Tenor opens doors to America’s finest sporting arenas
He or she is the one we need to get off the stage as soon as possible so everybody can get on with the real business. It’s a harsh attitude but then again, they know what we’re thinking and they enjoy their gig anyway.
When I saw Wexford-born tenor David O’Leary perform for President Barack Obama in Washington DC in March, I had no idea about the sporting route he travelled in order to get there.
It started with summers spent caddying at Winged Foot in upstate New York and then really launched into a legitimate career when he got the opportunity to sing the Star Spangled Banner for a packed Giants Stadium almost two years ago, just before an NFL game between New York and San Diego.
“That was one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had,” he recalls. “It was different from many of the other sporting occasions I’ve done. You’re right in the middle of the stadium.
“When you do baseball, you’re right at the front and you can’t really get an appreciation of the magnitude of how many spectators are around you.”
Yes, that’s right, he has had a regular annual gig at the New York Mets too. But a baseball crowd differs wildly from the energy of 60 or 70,000 liquored up football fans.
“They brought me out about 10 minutes before I was supposed to sing so I was just looking around me in awe. Then they bring you out to the field and the away team comes in first. There was a light applause, nothing much. Then the fans see the Giants come into the tunnel on the big screen when they’re about to be announced and the place goes absolutely crazy.
“I’ve never experienced anything like that. Then you have to sing after it and it’s a bit of a tough act to follow. Still though, they actually give the same sort of reaction. But people aren’t applauding whoever happens to be singing the anthem. They’re cheering for the anthem itself, which I think is cool. They’re so into it.”
This is the stuff I wanted to hear about when I called the Gorey 28-year-old on Sunday afternoon. Like when he sang at the All-Ireland semi-final three years ago or how he has performed for the Mets, a team deserving of a tragic aria if ever there was one.
“I’ve been lucky enough to sing at Shea Stadium and Citi Field [which replaced Shea] the last six seasons. That’s a lovely experience in a different way but equally terrifying each time. It’s not your anthem and you’re always worried you’ll mess it up.”
O’Leary grew up golfing and singing but, by his own admittance, he let his singing talents fall by the wayside when he went to study law and French in Galway.
Then serendipity took over.
French took him to a studying abroad period in Quebec and while he was there, a golfing Major taking place a few hundred miles down the road inspired him to take his chances on the other side of the border.
“I grew up playing golf at Courtown Golf Club. I was a fanatic. That’s what brought me to the US Open in 2006. That was the year Phil Mickelson came a cropper on the last hole [he failed to par the 18th on the final round] and Geoff Ogilvy won it.
“After that, I spent a few more J1 summers caddying and it kind of went from there. The golf introduced me to different people and through that, it helped to set up some good gigs. It all stems from the golf. You’re spending four or five hours with people and they take an interest in you. Winged Foot is an Irish golf club so hearing an Irish accent peaked the interest of players and that’s how it would start off. There are a lot of very good people there and they all have a genuine interest in what you’re doing. It opened a lot of doors.
“I always wanted to have a singing career so I knew that I either had to be in London or New York, especially for the kind of stuff I wanted to do. I don’t know if opting for here rather than London was right or wrong because I’ve never worked in the UK but I did think it would be more fun to move further away from home. And there is huge opportunity here for someone like me. I’m starting work on a second album but it’s tough to get that going properly in this economy. I’m hoping to get home in February for a few gigs in Galway and Dublin. It’s just a case of continuing to work and get my name out there.”
* john.w.riordan@gmail.com Twitter: JohnWRiordan
