Tenors are hard enough to find, but good tenors are even harder to find, according to the woman behind the John McCormack Golden Voice of Athlone competition. The biennial competition the competition's its main purpose is to provide a platform for young singers, not just Irish. Already the competition has attracted entries from Italy, France and Britain - chasing prize money which was worth £16,000 last time it was held. "This is not just about money," Ms O'Flynn said, "it's about encouraging young singers to come out and give them a platform where they can perform. What better place to launch a career than in the town which was the birthplace of one of the most famous tenors in the world?" The rules of the competition specify entrants must be born after June 1st, 1961.
["]It is open to men and women of all voice ranges. "There are very few tenors but there was one in the finals two years ago, even though he did not win," she said.
Nearly as scarce as tenors are sponsors, although the committee received a huge boost with a donation of £20,000 for the last competition from Ms Nancy Penos, wife of the chief executive of Elan Corporation, based in Athlone. "She is a great patron of the arts and gave us this personal donation for the last competition. She did so because she remembered as a little girl in the United States hearing McCormack sing," Ms O'Flynn said.
"This meant that we only had to raise £15,000 to run the competition. We have not had a similar major sponsor this time out but perhaps there is someone out there." The competition, which has a panel of international adjudicators, will be held in the Hudson Bay Hotel in Athlone on March 4th and 5th. Who knows, there may even be a tenor in the finals.