Eva Kavanaugh Named First-Ever Recipient of Blackwater Valley Opera Festival ‘s Bríd Phelan Emerging Talent Award
By David SalazarBlackwater Valley Opera Festival has announced that soprano Eva Kavanaugh will be its first-ever recipient of the Bríd Phelan Emerging Talent Award.
The award, which is supported by Kildare Village, includes a €6,000 bursary and will be presented at a special performance at Kildare Village.
“Kildare Village is honoured to partner with Blackwater Valley Opera Festival over the past eight years and this is a true celebration of the arts and emerging talent which over the years has grown into the most wonderful partnership,” said Business Director at Kildare Village, Victor Biffi Rosano, per an official press release.
The award will be given annually from 2025 through 2029.
Kavanaugh is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. She has won awards at Feis Ceoil, the ‘Canto al Serchio’ Prize at the Birr Festival of Music, and the John McCormack Bursary. In February she was part of the Winterlied Academie Program in Leipzig.
She will perform at the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival and serve as an ambassador for emerging artists.
“I’m thrilled to be the first recipient of this incredible new bursary,” said Kavanaugh. “Thanks to the generous donor and to Kildare Village for funding the Brid Phelan Emerging Talent award, and to the ongoing support of Dieter Kaegi and all at Blackwater Valley Opera Festival, I now have the opportunity to travel for auditions and professional training, attend summer schools and masterclasses, and perform at this year’s festival – not once, but three times. I’m also deeply grateful to my family, friends, and my tutors at the Royal Irish Academy of Music for all of their support. This opportunity is a turning point in my development and will have a lasting impact on my future career.”
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