Biography

Following nine years as an ensemble member at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Irish tenor Dean Power is firmly establishing himself as a solo guest artist on the international stage. He was born in Clarecastle, Ireland, and studied in Dublin with Mary Brennan and repetiteur Mairead Hurley at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and D.I.T. Conservatory of Music and Drama. He graduated from the Bayerische Staatsoper Opera Studio at the end of the 2011-12 season before becoming a full member of the ensemble.
This season, Dean made company debuts at the Teatro Real, Madrid, singing Graf Elemer Arabella and the Salzburg Easter Festival as Heinrich der Schreiber Tannhauser, returned to Irish National Opera as Ferrando in Così fan tutte and sang Third Jew Salome at the Bayerische Staatsoper and Muenchner Opernfestspiele. On the concert platform, Dean sang Handel’s Messiah in Limerick, performed a solo recital at the Castleconnell Autumn Concert Series, and joined the RTÉ Concert Orchestra at the National Concert Hall in Dublin for the premiere of Civil War Oratorio, a new work by Irish composer Anne-Marie O’Farrell, written to commemorate the 100th year anniversary of the Irish Civil War. He also joined
The Dudamel Foundation to sing Jaquino in a unique semi-staged performance of Fidelio; under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel, the performance was created especially for both deaf and hearing audiences.
During his time at the Bayerische Staatsoper his roles included Steuermann Der fliegende Holländer, Walther von der Vogelweide Tannhäuser, Prince in a new production of Abrahamson's The Snow Queen, 3rd Knappe Parsifal conducted by Franz Welser-Möst, Jaquino Fidelio, Edmondo Manon Lescaut, Froh Das Rheingold, Scaramuccio Ariadne auf Naxos, Graf Albert Die tote Stadt, Gherardo Gianni Schicchi, Remendado Carmen, Lawrence Oates in Miroslav Srnka’s South Pole, Der Bucklige, Die Erscheinung eines Jünglings Die Frau ohne Schatten and Malcolm Macbeth. In 2017, Dean was awarded the Festspielpreis by the Friends and Sponsors of the Bayerische Staatsoper Festival.
Dean’s operatic engagements have also included his debut at the Salzburger Festspiele as Gherardo Gianni Schicchi and Venditore Il Tabarro in Puccini’s Il Trittico, his house debut at Opéra de Lille as Snout A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a new production by Laurent Pelly, Graf Elemer Arabella in his company debut at Opernhaus Zürich, and Acis in a concert performance of Acis and Galatea with Irish Baroque Orchestra. For Irish National Opera he has sung Jaquino Fidelio, Belmonte in a live-stream concert performance of Die Entführung aus dem Serail at the National Opera House in Wexford, and created the role of Gary in the world premiere of the commissioned opera, The First Child by Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy and Irish playwright Enda Walsh. Further appearances have included Maintop (and cover novice) Billy Budd for the Glyndebourne Festival, Rustighello Lucrezia Borgia for Theater St Gallen, Belmonte Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Ferrando Cosi Fan Tutte and Tamino Die Zauberflöte at the Gärtnerplatz Staatstheater, Don Ottavio Don Giovanni for the Lyric Opera Dublin, and appearances at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and at the NHK Tokyo.

On the concert platform, Dean has performed Christmas Oratorio at the Teatro Nacional de Sao Carlos in Lisbon, Ryba’s Stabat Mater with Prague Symphony Orchestra, the Evangelist and arias of the St John Passion with Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir conducted by Ebbe Munk, Carmina Burana with the Bayerische Philharmonie, Christmas Oratorio with Augsburg Philharmonic Choir conducted by Wolfgang Reß, Messiah with the Irish Baroque Orchestra, Handel Jephtha with Jewish Chamber Orchestra Munich at Jacobsplatz, Munich conducted by Daniel Grossmann, Schubert Mass no.5 with the Bamberger Symphoniker conducted by Karl-Heinz Steffens, Mendelssohn Lobgesang with the Maximilian Chor, Munich, the Mozart Requiem and Schubert Mass in E-flat conducted by Manfred Honeck in Planegg, Germany, Schubert Mass in C at the Hohenems Schubertiade and Verdi Requiem with the Augsburger Philharmoniker conducted by Domonkos Héja, as well as with Frank Höndgen at the St. Michaels Kirche Munich.