Niamh O’Sullivan, Emma Bell, Michael Mayes, Christine Rice & Nardus Williams Lead English National Opera’s 2025-26 Season

The English National Opera has announced its 2025-26 season. The season opens with “Mozart’s Women: A Musical Journey,” which will be directed by ENO’s Artistic Director Annilese Miskimmon and will star international opera soloists including Golda Schultz, Nardus Williams, Bethany Horak-Hallet, Ailish Tynan, Rainelle Krause, and Filipe Manu. Cleila Cafiero conducts the performance. The concert will be hosted by TV {…}

Nov 18, 2023

Wexford Festival Opera 2023 Review: L’Aube Rouge

(Photo: Clive Barda) It is inevitable, given the Wexford Festival Opera’s commitment to unearthing forgotten and neglected operas, that they will occasionally present a work that ends up flopping. While this was not the case with Camille Erlanger’s largely unknown “L’Aube Rouge,” it is unlikely to signal a change in its fortunes. At best, Erlanger is now considered a minor {…}

Nov 5, 2023

In Less Than Five Minutes Get To Know Soprano Ava Dodd

As a follow-up to OperaWire’s recent interview with Irish soprano Ava Dodd, we thought it would be a bit of fun to ask her a few light-hearted questions that might shed a bit of light on other aspects of her career and personality. OperaWire: What was the first opera you attended? Ava Dodd: “Die Zauberflöte.” OW: What was the last {…}

Oct 18, 2023

Q & A: Soprano Ava Dodd On Her Fast-Moving Career & Wexford Festival Opera

(Photo: Olivia Da Costa) One of Ireland’s most exciting young singing talents is Dublin-born soprano Ava Dodd. At only 25, she already has an impressive biography. Not only has she appeared on the stage in a variety of roles, including Oscar from Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera,” the Waldvögelein from Wagner’s “Siegfried” and Perdita from Goldmark’s “Ein Wintermärchen,” in venues {…}

Oct 5, 2023

English National Opera 2023-24 Review: Peter Grimes

(Photo: ENO’s Peter Grimes 2023 © Tom Bowles) David Alden’s “Peter Grimes” begins with the curtain up. Upstage the people of the Borough mill about restlessly, occasionally breaking into shouts of anger and impatience. Alden’s 2009 production, on its second revival, breaks with any wistful or bucolic notions about the seaside community of the Borough, who drive the equally unrelenting {…}

Aug 3, 2023

Ava Dodd Wins Verbier Festival Academy’s Prix Yves Paternot

Ava Dodd has won the Verbier Festival Academy’s Prix Yves Paternot in recognition of being the most accomplished and promising musician of the annual Academy for young professional musicians. Dodd is a member of the Stadttheater Klagenfurt ensemble where she has sung the roles of Waldvögel in “Siegfried,” Oscar in “Un Ballo in Maschera,” and the soprano solos in “Carmina Burana.” {…}

Nov 14, 2021

Wexford Festival Opera 2021 Review: Ein Wintermärchen

Karl Goldmark was a Hungarian composer who established himself in Vienna in the second half of the 19th century, achieving notable success with a number pieces such as his Violin Concerto No. 1, his Rustic Wedding Symphony, and his first opera “Die Königin von Saba,” which remained in the schedule of the Wiener Staatsoper continuously from its premier in 1875 {…}

Oct 25, 2021

Festival Diary 2021: Wexford Festival Opera, Day 3

Today was the last of my three day trip to the Wexford Festival Opera, and what journey it was! Every day from mid-morning to late evening was a non-stop series of events, with barely time for a coffee or a bite to eat. My morning started with a meeting with the young Irish soprano Jade Phoenix who agreed to what {…}

May 12, 2021

Angela Meade, Anne Sophie Duprels Headline Wexford Festival Opera 2021 Season

(Credit: Fay Fox) Wexford Festival Opera has announced that it will present its 70th anniversary festival this October. The showcase, which will take place between Oct. 19-31, will feature live audiences at a reduced capacity. The company will also present performances online for those unable to attend the live showcases. Operas Productions The company will showcase several live opera productions, {…}

Jun 15, 2020

Juan Diego Flórez, Lisette Oropesa, Ermonela Jaho Headline Wexford Festival’s Revised 2020 Schedule

The Wexford Festival has announced that it will be rescheduling its 2020 season to October 2021. However, the company will move forward with plans to present a reimagined event that takes place solely online. This showcase will be called “Waiting for Shakespeare… The Festival in the Air” and will take place over the course of eight days between Oct. 11-18. {…}