Sophie Junker Stars in International Handel Festival Göttingen 2026

(Photo credit: Padraig Grant) The International Handel Festival Göttingen announces its 2026 lineup. Sophie Junker takes on the title role in Händel’s “Deidamia.” The Handel specialist is joined by Nicolò Balducci, Bruno de Sá, Sarah Gilford, Rory Musgrave, and Fenice Petros. The Göttingen University Chamber Choir is led by Antonius Adamske. George Petrou conducts the Göttingen Festival Orchestra. Giorgina Germanou and Ernst {…}

Nov 23, 2025

Wexford Festival Opera 2025 Review: Deidamia

(Photo: Padraig Grant) In 1752, Händel’s final complete composition, his oratorio “Jephtha,” was premiered at London’s Covent Garden Theatre, bringing to an end the composer’s illustrious career. Just over ten years earlier, he had premiered his opera “Deidamia” at London’s Lincoln’s Inn Fields Theatre, in what proved to be another significant landmark; it was to be the last of his {…}

Nov 4, 2024

Wexford Festival Opera 2024 Review: The Elixir of Love

(Photo: Padraig Grant) Set just off the waterfront in Wexford town centre is The Grain Store, an old, restored warehouse, which last year hosted the festival’s first community opera. It is a project that enables the local population to engage directly with the festival by creating and presenting its own production with the help of workshops that take place throughout {…}

Nov 3, 2024

Wexford Festival Opera 2024 Review: Le Maschere

(Photo: Patricio Cassinoni) The Wexford Festival Opera is well-known for its commitment to exploring neglected and unearthing forgotten works written by both well-known and lesser-known composers. Although it has met with considerable success in this endeavor, inevitably there have been one or two failures along the way; after all, many such operas are not performed for very good reasons! Two {…}

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 16, 2022

Wexford Festival Opera 2022 Review: La Tempesta

(Photo: Clive Barda) Once upon a time, a magician named Prospero was overthrown and expelled from his kingdom by his brother Antonio. He eventually found refuge, with his daughter Miranda, on a small island that belonged to an evil sorceress called Sicorace, whom he imprisoned in a rock, then turned her monstrous son, Calibrano, into his slave. Using his powerful {…}

Mar 25, 2022

Daniela Barcellona, Niklay Zemlianskikh, Karen Garde Azabal, Jennifer Davis Headline Wexford Opera Festival’s 2022 Season

The Wexford Festival Opera has announced its 2022 showcase, which kicks off on Oct. 21 and runs through Nov. 6, 2022. The season opens with “La Tempesta” by Halévy. The work will star Niklay Zemlianskikh, Hila Baggio, Giiorgi Manoshvili, Andrew Morstein, Jade Phoenix, Rory Musgrave, Conor Prendiville, Richard Shaffrey, and Emma Jüngling. Roberto Catalano will direct the opera with Francesco {…}

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 {…}

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, {…}

Mar 4, 2020

Lisette Oropesa, Anne Sophie Duprels, Shakespeare Headline Wexford Festival Opera 2020

(Credit: Jason Homa) The Wexford Festival has unveiled its 69th Festival, which includes a program inspired by the work of William Shakespeare. It all kicks off with “Ein Wintermärchen,” a work by Karl Goldmark. The performance, which will take place that O’Reilly Theatre, stars Sergy Radchenko, Sophie Gordeladze, Deanna Breiwick, Simon Thorpe, Julian Hubbard, Rory Musgrave, Lancelot Nomura, and Zlata {…}