Wexford Festival Opera has announced that soprano Jennifer Davis has withdrawn from their performances of Saverio Mercadante’s opera, “Il bravo.” David Agler, artistic director of the festival, says, “Since Ms Davis was initially engaged to sing the role in Wexford, her voice has developed, and the role is no longer suitable vocally. She would not want to sing the role {…}
As the weeks lead into the 67th Wexford Festival Opera, the festival has announced a new event, as well as updates to its current program. In anticipation of the European premiere of “Dinner at Eight,” an opera originally commissioned by Minnesota Opera, it has been confirmed that the composer and librettist, William Bolcom and Mark Campbell, will be giving a {…}
Often attention is focused on the stars of the opera world, but below the stellasphere there exist thousands of other singers, directors, conductors, and musicians pursuing their careers. Some are fairly well established and make comfortable livings on the stage and in the concert halls, some struggle to maintain a full calendar, while others are winding down as retirement approaches, {…}
The Wexford Festival has announced its 2018 season, which will run for a few weeks in October. This season will feature a number of operas, both rare and well-known, that should interest all sorts of audiences. The season kicks off on Oct. 19 with the double bill of “Mala Vita” by Giordano and “L’Oracolo” by Leoni. The work will be {…}
The Wexford Festival Opera has confirmed its repertoire of the main evening operas for the 67th annual festival, amending the list that was first announced during the 2017 festival at the National Opera House. The main operas are: Umberto Giordano’s “Mala vita,” which will be presented in a double bill with Franco Leoni’s “L’oracolo.” William Bolcom’s “Dinner at Eight,” which {…}
Alfano is almost exclusively known today for completing “Turandot,” following Puccini’s untimely death in 1924, a commission he took reluctantly, and one which undoubtedly negatively affected his reputation as a composer in his own right. In fact, since Alfano’s death in 1954 almost all of his operas have disappeared from the stage, with the exception of “Cyrano de Bergerac,” which {…}
The Wexford Festival Opera 2017 announced a number of awards after its final performance of the season on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017, a showcase of Alfano’s “Risurrezione.” The awards were announced by Artistic Director David Agler. Per a press release, the three artistic bursaries included “The Aria Friends’ Bursary as nominated by Aria Friends of Wexford Festival Opera, The Gerard Arnhold Award, generously {…}
In 1914, James Joyce’s “The Dubliners” was published, in which he penned a number of portraits of lower-middle/middle class Dublin folk. The book painted a picture of Dublin as inward looking, parochial city, in which its people’s horizons were very low, in which they were at the mercy of the church, corruption, and their own and other people’s prejudice. They {…}
In order to successfully produce any work for the theatre, be it an opera or otherwise, a director must have a clear vision of the themes they wish to explore or highlight, and of the means by which they will present them, so that the audience can engage with the work in an intelligent and meaningful way. Fiona Shaw, the {…}
Wexford Festival Opera’s shortworks, performed during the afternoon at White’s, a local hotel, are small-scale productions of known and lesser-known works in a reduced format with piano accompaniment. The aim is to provide an opportunity for festival singers appearing in minor roles or the chorus to showcase their talents in more substantial roles. Of course, it also provides further opportunities {…}