This article is from page 19 of the 2011-04-12 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 19 JPG
A YOUNG Clare singer is promoting the county in a major exhibition which has just opened in London.
15-year-old Ben Escorcio became a household name in the Banner County when he reached the finals of the All Ireland Talent Show last year.
But his latest venture is bringing the county to a wider British audience who can see a video of him singing beneath the stalagtite in the Doolin Cave.
The video is part of a project by well-known artist Dorothy Cross, who is currently exhibiting in the prestigious Fritch Street gallery in London.
Dorothy had seen Ben sing with the Lismorahaun Singers two years previously. “When we finally met, she told me she had been wanting to do a project with me since then,” Ben told The Clare People .
The two met for the first time when Ben’s singing teacher, Archie Simpson, introduced him to Dorothy and they went for a day out to see the cave.
“The stalagtite was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen. It was in the cave that Dorothy got the idea for the video,” he said.
Doolin Cave co-operated with the plan and closed the cave for the day, building a platform for Ben to stand on while he was filmed singing.
“The acoustics were just amazing. It was a great experience.” Ben said.
The five-minute video is now part of the artist’s show in London.
“It’s great promotion for Clare. People get to see the cave and the stalagtite and may well want to see more,” said Sandy Escorcio, Ben’s mother.
Ben got a private viewing before the exhibition opened.
The success of getting to the finals of the All Ireland Talent Show was “a fantatsic experience” which has opened doors for Ben. And the St Flannan’s student is still determined to pursue a career in music.
“The way my voice is going, it will be tenor. I would really love to have a career in the music industry. That would be just fantatsic,” he said.