Galway girl Aimee Banks, was the recipient of The Irene Sandford Award and Bursary 2022 at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin.
At 20, Aimee has been singing since she was a tot.
“My parents have always said, I sang before I could talk. They always knew I had a voice there. I started to hit notes that I shouldn’t have been able to when I was about five or six years old. My family also had a great love for classical music. My nana was a big factor in that - she was in choirs all her life so she was the one who initially encouraged singing lessons for me.”
The award commemorates the much-loved singer and former Head of Vocal Studies at the Royal Irish Academy, Irene Sandford.
“She was an incredible singer.,” said Ms Banks. “She influenced so many young minds over the years, and she really brought another generation of singers into the world. This is something I’ve been working towards, alongside my teacher Kathleen Tynan, since I was 16 when I started out as a soprano.
“I’m 20 now, so it’s taken a few years! It was a lot of hard work. I was delighted, and absolutely shocked when I found out I won. It was incredible to be surrounded by my family, friends, my teacher and my vocal coaches. I was very lucky.”
Aimee has had a career full of achievements already. She took part in a competition in Carnegie Hall, New York, and then appeared in her first opera at 14. “I look back at that experience and find it really helpful in relation to my performances now. I still have a quite a long way to go but I’m very privileged to have done so well up until now.”
Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s of Music Performance in the Royal Irish Academy of Music,she is currently living in Dublin.
“One thing I absolutely love is just to be surrounded by music every day. All I want to do after college is to pursue a career in opera singing. That’s been one of my dreams for the last 10 years. The next step for me will be international competitions and studying abroad, perhaps in Germany (which is considered the capital of classical music in Europe ).”
Growing up, Aimee noticed classical music wasn’t necessarily appreciated or celebrated in Irish culture as much as other genres.
“We, grow up alongside traditional music in Ireland. I actually play traditional music myself, and I used to sing Sean-nós - I love it. It’s only stood to me with my musicianship. I do feel though that there is a certain lack in how we’re exposed to classical music in Ireland, which is unfortunate. I definitely try and spread awareness of it as much kind of as I can. People think it’s a dying thing, and it really isn’t. It is very much alive.
Behind it all and from the beginning, it was Aimee’s nana, Nuala, who recognised her talent and was the driving force behind her working to refine her craft and become the singer she is today.
“Nana was in choirs all her life. She was a fantastic musician. She knew that there was something there with me, so she encouraged me to take part in stage schools when I was young, which I loved. I started doing competitions when I was 11, and Nana would be with us at every one of them no matter where they were.”
Unfortunately, Aimee’s nana passed away seven years ago. Upon her request, Aimee sang at her funeral. “She had decided and that was that. It was very hard but I knew it was what she wanted so I did it of course. I was only 13 at the time, and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. But it only ever stood to me.”
I can only imagine how proud her nana would be of Aimee today.
“With that connection through music, I felt she knew me on another level. I was very honored to have someone like her in my life growing up. It’s really special. I know she’s still watching down over me today.”
