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Teenage soprano Aimee is hitting the high notes
It’s onwards and upwards for award-winning teenage soprano, Aimee Banks.
Moycullen’s young operatic starlet represented Ireland in the 2015 Junior Eurovision in Sofia, Bulgaria. Since then, demand has not stopped for Aimee, who has performed internationally on some of the world’s most prestigious stages including the legendary Carnegie Hall in Manhattan, New York.
Aimee was invited to sing at the world-renowned concert hall after winning a first place and Judges’ Distinction Award at the American Protégé International Vocal Competition 2015.
Aimee’s skill and control demonstrated in her execution of operatic arias won her the accolade ‘Performance of the Night’. Her enchantingly delicate, yet powerful and hauntingly beautiful singing voice transfixes and mesmerizes audience members.
The ability to enrapture an audience and evoke emotion is what drew her to the classical genre. “Classical music has the ability to express emotion that you just don’t get with other genres,” she says.
Aimee’s mother, Alyson says that the whole family travelled to New York to watch Aimee perform at Carnegie Hall. They were joined by friends of Aimee’s late grandmother Nuala – who was an alto choir singer and member of Ancór music ensemble. Nuala had a huge influence on her granddaughters’ musical pursuits.
Upon returning to Ireland, Aimee was asked to perform at a Christmas Function in the Meyrick Hotel. Little did she know how serendipitous and opportune this intimate performance would prove to be!
The social event was arranged by Skål Galway – a local chapter of the international organisation for travel professionals. In attendance, at the event, was Stephanie Abrams, an American broadcaster and author. Her “Travel with Stephanie Abrams” radio show airs weekly in the US to six million radio listeners.
Impressed by the thirteen year old Galway soprano, Abrams described her performance as “magnificently wonderful” even admitting that it had “brought tears to my eyes”.
Abrams advised that Alyson bring Aimee to Boston to perform in front of audiences there. “I thought nothing of it at the time,” says Alyson. However, subsequently Aimee was invited to play with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Abrams featured Aimee on her travel show, recorded in the Glenlo Abbey Hotel, where she described Aimee as a “future amazing singing star”, and applauded the Galway teenager for her undisputed talent and impressive accomplishments.
Aimee sang out the show with an acapella rendition of Puccini’s exquisite aria ‘O Mio Babbino Caro’ made famous by Aimee’s idol, Maria Callas.
Following the success of 2015, Alyson admits they “didn’t think things could get any better”, and prepared themselves for a quieter time of reflection in 2016. However, opportunity came a knocking once more and Aimee, according to her mother “thrives on it”.
Recalling the night of the Eurovision, Alyson says: “The curtains parted slightly and you could see out, there were thousands of people in the crowd – all the way up to the eaves. I was nearly passing out at this stage, and I thought: ‘how is she going to do this’, but Aimee saw this and said, ‘Oh wow, I can’t wait to get on that stage!’”
Where others would be overcome with fear and nerves, Aimee takes it all in her stride. This ability to compartmentalize emotions and behaviour is what makes her a true performer. “You can physically see her ‘switch on’ performance mode, her eyes close for a split second before performance and when they open – it’s Showtime,” says Alyson.
For Aimee, 2016 kicked off with a performance at the Government launch of the 1916 Centenary Commemorations at the National Convention Centre in Dublin. Over 2,000 guests attended the New Years Day event including President Michael D. Higgins, and his wife, Sabina; Dublin Lord Mayor, Críona Ní Dhálaigh; TDs; senators; councillors and a whole host of other community factions.
Aimee performed a solo piece at the event; giving a classical interpretation of ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon. She was accompanied by Cross Border Orchestra, the internationally-acclaimed and award-winning youth orchestra of Ireland.
A month later, and the day before her 14th Birthday, Aimee performed with classical giants The Three Tenors, at Town Hall Theatre in Galway. They are due to share the stage once more at The National Concert Hall, on Thursday, April 14 (tickets still available).
And while her classmates at Coláiste na Coiribe enjoy the downtime that comes with the Easter Holiday break, for Aimee it’s all go. She, together with mum, Alyson, and music instructor Michel Durham, will fly out to Boston on th April 6 with performances scheduled on the 7th in Boston Hall, the Norman Rockwell Museum on the 8th, and the Whitney Arts Centre on the 9th.
While there, Aimee will meet with the Director of Boston Symphony and award-winning soprano, Maureen O’Flynn who has performed with the world’s major opera companies and symphonies, including; the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, The Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper), Teatro La Fenice, and the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
On the eve of completing his 150th marathon, an odyssey that has taken him across 53 countries, Loughrea’s Marathon Man has announced that he is planning to hang up his running shoes.
But not before Jarlath Fitzgerald completes another ten races, making it 160 marathons on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
“I want to draw the line in 2026. I turn 57 in October and when I reach 60 it’s the finishing line. The longer races are taking it out of me. I did 20 miles there two weeks ago and didn’t feel good. It’s getting harder,” he reveals.
“I’ve arthritis in both hips and there’s wear and tear in the knees.”
We speak as he is about to head out for a run before his shift in Supervalu Loughrea. Despite his physical complaints, he still clocks up 30 miles every second week and generally runs four days a week.
Jarlath receives injections to his left hip to keep the pain at bay while running on the road.
To give his joints a break, during the winter he runs cross country and often does a five-mile trek around Kylebrack Wood.
He is planning on running his 150th marathon in Cork on June 4, where a group of 20 made up of work colleagues, friends and running mates from Loughrea Athletics Club will join him.
Some are doing the 10k, others are doing the half marathon, but all will be there on the finishing line to cheer him on in the phenomenal achievement.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
From the Galway City Tribune – An impassioned plea for a ‘masterplan’ that would guide Galway City into the future has been made in the Dáil. Galway West TD Catherine Connolly stated this week that there needed to be an all-inclusive approach with “vision and leadership” in order to build a sustainable city.
Deputy Connolly spoke at length at the crisis surrounding traffic and housing in Galway city and said that not all of the blame could be laid at the door of the local authority.
She said that her preference would be the provision of light rail as the main form of public transport, but that this would have to be driven by the government.
“I sat on the local council for 17 years and despaired at all of the solutions going down one road, metaphorically and literally. In 2005 we put Park & Ride into the development plan, but that has not been rolled out. A 2016 transport strategy was outdated at the time and still has not been updated.
“Due to the housing crisis in the city, a task force was set up in 2019. Not a single report or analysis has been published on the cause of the crisis,” added Deputy Connolly.
She then referred to a report from the Land Development Agency (LDA) that identified lands suitable for the provision of housing. But she said that two-thirds of these had significant problems and a large portion was in Merlin Park University Hospital which, she said, would never have housing built on it.
In response, Minister Simon Harris spoke of the continuing job investment in the city and also in higher education, which is his portfolio.
But turning his attention to traffic congestion, he accepted that there were “real issues” when it came to transport, mobility and accessibility around Galway.
“We share the view that we need a Park & Ride facility and I understand there are also Bus Connects plans.
“I also suggest that the City Council reflect on her comments. I am proud to be in a Government that is providing unparalleled levels of investment to local authorities and unparalleled opportunities for local authorities to draw down,” he said.
Then Minister Harris referred to the controversial Galway City Outer Ring Road which he said was “struck down by An Bord Pleanála”, despite a lot of energy having been put into that project.
However, Deputy Connolly picked up on this and pointed out that An Bord Pleanála did not say ‘No’ to the ring road.
“The High Court said ‘No’ to the ring road because An Bord Pleanála acknowledged it failed utterly to consider climate change and our climate change obligations.
“That tells us something about An Bord Pleanála and the management that submitted such a plan.”
In the end, Minister Harris agreed that there needed to be a masterplan for Galway City.
“I suggest it is for the local authority to come up with a vision and then work with the Government to try to fund and implement that.”
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
