Dermot Troy
Encyclopedia
Dermot Troy was an Irish
Lyric Tenor associated with the music of Mozart.
, County Wicklow
and was raised in Inchicore
, Dublin. As a young man he joined the Royal Air Force
in 1945. He left the R.A.F. in 1948 but had received a serious hearing loss in his right ear due to an explosion.
In 1952 he entered a voice competition, which was coordinated with the opening of the Mario Lanza film, The Great Caruso
. After winning the Irish section of this competition, he attended the finals in England where he was runner-up. This brought a good deal of interest in his voice. He began with the noted Italian tenor Dino Borgioli
and had a number of singing engagements in England.
He received his big break in 1958 when he was invited to sing leading tenor roles at the Mannheim State Opera
. Another opportunity opened up for him in 1960 when he was invited to sing at the prestigious Hamburg State Opera
.
In June 1961 he suffered a heart attack. He was known to be a very heavy smoker. He returned to Dublin for his recovery and in April, 1962, he was able to return to Hamburg where in September 1962 he suffered a fatal heart attack.
Troy did not leave many recordings. He is a member of a prestigious cast on an EMI recording of Richard Strauss' Capriccio and in the 1957 recording of a live performance of Les Troyens
by Berlioz. He did record selections of Thomas Moore's Melodies plus a small number of other various songs. He also recorded Mozart's Zaide.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
Lyric Tenor associated with the music of Mozart.
Life and career
Troy was born in TinahelyTinahely
Tinahely is a village in the barony of Ballinacor South, County Wicklow in Ireland. It is also a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ferns.- Location and access :...
, County Wicklow
County Wicklow
County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county...
and was raised in Inchicore
Inchicore
-Location and access:Located five kilometres due west of the city centre, Inchicore lies south of the River Liffey, west of Kilmainham, north of Drimnagh and east of Ballyfermot. The majority of Inchicore is in the Dublin 8 postal district...
, Dublin. As a young man he joined the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
in 1945. He left the R.A.F. in 1948 but had received a serious hearing loss in his right ear due to an explosion.
In 1952 he entered a voice competition, which was coordinated with the opening of the Mario Lanza film, The Great Caruso
The Great Caruso
The Great Caruso is a 1951 biographical film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by Richard Thorpe and produced by Joe Pasternak with Jesse L. Lasky as associate producer from a screenplay by Sonya Levien and William Ludwig. The original music was by Johnny Green and the cinematography by...
. After winning the Irish section of this competition, he attended the finals in England where he was runner-up. This brought a good deal of interest in his voice. He began with the noted Italian tenor Dino Borgioli
Dino Borgioli
Dino Borgioli was an Italian lyric tenor. Praised by critics for his musicianship, he was particularly associated with roles in operas composed by Mozart, Rossini, and Donizetti....
and had a number of singing engagements in England.
He received his big break in 1958 when he was invited to sing leading tenor roles at the Mannheim State Opera
Nationaltheater Mannheim
The present National Theatre Mannheim , which dates from 1957, is a theatre and opera company in Mannheim, Germany with a variety of performance spaces...
. Another opportunity opened up for him in 1960 when he was invited to sing at the prestigious Hamburg State Opera
Hamburg State Opera
The Hamburg State Opera is one of the leading opera companies in Germany.Opera in Hamburg dates back to 2 January 1678 when the "Opern-Theatrum" was inaugurated with a performance of a biblical Singspiel by Johann Theile...
.
In June 1961 he suffered a heart attack. He was known to be a very heavy smoker. He returned to Dublin for his recovery and in April, 1962, he was able to return to Hamburg where in September 1962 he suffered a fatal heart attack.
Troy did not leave many recordings. He is a member of a prestigious cast on an EMI recording of Richard Strauss' Capriccio and in the 1957 recording of a live performance of Les Troyens
Les Troyens
Les Troyens is a French opera in five acts by Hector Berlioz. The libretto was written by Berlioz himself, based on Virgil's epic poem The Aeneid...
by Berlioz. He did record selections of Thomas Moore's Melodies plus a small number of other various songs. He also recorded Mozart's Zaide.
Further reading
- Irish Stars of the Opera, Gus Smith, ISBN 1-870862-02-3