A promise from the past gives performers a future
OPERATIC legend Dr Veronica Dunne has kept her promise. A lively octogenarian, she works tirelessly to ensure vocal talent gets its chance. “I vowed I’d give something back to Ireland, and I did,” she says.
That “something” became the triennial international competition that bears her name. It draws young singers of all operatic disciplines to Dublin’s National Concert Hall. This year has the largest ever number of applicants: more than 80 competitors from 30 countries. As a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions, it is among the most respected of opera-singing contests, with a prize fund of €30,000 and a dozen awards, including engagements at Wigmore Hall, London, and the Wexford Festival Opera.
“It has provided a platform to launch the international careers of many young Irish opera singers,” says Diarmuid Hegarty, chairman of the competition. “Previous competitors now perform in major international opera houses across the world and have gone on to win other, esteemed international competitions.”
The great lady whose name the event bears smiles in agreement. “I am so very proud that both the competition, and our talented winners, continue to achieve great success at home and abroad. It has made my vision of providing bursary funds, and a host of national and international engagements, to promising young vocalists come true. The operatic standard increases with every competition, and this year’s will, no doubt, be our most thrilling yet, as we welcome our largest-ever applicant count and our extremely distinguished jury.”
The panel of international judges will include Jane Carty (chair), David Agler (artistic director, Wexford Festival Opera), Richard Bonynge (conductor), Evans Mirageas (Cincinnati Opera), Dr Suzanne Murphy (soprano), Lenore Rosenberg (Metropolitan Opera) and Henning Ruhe (director, Young Artist Programme).
The competition will be in four rounds, with the preliminary on Friday and Saturday, Jan 25/26. The quarter-final will be on Sunday, Jan 27, with the semi-final on Tuesday, Jan 29, followed by the final on Thursday, Jan 31. It is open to the public, and official pianists for the first three rounds will be Adam Burnette, Mairéad Hurley and Susanna Stranders. In the final round, the singers will be accompanied by the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Swedish conductor, Patrik Ringborg. Performance opportunities in Ireland and abroad will be offered, in principle, to successful competitors. These will include Music Network Ireland, RTÉ, Wexford Festival Opera and Wigmore Hall, London.
The aspiring young operatic singers face a challenging week. In the first round, each will sing two arias. Twenty-four competitors will proceed to the quarter-final, in which they sing a programme including two operatic arias. Twelve competitors go forward to the semi-final, where their programme must include three arias, one of which may be oratorio, and at least two art songs, of which one must be a German Lied. Each of the six finalists will sing a programme of operatic arias with the orchestra.
In 1995, the first time the competition was held, the much-coveted first prize went to Irish soprano, Orla Boylan.
Other winners, over the years, have included Norah Ansellem (USA), Byung-Soon Lee (Korea), Stefania Spaggiari (Italy), and Mari Moriya (Japan). Pumeza Matshikiza, from South Africa, is the current title-holder. All these winners have had successful international careers, and perform in the world’s leading opera houses. The contest is an event for which every ambitious would-be opera singer aims, and it ensures Ireland is known in international operatic circles. It is the realisation of a dream, as well as the fulfilment of an earnest promise, made 60 years ago, for Dr Dunne.
“It started when I officially retired from teaching in 1992, I suppose. My students, past and present, got together and raised this €20,000 bursary, which they presented to me. I knew that the vocal arts were closing up completely, that there was no money available to help those just starting out, so I started the singing competition,” she says.
The seeds of the idea, however, were planted in her young days, when she won the prestigious Italian Concorso Lirico, in 1952 (making a frantic last-minute dash from Sligo to Milan to do so). With that success came instant international offers and her career took off. “It was winning in Milan, and the difference it made, that got me thinking of how to help other young singers coming after me. You have to be helped by the right people to get ahead, and when I got that most generous bursary from my own students, I knew what I could do. And here we are, today, with so many young singers coming from all over the world to compete. It’s wonderful,” she says.
The seventh Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition runs Fri Jan, 25 to Thur, Jan 31, at the National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, and is open to the public.
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