Dominica Williams performing in Brian Irvine’s mini opera ‘It’s all about Like’ at the launch of Irish National Opera at the Gaiety Theatre on 9 January.

Irish National Opera Announces Inaugural Programme

38 performances of 7 operas to take place in 2018.

Irish National Opera, the newly formed national opera company supported by the Arts Council, launched its inaugural programme on 9 January.

Between February and December of this year INO will host 38 performances of 7 different operas featuring leading Irish artists such as Tara Erraught, Sharon Carty, Claudia Boyle, Orla Boylan and more. The operas range from core repertoire such as Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and Verdi’s Aida to contemporary work by Donnacha Dennehy and Thomas Adès. Performances will take place in Dublin City, Dún Laoghaire, Galway, Navan, Tralee, Kilkenny, Sligo, Wexford, Limerick, Cork, Letterkenny and London.

Fergus Sheil, artistic director of Irish National Opera, commented:

We’re taking a new approach to opera provision in Ireland… Irish National Opera wants to give pride of place to Irish singers and celebrate their work at home in Ireland the way it is celebrated in leading opera houses around the world.

We want to bring our creative talent to venues large and small, to communities around the country, and create thrilling experiences that will attract new audiences to our uniquely multi-faceted artform.

The Irish National Opera was established following the merger of Opera Theatre Company and Wide Open Opera in 2017 as a result of a new Arts Council strategy for opera. Arts Council Chair Sheila Pratschke commented at the launch:

The Arts Council is very proud to support the creation of Irish National Opera – Ireland’s first national opera company … The launch of the new opera company is the culmination of several years of work by the Council and it is central to our national opera policy. 2018 will be a wonderful year for Irish opera audiences.

The productions feature a range of directing and conducting talent. Thomas Adès’s Powder Her Face will be a co-production with NI Opera (24–27 Feb.) directed by Antony McDonald and conducted by Timothy Redmond; Patrick Mason will direct Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro (13–21 Apr.); Peter Whelan will conduct and it will also feature New Zealand-born Samoan baritone Jonathan Lemalu; dance theatre director Emma Martin will direct Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice (23–29 Jul.), conducted by Whelan also; Enda Walsh will direct The Second Violinist (6–8 Sept.) as well as Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle (12–14 Oct.), the first time he will direct an opera from the existing repertoire; The Second Violinist will be conducted by Ryan McAdams and Bluebeard’s Castle will be conducted by André de Ridder; Tom Creed directs Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann (14 Sept. – 6 Oct.), conducted by Andrew Synott; and Michael Barker-Caven will direct Verdi’s Aida (24 Nov. – 1 Dec.), conducted by Fergus Sheil.

INO will receive Arts Council funding of €2.81m for 2018. The operating budget for the company for this year – including Arts Council funding, box office and fundraising – is projected to be in excess of €4 million. The company made its first appointments in December. Fergus Sheil took up the post of Artistic Director and Diego Fasciati was appointed Executive Director. Other staff include Gavin O’Sullivan, Head of Production; Sorcha Carroll, Marketing Manager; and Cate Kelliher, Office & Finance Manager.

The total Arts Council budget for opera in 2018 is €4.74m, a 21% increase on 2017 (€3.81m).

For the full INO 2018 performance diary, see below. For further information and tickets visit http://www.irishnationalopera.ie/

2018 Performance Diary

FEBRUARY
Saturday 24 – Thomas Adès Powder Her Face Wexford
Tuesday 27 – Thomas Adès Powder Her Face Kilkenny

MARCH
Thursday 1 – Thomas Adès Powder Her Face Navan
Saturday 3 – Thomas Adès Powder Her Face Sligo
Tuesday 6 – Thomas Adès Powder Her Face Dublin
Wednesday 7 – Thomas Adès Powder Her Face Dublin
Friday 9 – Thomas Adès Powder Her Face Tralee

APRIL
Friday 13 – Mozart The Marriage of Figaro Wexford
Tuesday 17 – Mozart The Marriage of Figaro Dublin
Wednesday 18 – Mozart The Marriage of Figaro Dublin
Friday 20 – Mozart The Marriage of Figaro Dublin
Saturday 21 – Mozart The Marriage of Figaro Dublin

JULY
Monday 23 – Gluck Orfeo ed Euridice Galway
Wednesday 25 – Gluck Orfeo ed Euridice Galway
Thursday 26 – Gluck Orfeo ed Euridice Galway
Saturday 28 – Gluck Orfeo ed Euridice Galway
Sunday 29 – Gluck Orfeo ed Euridice Galway

SEPTEMBER
Thursday 6 – Donnacha Dennehy & Enda Walsh The Second Violinist London
Friday 7 – Donnacha Dennehy & Enda Walsh The Second Violinist London
Saturday 8 – Donnacha Dennehy & Enda Walsh The Second Violinist London
Friday 14 – Offenbach The Tales of Hoffmann Dublin
Saturday 15 – Offenbach The Tales of Hoffmann Dublin
Tuesday 18 – Offenbach The Tales of Hoffmann Dún Laoghaire
Thursday 20 – Offenbach The Tales of Hoffmann Navan
Saturday 22 – Offenbach The Tales of Hoffmann Limerick
Tuesday 25 – Offenbach The Tales of Hoffmann Cork
Thursday 27 – Offenbach The Tales of Hoffmann Tralee
Saturday 29 – Offenbach The Tales of Hoffmann Kilkenny

OCTOBER
Tuesday 2 – Offenbach The Tales of Hoffmann Galway
Thursday 4 – Offenbach The Tales of Hoffmann Letterkenny
Saturday 6 – Offenbach The Tales of Hoffmann Sligo
Friday 12 – Bartók Bluebeard’s Castle Dublin
Saturday 13 – Bartók Bluebeard’s Castle Dublin
Sunday 14 – Bartók Bluebeard’s Castle Dublin