"IT Don’t Want To Be Anything Half Pie".

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 40, 12 April 1935, Page 3

"IT Don’t Want To Be Anything Half Pie".

Young Otago Singer Has Commonsense

ME: ‘DENIS "DOWLING, the young ‘Qbago baritone, who has recently completed a most successful tour of ee inain’ stations. is ‘a young man with plenty of commonsense. "I don’t want to be anything half-pie in the: singing world, * he said to a "Radio Record"’ representative the other’ day, "and I would go back to-the farm at Ranfurly if my singing did me no good. "But I ‘love singing and I have hopes of going abroad soon-studying in London-or Italy,. perhaps. At the present: time. committees. are. being organised in Otago and Southland. to. handle concerts for me when I go south. it is thus hoped to raise enough studies abroad. I. have lived in Ranfurly all. my life-that’s.a little place some .miles from .Dunedin, and I had my first singing lessons there." Mr. Dowling first achieved fame in Melbourne last year when he won the Centenary Sun Aria prize. This competition was open to all voices in Australia and New Zealand, the only con-

dition being that the applicant must be under 80 years of age, The contest was held at Ballarat and the’ finalists were heard in.the Melbourne Town Hall. "There were 2600 people there," said Mr. Dowling, "and talk about enthusiasm! It was rather like being home again, however, as the Melpourne Town Hall and the Dunedin

one.are very, very similar." When le arrived back in the Dominion Mr. Dowling was approached by the New Zealand Broadcasting Board and a tour of the YA stations was the result. This young Otago singer is wellknown in the South Island where he

has appeared at numerous competitions festivals in Dunedin, Christchurch and Invercargill, In Dunedin his services are much ‘sought after by’ local -societies, and, while the southern province will rejoice in the success of one of its sons ; it will regret the loss of one of its greatest musical assets,