LESSONS OF RESPECT WITH OLLIE CLARKE

Oliver Clarke is a member of the Australian Boys Choir Performing Squad who has had an enthusiasm for singing since his earliest days with the organisation. He’s excited to be performing as part of the Performing Squad for ‘A Night at the Opera’ on March 25th at Hawthorn Town Hall alongside The Vocal Consort and guest artists baritone Stephen Marsh and pianist Andrea Katz.

Oliver, when did you join ABC?

I started Probationers in grade one. I can remember when I got into Tyros, I was so proud of myself that I got to school on Monday morning and skipped around the yard boasting to everybody that I was in the Australian Boys Choir. To this day, I still feel the same pride about being in the Choir.

What do you enjoy most about choir?

One of the things I love about choir are all of the fantastic opportunities that we have. My first realisation of how good these opportunities are was when I went on the Central Australia tour. Another thing that is not appreciated often enough is the effort put in by all of the parents and staff to try to make this choir the best it can possibly be.

What is the most important thing you’ve learnt in the ABC about being a choral singer?

Respect for other people. A choir requires teamwork and teamwork does not come without respect. You start to learn about respect for others and yourself the moment you join.

What are you looking forward to about A Night at the Opera?

I am looking forward to watching people who are more experienced than us. Even if we may not want to continue singing as a career, it is important to see all of the possibilities that singing can open up to us.

Do you like singing opera?

I like singing opera because it is a different kind of singing style than what we are used to. To be a good opera performer, you have to step out of your comfort zone. In everyday life, I am usually quite quiet, but on the stage I feel that I can just be weird and have fun!

What are The Vocal Consort like behind-the-scenes? Fun to be around or very serious?

I found out when we toured Europe and Central Australia that The Vocal Consort are serious at the right time and fun to be around at other times. They are also very talented musicians. Some of them are so talented that they can write difficult and challenging pieces of music.

Who are your favourite singers and why?

I like so many genres of music that it is impossible to even think about a favourite, but I do think that Mr Dinopoulos is a pretty good singer. Sometimes he sings in rehearsal, and his vibrato sends shivers down the spine and shakes the walls to the ground.

What do you hope to do with singing after you finish in the choir?

I am not really sure what I want to do with singing when I grow up, but I do know that I will use it in some way or another. I don’t only sing, I play three instruments. Once you have the talent, everywhere you go you will end up using music (even if you are just wandering around humming tunes to yourself).

What advice do you have for boys aiming to make it to the Performing Squad?

I could give a very long speech with advice for boys aiming to get into the Performing Squad, but since I only have a small paragraph, I will try to keep it as short as possible. The main piece of advice is to make sure you keep up the hard work. Being in the Performing Squad doesn’t come without practice.