Sligo Baroque Festival 2025 Review: Viva Vivaldi!

(Photo: Donal Hackett) Following a busy weekend of events that included recitals, concerts, a workshop and an opera, the Sligo Baroque Festival concluded with a concert dedicated to the music of Vivaldi at the city’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in front of a packed audience. Entitled “Viva Vivaldi!,” the program included a number of orchestral and vocal works by the composer that culminated with a performance of his Gloria RV589. Dani {…}

Sep 2, 2025

Q & A: Nicola Cleary on the Sligo Baroque Music Festival

(Photo: Ferdia Durkin) On the evening of Friday, September 26th, the Sligo Baroque Music Festival kicks off this year’s festival with a concert entitled “Corelliana” by the Vespres d’Amadi Baroque Orchestra, directed by Dani Espasa, at the city’s St. John’s Cathedral. As its name suggests, it is a festival dedicated to baroque music in all its forms, including opera. Although {…}

Sep 10, 2024

Sharon Carty Appointed Artistic Director of Sligo Baroque Music Festival

(Credit: Joe Duffy) The Sligo Baroque Music Festival has announced the appointment of mezzo-soprano Sharon Carty as its new Artistic Director starting in 2025. Carty will succeed Nicola Cleary who has been director since 2019. In a statement about her appointment, Carty said, “I’m honored and excited to take on this new role with Sligo Baroque and spend more time {…}

May 14, 2024

Q & A: Mezzo-Soprano Sharon Carty on Her Role at the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival and Her Recent CD Releases

(Photo: Frances Marshall) With Ireland’s Blackwater Valley Opera Festival about to get underway, OperaWire thought it would be a good opportunity to catch up with mezzo-soprano Sharon Carty, who will be playing the role of Sesto in the festival’s headline presentation, Handel’s “Giulio Cesare.” 2024 is proving to be a busy year for Carty. She has had a full calendar, {…}

Mar 27, 2024

CD Review: Somm Recordings’ ‘Cushendall’

To coincide with the centenary of the death of the composer Charles Villiers Stanford, the Somm label has released a new disc entitled “Cushendall,” comprising his three Irish song cycles, “A Fire of Turf,” “A Sheaf of Songs from Leinster” and “Cushendall,” along with two arias from his opera, “Shamus O’Brien” and the “Blarney Ballads,” performed by mezzo-soprano Sharon Carty, {…}

Oct 5, 2020

Irish National Opera Announces 2020-21 Season

The Irish National Opera has announced its 2020-21 season. Opera Fireworks stars the singers of ABL Aviation Opera Studio 2020-21. The evening will feature four singers in arias and duets from some of the best-loved operas. Performance Dates: Nov. 17-21, 2020 Mozart’s “The Abduction from the Seraglio” will be showcased in concert performances starring Claudia Boyle, Dean Power, Sarah Power, {…}

Jun 5, 2020

CD Review: Sharon Carty & Jonathan Ware’s ‘Schubert’s Four Seasons’

(Photo: Frances Marshall ) The seasons have provided a rich source of inspiration for composers; Vivaldi’s violin concerti and Haydn’s oratorio spring to mind, but there are many others, such as Vaughan-Williams’ “Folk Songs of the Four Seasons,” and more recently Cage’s “The Four Seasons,” whilst Schumann’s “Spring” symphony and Schubert’s song cycle “Winterreise” focused on a particular season. They {…}

Nov 12, 2018

Wexford Festival Opera 2018 Review: Sharon Carty’s Recital

St. Iberius Church on Wexford’s North Main Street is a delightful mid-18th-century building, with a Georgian interior, delightfully decorated in wedgewood blue and white. A balcony runs around three sides, providing seating for the congregation on two levels. With its intimate atmosphere and excellent acoustics, it makes an ideal venue for Wexford Festival Opera’s lunchtime recitals, given each day by {…}

Nov 8, 2018

Q & A : Sharon Carty On The Wexford Festival Opera & Her Upcoming Schubert Album

At this moment, opera in Ireland is really on the up. Over the last couple of years, the country has seen a significant number of developments, which has started to lift its profile. This year, for example, saw the inauguration of the Irish National Opera company, which has an ambitious vision for delivering opera, showcasing Irish singers and increasing the {…}

Oct 22, 2018

Festival Diary: Wexford Festival Opera 2018, Day 1

For those not familiar with Ireland, Wexford is a small town tucked away in the “sunny southeast,” although, it is not immune from its fair share of wind and rain. It is a small fishing port perched on the mouth of the River Slaney, which looks out over the Irish Sea. The town, which has an attractive sleepy feel, has {…}