish singer and the Handel Prize for the best performance in the competition of an aria from an opera or oratorio by Handel.
The Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition was established in 1992 and is a triennial event. It attracts singers for around the world and this year’s final was held in the National Concert Hall, Dublin.
Dean has been based in Dublin for the last seven years and while he was still at school, the 24-year-old tenor had little doubt about what he wanted to do with his life.
“When I was filling in the CAO form, I only put down one or two courses. I said I’d try and give this a go and if I didn’t get it, I’d repeat.”
He’s been studying music since and, after completing a one-year foundation course in DIT, he did a four-year degree in which he got first-class honours and the best results in his class. Dean is now completing a Masters in Music Performance at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.
An early life in the Banner County meant that music was never too far away. “In Clare, there are always sing-songs and I was always in circles where I had the opportunity to sing.”
He got lessons from Archie Simpson and when he got to Dublin, he says it was ‘sink or swim’ and he decided to devote himself to realising his potential.
Dean was one of the success stories of this year’s Veronica Dunne competition but he had a truly terrible start.
“I didn’t think I’d get through the first round, it was a bit of a fluke to be honest! In the first round, there were 57 and we had to do two songs in 10 minutes. My first one was a disaster; I got it all wrong. Then I tried to fix it but I couldn’t. I had to stop and at that stage, I thought it was all over. I asked could I sing it again and they said it was alright but when I got to the same spot again I was in trouble, I had a mental block about it. I wanted a hole to open in the floor so I could jump into it!”
A one-minute break followed the twice-botched first song and somehow, Dean recovered sufficiently to convince the judges he was at least worth another look.
The 57 entrants were cut to 26 and he was on the list.
“It was supposed to be 24 but I think they put myself and someone else through as wild cards and said they’d give us another chance. I felt my luck was in and after that I was fearless.”
After getting through the second round, Dean found himself in the semi-final. With six songs for a 25-minute programme, he said pacing himself was important.
“I had to put a lot of mental preparation into it so I didn’t oversing and find myself left with no voice near the end. It’s like doing a marathon, you don’t sprint at the start.”
When he got to the final, he was guaranteed a certain amount of prize money, but he was most excited about getting to sing with the National Symphony Orchestra.
His performance in the final got a warm welcome from the audience. “Myself and Ben Russell were the only Irish left and we got a great reception. My parents, Chris and Maureen, came to Dublin for it and it was great to have them there. It was a brilliant night.”
After taking the various gongs, Dean also saw his bank balance rise. “The overall winner got €10,000 and I came out with €8,000. That will open doors for me and give me an option of getting lessons abroad.”
When his studies are finished, the young Clarecastle man says he hopes to move into the world of opera.