The Magic Flute Programme by irishnationalopera

MOZART

THE MAGIC FLUTE

Irish national opera principal funder

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1756-91

the magic flute Die Zauberflöte 1791

in partnership with Irish Chamber Orchestra

Singspiel in two acts Libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder 1751-1812 First performance, Theater auf der Wieden, Vienna, 30 September 1791 First Irish performance, Theatre Royal, Dublin, 29 September 1868 (in Italian as Il flauto magico)

Acknowledgements The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon, Abbey Theatre, Ian Thompson, Ross Hinds.

Sung in GErman with English surtitles The edition of Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) used in these performances is published by Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel. Performed by arrangement with Faber Music Ltd, London. Running time: 2 hours and 40 minutes including an interval of 20 minutes after Act I. The evening performance on Friday 24 May will be recorded by RTÉ Lyric fm for future broadcast.

PERFORMANCES 2019

Accommodation Partner

Friday 17 May National Opera House Wexford Sunday 19 May University Concert Hall Limerick Presented in association with University Concert Hall Tuesday 21 May Gaiety Theatre Dublin Wednesday 22 May Gaiety Theatre Dublin Thursday 23 May Gaiety Theatre Dublin matinée & evening Friday 24 May Gaiety Theatre Dublin Saturday 25 May Gaiety Theatre Dublin matinée & evening 03

MOZART’S SERIOUS MAGIC Mozart’s The Magic Flute is one of the most loved operas of the entire repertoire. It’s not hard to understand why. The score is full of musical inventiveness, dramatic fun, lovable characters and memorable tunes.

Fergus Sheil Artistic director

Mozart wrote the opera in the final year of his short life for Theater auf der Wieden. This theatre operated in suburban Vienna between 1787 and 1801 and from 1789 was run by the multi-talented Emanuel Schikaneder. Schikaneder not only commissioned The Magic Flute and wrote its libretto, he also performed the role of Papageno in the first performance. Two years previously the same theatre had performed Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio which, like The Magic Flute, was written in German as a Singspiel – an opera with spoken text in between the musical numbers. Mozart’s Italian language operas – which include masterpieces like The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte – are much more formal than his German ones. The Magic Flute and Seraglio are part of a popular comic tradition, and the composer, who had a free-wheeling sense of humour, was able to let his hair down and have some fun. Both operas include music of extraordinary range, not just extremely low notes and extremely high ones, but lowbrow characters, too, as well as highbrow. And, along with seemingly impossible vocal demands, they also employ innovative orchestration to great dramatic effect. Quite apart from the magic flute of the title, the opera has a keyboard glockenspiel as well as Papageno’s panpipes, and in Seraglio there is a Turkish band. Both operas also have a sense of mischief and irreverence that make them instantly appealing.

A new production of The Magic Flute, however, is a challenge, and the nature of the challenge changes over time. There’s the question of how you balance the “fun” characters (the Three Ladies, Papageno, Papagena) with the seriousness of the love story of Tamino and Pamina. How do you portray the dark realm of the Queen of the Night and contrast it with the certainty and assuredness of Sarastro’s world? Is there any redeeming feature of Monostatos? Has the idea of brotherhood run its course? Is “good” good and is “evil” evil? And perhaps most critically, how do we address issues of power, gender, sexism and race in an 18th-century story and make them relevant for audiences today? The Magic Flute has been constantly reinvented over time. Ours won’t be the last word but it will contribute to keeping this work fresh and relevant. Grappling with these issues are our hard-working creative team including Caroline Staunton – directing her first full opera for us – and set and lighting designer Ciaran Bagnall, who is with us for the first time. We are delighted to welcome back costume designer Katie Davenport, whose costume designs for INO’s The Tales of Hoffmann last year were nominated for an Irish Times Irish Theatre Award. We are also fortunate to have conductor Peter Whelan with us again following The Marriage of Figaro and Orfeo ed Euridice. And we welcome back the Irish Chamber Orchestra in the pit. And our singers, both Irish and international, are also the cream of the crop. If you are like me and you are fascinated by the endless possibilities of the human voice you are in for a big treat. In fact you could be in for many treats, because we have double cast some roles and they are sung on alternative evenings by different singers. The Magic Flute has a large cast to begin with, and with all the permutations and combinations available, you can hear an unprecedented roster of vocal talent in a single work during the run of this production. If you’re specially dedicated you might just have to come back to more than one performance to sample everything that’s on offer… Enjoy the magic of Mozart!

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Triumph! Welcome Welcome to to our final production of the spring 2019 season, Mozart’s exuberant The Magic Flute. I have an experience of it that is shared by a huge number of opera lovers: it is the first opera I ever saw live and I remember it vividly. By the time the Three Ladies took to the stage and “Triumph! Triumph!” rang out, I was hooked. For life. A fairy tale of sorts, the humanity and depth of feeling of the characters in this work combined Diego Fasciati Executive Director with Mozart’s irresistibly cornucopian music make it a perennial favourite of the operatic canon. It is must-see opera. Our production of The Magic Flute epitomises the ethos of Irish National Opera in many ways. We have assembled a top-notch creative team of Irish artists to bring this work to the stage and a superb cast of Irish and international singers to bring the characters to life. Our Paminas, to use but one example, are two extraordinary Irish sopranos, Anna Devin and Jennifer Davis. Their renown is growing as rapidly as their burgeoning international careers. It is surely impossible to choose which one to see in our production. So my recommendation has to be, See them both! Before the run of performances in Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre, our production will be seen in Wexford and heard in Limerick, where we are giving a concert performance on our first visit to the University Concert Hall. It is not a matter of course that we can take our larger productions outside Dublin. We recently brought our acclaimed and much-loved Madama Butterfly to the Cork Opera House. As the two performances were fully sold out, we were asked whether it would make financial sense to add a third performance. The answer had to be, No. The 10

reality is that each performance costs the company money. This is because of the large number of people involved in each performance – principal singers, chorus, orchestra and the behind-the-scenes technical team. We would be delighted to thrill even more opera lovers in Cork and elsewhere, but the marginal costs of an extra performance are too high to bear on our existing budget. We can keep our ticket prices affordable (there are €10 tickets for The Magic Flute available to schools) and we can present high-quality opera around Ireland only because we have the support of the Arts Council, our principal funder. Their investment in Irish National Opera is essential to every aspect of our enterprise. We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Kevin Rafter on his recent appointment as Chair of the Arts Council and to thank our principal funder for their steadfast belief in opera and their ongoing investment in INO. We look forward to working in partnership with the Arts Council to grow our number of performances and extend our geographical reach. Whether you are experiencing The Magic Flute for the first time or you are intimately familiar with every character and plot twist, I know you will enjoy our new production. My heartfelt gratitude goes out once again to all INO Friends and Patrons. You are an essential part of our operatic family and the key to our shared “Triumph!”.

Director’s Note

Caroline Staunton Director

The Magic Flute is a piece that, worldwide, is constantly restaged, re-imagined, reinterpreted – the most performed Mozart opera in the repertoire and the one most often named as the first opera people have seen. Yet for all the resplendent beauty and frequent jollity of the music, The Magic Flute occupies itself with some fairly hard-hitting themes: not least seeming to promote racism with the problematic figure of the black slave Monastatos, and misogyny – for example, how Sarastro and his priests opine over the acceptable role of women in society. It also presents the abduction of a daughter from her mother (which is the narrative spur for the entire evening) as the justification of an all-male temple of white privilege that claims to know and therefore be acting in the best interests of the marginalised.

We have particularly sought to bring Irish resonance to the story. The effortless narrative movement in the libretto between a notion of reality and a heightened mythological world seemed familiarly Irish in character. I was put in mind of JM Synge’s Aran Island writings where the fairies are recurring antagonists in Irish lives. We delved into Irish mythology, literature and local history, and pounced upon the parallels: Queen of the Night as the keening Banshee, the Three Ladies referencing the Morrigan Goddesses; the Wren Boys’ traditions for Papageno and the Three Boys; Tamino as something of a Christy Mahon figure.

In the artistic team for this production we have taken 1891 as the reference for the setting, 100 years after the first performance of Mozart’s masterpiece. This was a time in which one can begin to examine the true consequences of the Enlightenment ideology which runs through Schikaneder’s libretto. The celebration of reason, wisdom, and progressive ideology led to the development of citizens and of nations. In 1791, on the skirts of the French revolution, this was seductively relevant. But with the perspective of 100 years later it becomes more problematic. Imperial expansions, the quest for demonstrating national superiority as well as the drive for additional and exotic materials, led to the systematic imposition of external nation’s values and beliefs onto unsuspecting cultures. These cultures experienced the dubious privilege bestowed on them as the harvesting of their resources and the extinction of their indigenous peoples.

An important reference are the works of Brian Friel who, so disconcertingly, yet kindly, painted the instability of the present tense for a soul who needs to ask at every step, as Tamino does, “Where am I? Is it a dream that I still live? Is it reality, what I’ve experienced?” We wanted to examine the consequences of colonial actions on the sense of identity of those who survive such Troubles: the overwhelming sense of loss, of displacement; the guilt of those who survive, and of those who judge themselves to be in some way complicit in the actions of the oppressor.

However, on entering Sarastro’s Temple the sober world of reason and wisdom takes over and we are forced to all but abandon the fairy-tale elements. An intellectual discourse dominates, which leaves both Pamina and Papageno bewildered, but Tamino’s head has been turned. The Masonic themes of Sarastro’s Temple have been much scrutinised and discussed – Mozart himself was a Freemason – but we preferred to paint them as the capricious nature of a tyrant, with his obscure trials and oriental collectables.

Astonishingly, this can all be told through a dramaturgically chaotic narrative intended for a bawdy beer-hall in late 18th-century Vienna. The libretto is a mere means to an end when confronted with the majesty of Mozart’s composition. The music is full of the multiplicity of the human experience, dancing from the effortless majesty of three boy sopranos, to the grief-laden coloratura fireworks of the Queen of the Night, the pointed belittling of the Speaker and the superciliousness of Sarastro. And, more fully developed, there are the inextinguishable spirit of Pamina, the naïve curiosity of Papageno, and Tamino’s searching to make sense of himself. The Magic Flute is constantly returned to. Its profound truths continue to resonate in every human context.

synopsis Quests are rarely as simple as they seem. In The Magic Flute Tamino is shown a likeness of Pamina and falls for her straight away. But she has been abducted, and rescuing her with the help of the bird catcher Papageno, a new acquaintance, won’t be easy. Tamino and Pamina have to deal with the power of the temple priests of Sarastro, the kidnapper, who is an enemy of Pamina’s mother, the Queen of the Night. The young couple are put through a series of trials. Sometimes white seems black and black seems white. But everyone finds a partner in the end.

Act I

A Forest Tamino is in panic, lost, and collapses. Three passing ladies, responding to his cries for help, command the evil to disperse. They are fascinated by the unconscious stranger and an idea occurs to them. This young man could be the hero who will save Pamina, the daughter of the Queen of the Night, who has been abducted by Sarastro, the ruler of these lands. They leave to tell the good news to the Queen. Tamino wakes up, but doesn’t remember much about how he came to be in this unfamiliar place. Papageno, a passing bird-catcher, is interrogated by Tamino, but Papageno doesn’t know much about anything outside of the forest. The three ladies return and present Tamino with a portrait of Pamina. He immediately falls in love with the enchantingly beautiful girl and is dismayed to hear of her abduction. The Queen of the Night, 14

who is in helpless despair at her daughter’s disappearance, urges Tamino to rescue her. Tamino willingly agrees. He receives a magic flute to assist him in his mission, and Papageno, who will accompany him, gets a glockenspiel. Three young boys who know the way are assigned to lead Tamino and Papageno to Sarastro’s temple. Sarastro’s Temple Pamina is being held captive, and has aroused the special interest of Monostatos, one of Sarastro’s slaves. Papageno, who has become separated from Tamino and the three boys, frightens off Monostatos, and tells Pamina of the rescue mission. She is at first unsure if she should trust the peculiar bird-man. But they both reveal a desire for love and companionship, and they decide to risk an escape together. Tamino, meanwhile, has been led to the large entrance hall of Sarastro’s Temple. He is disarmed by the appearance of a sophisticated society which prizes wisdom, intellect and reason. A Speaker appears, enquiring about the nature of Tamino’s mission. Tamino is confused to learn that the tyrant who abducted Pamina is also responsible for a society with such noble values. The Speaker assures him his confusion will end when he enters the Temple in the spirit of friendship. The flute sounds and Papageno’s pipes answer. Tamino is filled with new hope that he will find Pamina. Pamina and Papageno are in high spirits as they try to escape but Monostatos tries to have them recaptured by slaves. Papageno reaches for his glockenspiel and the melody has a magic effect on the slaves. But Pamina and Pagageno are not yet free –

Sarastro appears with his full complement in tow. Pamina bravely speaks the truth to Sarastro, that she wished to flee from him and return to her mother. Monostatos has meanwhile captured Tamino, but Sarastro is interested in Tamino and orders Monastatos to be punished. Pamina and Tamino, after only the briefest of encounters, are separated. Tamino and Papageno are to undergo trials to test their worthiness to join the society of Sarastro’s Temple.

Act II

Sarastro’s Temple Sarastro and his cohorts debate Tamino’s potential worthiness. He invokes the Egyptian Gods Isis and Osiris to bless the eventual union of Tamino and Pamina, should he succeed. The first aspect of the trial is to remain silent, and Tamino is willing to stay mute. Papageno however is not interested in Sarastro’s offer, not even when promised a girlfriend cut exactly from the same cloth as himself. The three ladies appear but Tamino refuses to speak with them. Monostatos reflects on his unfair treatment and on his feelings for Pamina. He is about to steal a kiss, when the Queen of the Night appears and demands that Pamina kill Sarastro. Pamina is horrified. Monostatos tries to use the situation to his advantage: if Pamina will love him, he will protect her. Sarastro, however, has heard everything. He banishes Monostatos and reassures Pamina of the sanctity of his Temple. Tamino honours his pledge of silence, but Papageno complains of his thirst. He is given a glass of wine by a stranger who, before disappearing, claims to have a boyfriend called Papageno. The three boys appear

and give Tamino and Papageno back their flute and glockenspiel. The flute sounds, and Pamina responds, relieved to find Tamino. But when he continues to obey his vow of silence and will not speak to her, she is bereft and believes he no longer loves her. The Temple Priests celebrate their order, and prepare for Tamino’s final trials. Sarastro brings Tamino and Pamina together and tells them to make their final farewell. Papageno reflects on his lonely existence. The stranger appears again, and tells him he needs to trust her or he will forever be imprisoned. Papageno promises to love her faithfully but they are again separated, as the Priests tell Papageno he is not yet worthy. Pamina meanwhile has been driven to despair. She holds the knife given to her by her mother for Sarastro, but the three boys restrain her and reassure her of Tamino’s love. The final trials are ready and, in front of Sarastro and the full assembly of Priests, Tamino declares he is ready to be tested. Pamina bursts in and insists she undergo the trials by Tamino’s side. They survive the trials by fire and water, and are invited to enter the Temple. A Forest Now Papageno is in despair. He cannot find his Papagena, nor can he imagine life without her. The three boys appear and remind him of his glockenspiel, whose chimes summon Papagena. The two celebrate their love and future happiness. Monostatos, the Queen of the Night and the three ladies, are preparing a final desperate assault on Sarastro’s Temple. This is foiled as Sarastro appears, and the sunrise banishes all darkness. The final chorus hails perseverance, beauty and wisdom. 15

CAST Pamina [May 17, 19, 21, 23 matinée, 24, 25] Pamina [May 22, 23, 25 matinée] Tamino [May 17, 19, 21, 23 matinée, 24, 25] Tamino [May 22, 23, 25 matinée] Papageno Queen of the Night [May 17, 23 matinée, 24, 25] Queen of the Night [May 19, 21, 22, 23, 25 matinée] Sarastro First Lady Second Lady Third Lady Monostatos Papagena/Cover Pamina Speaker First Boy Second Boy Third Boy First Armed Man Second Armed Man First Priest Second Priest

Creative Team Anna Devin Jennifer Davis Nick Pritchard Tyler Nelson Gavan Ring Kim Sheehan Audrey Luna Lukas Jakobski Rachel Croash Sarah Richmond Raphaela Mangan Andrew Gavin Amy Ní Fhearraigh Padraic Rowan Nicholas O’Neill Seán Hughes Oran Murphy Fearghal Curtis Robert McAllister Matthew Mannion Peter O’Reilly

Soprano Soprano Tenor Tenor Baritone Soprano Soprano Bass Soprano Mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano Tenor Soprano Bass-baritone Boy soprano Boy soprano Boy soprano Tenor Bass-baritone Baritone Tenor

Peter Whelan Sinead Hayes Caroline Staunton Sarah Baxter Ciaran Bagnall Katie Davenport Richard McGrath Rebecca Warren

Conductor [May 17, 19, 21, 23, 24, 25] Conductor & Chorus Director [matinée May 23, 25] Director Assistant Director Set & Lighting Designer Costume Designer Répétiteur Assistant Répétiteur

CHORUS Soprano

Mezzo

Tenor

Bass

Catherine Donnelly

Margaret Bridge

Richard Bridge

Cormac Lawlor

Gabrielle Dundon

Maria Kelly

Ciarán Crangle

Matthew Mannion

Fearghal Curtis

Robert McAllister

Ami Hewitt Bríd Ní Ghruagáin Kelli-Ann Masterson

Martha O’Brien Philip Keegan Kevin Neville

Maria McGrann Niamh St John

Peter O’Reilly

Fionn Ó hAlmhain

Muireann Mulrooney Dominica Williams

Jacek Wislocki

Timothy Shaffrey

Irish Chamber Orchestra Violin 1 Katherine Hunka (Leader) Nicola Sweeney Anna Cashell Kenneth Rice Cliodhna Ryan Violin 2 André Swanepoel Oonagh Keogh Louis Roden Emily Nenniger Anita Vedres Viola Joachim Roewer Robin Panter Mark Coates Smith Cian Ó Dúill Cello Christian Elliott Richard Angell Aoife Nic Athlaoich Bass Malachy Robinson

Production Team

Flute Fiona Kelly Emma Roche

Horn Stephen Nicholls Cuan Ó Seireadáin

Oboe Daniel Bates Melinda Kozár

Trumpet Simon Menin David Collins

Clarinet Katherine Spencer John Forde

Trombone Ross Lyness Eoghan Kelly Paul Frost

Bassoon Paul Boyes Ide Ní Chonaill

Timpani Adam Dennis Keyboard Glockenspiel Richard McGrath

Production Manager Michael Lonergan Company Stage Manager Paula Tierney Stage Manager Conleth Stanley Assistant Stage Manager Aaron Kennedy Technical Stage Manager Nic Rée Master Carpenter Peter Boyle Deputy Carpenter Abraham Allen Chief Electrician Donal McNinch Lighting Programmer Eoin McNinch

Costume Supervisor Monica Ennis Costume Assistant Florentina Burcea Ciara Coleman Geaney Tory O’Neill Saoirse O’Shea Frances White Costume Makers Denise Assas Yvonne Carry Denis Darcy Sean Jackson Raziana Nojib

Wigs, Hair & Makeup Carole Dunne Wigs & Makeup Assistants Tee Elliot Paula Meliàn Mask Maker Ger Clancy Set Construction Theatre Production Services Scenic Artist Sandra Butler Surtitle Operator Maeve Sheil Lighting Provider Cue One

Additional Thanks to Transport Trevor Price Odran Sherwin Vetting co-ordinator Aoife O’Connell

Associate Costume Designer Mary Sheehan Design Assistant to Ciaran Bagnall Tracey Lindsay

Graphic Design Alphabet Soup Photography Patrick Redmond Ste Murray

Promotional Video Mark Cantan Gansee Films Programme edited by Michael Dervan

being CAROLINE STAUNTON What do you remember from the first opera you went to? I believe the first opera I went to was in Vienna. I was maybe 18 and I was with my sister at the opera and we thought going to the opera would be a good thing to do. Opera wasn’t particularly interesting to me. I always liked classical music, but I’d never been to an opera. It was Magic Flute. We got standing tickets for €1.50. It was musically fantastic. I can’t really remember specifics of the acoustics or even who the singers were. But I remember finding the direction a little bit disappointing. I had notions of myself already in a theatre director kind of way. I was challenged by the direction and that’s what stayed with me for the longer time. I loved the fact that it was so easy. We queued for a while for the tickets. But it was so cheap! And there seemed to be such a wide representation of people, literally people from all walks of life in this opera building. Which I hadn’t expected. I think I had a slightly more British notion of Covent Garden and black tie. The idea that there would be a few backpackers in jeans at the opera was really exciting to me. Part of my critique of the direction of the piece was what I understood was the trials. I thought, why are you just walking through a box? That’s so disappointing. Now I think there are moments in opera which mean don’t say yes, you’re going to direct this, until you’ve got a solution for those moments. Don’t take on Parsifal unless you know

what the Grail is going to be. There are stumbling blocks that I associate with certain operas, and The Magic Flute is certainly one of them.

everyone, and make the beautiful costumes that they had, and a forest with trees that could turn and become an interior...

What do you remember from your first work on an opera stage?

What was the best opera or directing advice you ever got?

It’s actually not so long ago. It was in Freiburg [where she was assistant director at Theater Freiburg]. It was a children’s opera. I was asked to do an adaptation of what had been a Hörspiel, it had been written for recording so it wasn’t written for staging. There was spoken text and there were songs. It was called Der Sängerkrieg der Heidehasen, which I like to translate as Tannhäuser With Rabbits, by James Krüss. This was also the childhood favourite of my opera director, so no pressure there!

My favourite piece of advice ever is... well, there are two, if I can have two. The first one came when I was writing my master’s thesis. I was writing on Robert Wilson and Georg Büchner, because Robert Wilson had done Woyzeck and then had done Leonce und Lena in the Berliner Ensemble, which I had seen. I was interested in how the two of them overlapped.

I rewrote the text and staged it. My strongest memory is of two of the happiest weeks of my life. I was working with both actors and singers, just having the opportunity to tease out the content of what I thought was thematically important, to have a massive influence on the stage design, but mostly to have the support of the opera house to help me fund it. I had done a lot of fringe theatre in Dublin. Then you’re always starting from scratch. You’re raising all the money yourself. You’re buying and building the set yourself. You’re buying costumes at Oxfam. It’s not fun. So the idea that I could get a costume designer, that the department would make rabbits’ head ears for

Robert Wilson always had this great phrase that when you’re in a rehearsal room it’s not about saying what it is and getting people do do what you want. It’s that you communally ask, What is it? That’s the job of the rehearsal, to bring people onto your side, and all of us put our heads together and ask, What exactly is this? Which I love. The other is from Claus Guth who is a particularly important director for me. He’s one of my favourites, and I’ve had the joy of working with him a few times. It’s this. Don’t take anything for granted. Don’t assume anything in the piece. That has been unbelievably helpful for my preparation with Magic Flute. What does it mean when Tamino says he’s a prince? When people call Papageno the bird-man, or he calls himself the bird-catcher, what does that actually mean? Don’t assume anything. It’s wonderful. 21

What is the most annoying misconception about opera? I’m going to do what I myself hate. Because every time I see a headline that is about people defending opera from being elitist, I’m, like, why is this still a theme? Stop making it a theme and it will hopefully go away. I don’t know how many more ways opera has to be non-elitist. Ticket prices are lower than ever. Pop-up opera is happening everywhere. You almost have to close your eyes and go “LALALALALA” in order not to be exposed to opera. It’s a bit like women conductors. “It’s amazing you’re a woman conductor.” Stop saying I’m a woman conductor, just let me be a conductor. Simone Young is brilliant on this topic. That would be one of my biggest irritations.

What moment do you most look forward to when you go to a performance of The Magic Flute? When I go to the opera there are so many things I’m looking for that I don’t know if I could pick one. For example there are two or three musical moments that just turn me to absolute jelly. In the first quintet with the Three Ladies, Drei Knäbchen, jung, schön, hold und weise (Three boys, young, beautiful, gracious, and wise), I find that one of the most magical perfect moments of music – until the next amazing one comes along.

I tend not to look forward to the trials, because I’m almost never satisfied with how they’re done. And there are other musical highlights that I look forward to. In many ways, though, I find Magic Flute a deeply problematic work. I’d go running to any Wozzeck, anyone who’s putting on Wozzeck, I’m there. I’d always need an extra reason to go and see Magic Flute. In many ways I’d rather stay at home with my Karl Böhm recording if I want its musical glory, unless I really trust the director, or there are some singers in it that are really interesting to me. I need that extra spur. Because if Magic Flute is done straight, and done traditionally, and done for ease and for entertainment, I want to pull my hair out. That’s not the piece that I know.

What’s the most challenging aspect of directing The Magic Flute? In many ways Magic Flute is just one plotline after another. So settling on what is going to be your through line. Deciding what you sacrifice along the way, so to speak, in terms of what other elements or aspects, particularly the more famous, the more studied ones. Like the Masonic element which is almost banished from my production. You have to hope that there is another way to keep a momentum in the storytelling that everything is feeding in to. I find that Flute can run very seriously out of momentum. There’s an awful lot of opera left

after the trials. I wanted to find a way to extend the dramatic tension way beyond the trials into the Papageno/Papagena duet so that the finale is the finale and that until then we don’t know how this is going to play out.

Simon Rattle said that to be a conductor “You have to be a singer, a dancer, a policeman, a psychiatrist and a clown.” What are the equivalents for an opera director? I don’t know how I can relate them to another profession. I can only say the qualities that are essential. And to be clear, these are not me describing myself. I’m describing the people I’ve seen who are particularly good at their job. Incredibly well prepared. Incredibly clear. Incredibly patient. Never accept lower

expectations. Never stop working on the details... up to the premiere... after the premiere [she laughs]. Trust the times when the singers will find it for themselves without you constantly saying, Do this. To see when someone is somewhat unconvinced by something and rather than thinking it’s their problem realise that it’s yours.

If you weren’t an opera director, what might you have become? I would probably still be an English teacher in Gonzaga, as I was for seven years before I became an opera director. Which wouldn’t have been the worst fate in the world, by the way. Being an English teacher in Gonzaga was a joy. It’s not that I loved Gonzaga less, but that I loved opera more. In CONVERSATION with Michael Dervan

A gem of a story One of the principal difficulties in approaching The Magic Flute has been described as that of separating fact from legend. And, strange to say, one of the issues needing such a separation concerns the authorship of the libretto. It is credited to the multi-talented Emanuel Schikaneder (1751-1812), even by Mozart himself. Schikaneder had been a friend of the Mozart family since 1780, and there is an embarrassing series of finger-wagging letters between Mozart and his father, Leopold, about an aria the composer was tardy in delivering for Schikaneder. On 18 November 1780 Leopold wrote, “What on earth are you thinking of? The way you are treating Herr Schikaneder is really shameful. On my name-day, when we had our shooting, I said to him: ‘The aria will certainly be here tomorrow’. With what I knew, was there anything else I could tell him? A week before I had had to inform him that you had not been able to finish it. Indeed I was absolutely certain that you would send it a week later by the mail coach, the more so as he is going to produce only twelve more comedies. I really do not know what story I shall tell him when he comes to our shooting tomorrow. As you know, I am not much good at telling lies. All that I can say is that you missed the mail coach, that the extra postage

fee was too heavy for you, and that the aria will certainly come by the next one. But I refuse to tell another lie.” The New Grove credits Schikaneder as “dramatist, theatre director, actor, singer and composer”. He ran the Theater auf der Wieden, where The Magic Flute was first performed in September 1791. He commissioned the opera and took part in the first performance, creating the role of Papageno. For that alone, his place in the history books would be secure. And his production of The Magic Flute was hugely successful, clocking up a hundred performances in the 15 months after the premiere. So, who would want to steal his credit for the libretto? Well, one Carl Ludwig Gieseke (or Giesecke) (1761-1833). His name, or at least his surname, appears on the playbill for the first production of The Magic Flute, in the speaking role of Second Slave. Gieseke made his claim to have written the libretto in partnership with Schikaneder in 1818, a safe six years after Schikaneder’s death. And the claim was not published until 1849, when it appeared in Julius Cornet’s Die Oper in Deutschland (Opera in Germany). Gieseke’s authorship is now generally discredited, but it still has its proponents. Gieseke, who was born in Augsburg, was baptised Johann Georg Metzler and in later life

was known as Sir Charles Lewis Giesecke – the British honorific was a translation of a genuine title that had been bestowed on him in Denmark. He was involved in Theater auf der Wieden as a stage manager and writer, authored librettos for numerous operas, and became an Austrian diplomat before making what would be the last major change of career in 1801. He specialised in mineralogy, was involved in surveys in Sweden, Norway, the Faroe Islands and, most famously, on the instructions of the King of Denmark, in Greenland, where he spent seven years. Giesecke Dal, Giesecke Isfjord and Giesecke Sø on the west coast of Greenland are all named after him. A collection of minerals he sent back to Copenhagen was first seized by a French privateer and then recaptured by an English frigate. That is how it ended up in Edinburgh, where it took some time for its scientific interest to be appreciated. It was the value of his work in Greenland which would lead him to Ireland, where he was appointed Professor of Mineralogy in Dublin, in spite of the fact that at the time he did not speak any English. He lived in Ireland from 1813 to his death in 1833, and was celebrated enough beyond his scientific achievements to feature, as himself, in Charles Lever’s novel, The Confessions of Harry Lorrequer, which was first published in the Dublin University Magazine in 1837, and in book form in 1839.

There he is described as “one of the most modest and retiring men in existence”. He is recorded in a brief dialogue with a woman who came up to him when he was engrossed watching the dancers at a waltzing party. “ ’Ah, mon cher Sir Charles, ravi de vous voir. But why are you not dancing?’ “ ’Ah, mi ladi, je ne puis pas, c’est-à-dire, Ich kann es nicht; I am too old; Ich bin –––’ “ ’Oh, you horrid man; I understand you perfectly. You hate ladies, that is the real reason. You do–you know you do.’ “ ’Ah, mi ladi, Gnädige frau; glauben sie mir; I do loave de ladies; I do adore de sex. Do you know, mi ladi, when I was in Greenland I did keep four womans!’ “ ’Oh, shocking, horrid, vile Sir Charles, how could you tell me such a story! I shall die of it’ “ ’Ah, mine Gott; mi ladi; sie irren sich, vous vous trompez. You are quite in mistake; it was only to row my boat!’” In fairness to Lever, colourful incidents seem to have followed Giseke wherever he went. Enough for a period film by, say, Terry Gilliam, if not the first ever opera about a mineralogist. Michael Dervan

Supporting the Arts Powder Her Face.pdf 1 2/15/2018 11:59:41 AM

Irish Premiere of

Pimpinone by Georg Philipp Telemann in partnership with Opera Collective Ireland

KILLALOE CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL NOTES FROM LITERATURE 30 May — 2 June 2019

St Flannan’s Cathedral, Killaloe, Co Clare

Download the festival brochure: killaloemusicfestival.com

PIMPINON

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The Killaloe Chamber Music Festival, in partnership with Opera Collective Ireland, will present the Irish premiere of Telemann’s comic opera Pimpinone featuring rising stars soprano Kelli-Ann Masterson and bass baritone Rory Dunne, directed from the harpsichord by one of Ireland’s finest conductors, Peter Whelan. Performances on Thursday 30 May at 7.30pm and Friday 31 May at 3.00pm in St. Flannan’s Cathedral Killaloe, Co.Clare.

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irish chamber Orchestra The Irish Chamber Orchestra (ICO) is Ireland’s most inspired orchestra, combining high quality performances with a far-ranging artistic vision. Forward-thinking, the ICO continues to break boundaries, seeking to expand audiences with its progressive and innovative approach to music, alongside its passionate commitment to community engagement. Clarinetist, composer and conductor Jörg Widmann (ICO Principal Conductor/Artistic Partner), is one of the most versatile and intriguing artists of his generation. Widmann has been at the forefront of the ICO’s artistic vision since 2012, presenting an unparalleled range of innovative partnerships during that time. Widmann’s stringent standards combined with his irrepressible energy and sheer enthusiasm for the repertoire he champions, has won the hearts of audiences throughout Europe. The ICO firmly believes Widmann’s approach to be the way of the future for classical music, and is confident that he will continue to shape and develop the orchestra with his artistic insight and brilliance. Widmann’s enthusiasm and commitment is matched by the orchestra itself, led by the ebullient Katherine Hunka and comprised of 22 outstanding musicians, including Deputy Leader Nicola Sweeney, Principal Cellist Christian Elliott and Principal Viola Joachim Roewer. The ICO’s special rapport, forged over 20 years of playing – and sometimes singing! – together, creates the unique sound that has captivated audiences all over the world. Our groundbreaking initiative, Sing Out with Strings (SOWS), offers primary school children in Limerick the chance to learn music for free. Now in its eleventh year, the project has been hailed as a model of social inclusion, offering opportunities for young people, developing key life skills and providing tangible long-term benefits for participants, their families and the wider community. The success of SOWS has inspired us to set up a youth orchestra, the ICOYO, which provides aspiring musicians aged 12 to 18 with the support they need to grow. And it doesn’t stop there: the orchestra has made its home at the University of Limerick for over 20 years, and we’re deeply involved in the MA in Classical String Performance, supporting young talent through workshops and masterclasses. The ICO is orchestra-in-residence at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick, and is funded by The Arts Council of Ireland/An Chomhairle Ealaíon.

Board of Directors Aibhlín McCrann (Chair) Frank Casey (Hon.Life President) Rosemary Collier Eamonn Cregan Joseph Dundon Joan Garahy Kerstin Mey Karen Morton

Chief Executive Gerard Keenan Friends/Finance Manager Margaret Kelly Marketing & Communications Manager Charlotte Eglington Operations Manager Cathriona Murphy Education & Outreach Officer Kathrine Barnecutt Artistic Advisor Sonja Stein Sonja Stein Company

BIOGRAPHIES

PETER WHELAN CONDUCTOR

SINEAD HAYES CONDUCTOR & CHORUS DIRECTOR

CAROLINE STAUNTON DIRECTOR

SARAH BAXTER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Irish conductor Peter Whelan is among the most exciting and versatile exponents of historical performance of his generation, having forged a remarkable career as conductor, keyboardist and virtuoso bassoonist. He is Artistic Director of the Irish Baroque Orchestra and founding Artistic Director of Ensemble Marsyas, and has been dubbed “as exciting a live wire as Ireland has produced in the world of period performance” (The Irish Times) and has conducted Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro with the Irish Chamber Orchestra and Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice with the Irish Baroque Orchestra for Irish National Opera, as well as Handel’s Radamisto with English Touring Opera. Other recent engagements include concerts at the Concertgebouw (Brugge), the Edinburgh International Festival and the Wigmore Hall. In 2019/20 he will make directing debut appearances with the English Concert, the Academy of Ancient Music, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra and Arion Ensemble (Canada). He has led Ensemble Marsyas to critical acclaim and established an impressive and award-winning discography. His Barsanti album was named Editor’s Choice in Gramophone and Recording of the Year in MusicWeb International (2017), as well as reaching second place in the Official UK Specialist Classical Chart. In 2019/20 Ensemble Marsyas will be an ensemble is residence at the Wigmore Hall. Peter is passionate about rediscovering Irish music from the 18th century and has recently released his first recording with IBO called Welcome Home, Mr Dubourg.

Irish conductor Sinead Hayes is equally at home working with choir, orchestra and opera. She is in her fifth season as conductor of Belfast’s Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble, with which she has premiered works by Irish and international composers. Last season saw her debuts with Irish National Opera (Mozart’s The Opera Director), Northern Ireland Opera (Weill’s The Threepenny Opera and Greg Caffrey’s The Chronic Identity Crisis of Pamplemousse) and Opera Collective Ireland (OCI), alongside return appearances with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and RTÉ Concert Orchestra. She also made her Berlin Philharmonie debut, playing Irish fiddle in two of the Berlin Philharmonic’s family concerts and performing alongside members of the orchestra. She has been appointed INO Studio conductor for 2018/2019, and she will be assistant conductor and chorus director for the company’s productions, as well as conducting a number of showcase events with the studio’s artists. This season she also returns to conduct productions with Northern Ireland Opera and Opera Collective Ireland. She studied violin at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, graduated with a BMus in violin and composition from City University, London, and completed her MMus in orchestral conducting at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, winning the Mortimer Furber conducting prize.

Dublin-born Caroline Staunton is currently based in Berlin, where she works at the Berlin State Opera with responsibility for revival productions of repertoire works. She has worked on repertoire including Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde and Strauss’s Die Frau ohne Schatten with directors such as Claus Guth, Stefan Herheim, Katie Mitchell and Dmitry Tcherniakov. She also co-founded the pop-up opera company, Puccini’s Toaster, for which she has directed a series of site-specific productions, including Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Puccini’s La bohème. Before moving to Berlin she was an assistant director in Theater Freiburg, where she also directed Der Sängerkrieg der Heidehasen by James Krüss. She has also directed many theatre productions, including pieces for the Dublin Fringe Festival (The Marowitz Hamlet, Bulgakov’s Black Snow). She made her Irish National Opera debut with Mozart’s The Opera Director in April 2018.

Sarah is a freelance director. She is the director member of INO Studio 2018/2019 and recently directed and co wrote INO’s The Deadly World of Opera, part of MusicTown Festival. She was assistant director for INO’s recent productions of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Verdi’s Aida and Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. As assistant director she has also worked with Landmark Productions, Gate Theatre, Field Day Theatre Company, Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre Company and was associate director for The Unmanageable Sisters (Abbey Theatre). Her work as director/co-creator includes: with Alice Malseed, it’s getting harder and harder for me (Dublin Fringe 2017/MAC, Belfast 2018) and Jellyfish (Dublin Fringe 2015/UK tour 2016) and with Niamh Shaw, Diary of a Martian Beekeeper (Rory Gallagher Theatre, Cork, 2017/Smock Alley Dublin, 2018). Further director credits include: Personal Space Vol II (Smock Alley), 24 Hour Plays Dublin 2018 (Dublin Youth Theatre/ Abbey Theatre), Dubliners Women (Irish national tour), Taboo (White Label), The Hellfire Squad and Vehicle (Devious Theatre), and To Space (Niamh Shaw), which toured to Edinburgh and Adelaide Fringe Festivals. She trained in LeCoq-based devised and physical theatre at London International School of Performing Arts (LISPA) and furthered her mask studies at Centro Maschere e Strutture Gestuali in Italy in 2017. She is a member of the artist collective White Label.

CIARAN BAGNALL SET & LIGHTING DESIGNER

KATIE DAVENPORT COSTUME DESIGNER

RICHARD McGRATH RÉPÉTITEUR

REBECCA WARREN ASSISTANT RÉPÉTITEUR

Ciaran trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff and was a made a fellow of the college in 2017. Recent Theatre includes: Set & Lighting Design: A Streetcar Named Desire (Lyric Theatre, Belfast); Lady Magma (Atelier de Paris); The Last Yankee (Library Theatre, Bolton); UBU The King (Tinderbox, MAC, Belfast); Oliver Twist (Hull Truck); And Did Those Feet (Macron Stadium, Bolton); Double Cross (Lyric Theatre Belfast & Abbey Theatre, Dublin); The Mai (Irish Tour/Dublin Theatre Festival); Lovers (Lyric Theatre, Belfast); The Man Who Fell to Pieces, Hard to be Soft (The MAC, Belfast); The Great Gatsby (Gate Theatre, Dublin – Winner Best Set Design Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards); RED (Lyric Theatre, Belfast – Winner Best Design Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards); The Train, Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme (Abbey Theatre, Dublin); Ashes, Educating Rita, Two, Two 2, A View from the Bridge, Love Story, Twelfth Night, Piaf, Of Mice and Men, Tull, The Glass Menagerie, Habeas Corpus, Secret Thoughts, Oleanna (Octagon Theatre, Bolton); A Christmas Treasure Island, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella (Hull Truck); Macbeth (Shakespeare’s Globe, London); Singin’ in the Rain (UK Tour); Othello (RSC, Stratford upon Avon); Lally the Scut, The God of Carnage, Villa, Discurso, Tejas Verdes (MAC, Belfast); Conquest of Happiness (Olympic Stadium, Sarajevo); Shoot the Crow (Opera House, Belfast); Snookered (Bush Theatre, London); The Killing of Sister George (Arts Theatre, London); A Slight Ache and Landscape (Lyttelton Theatre, National Theatre London).

Katie is a costume and set designer and trained in Production Design for Stage and Screen at IADT (Institute of Art, Design & Technology) Dublin, graduating with a First Class Honours in 2014. In 2017 she held the position of designer in residence at the Gate Theatre in Dublin. This year she was nominated for an Irish Times Irish Theatre Award for Best Costume Design for Irish National Opera’s production of Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann. Her recent credits include Sure look it fuck it for Thisispopbaby, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Rough Magic Theatre Company. She has designed for many of Ireland’s leading theatre companies and works regularly as Jamie Vartan’s associate designer. She has also worked as assistant designer in film and TV for Ardmore Studios, RTÉ, PBS and Sky Arts. She is currently designing for Irish National Opera’s 2019-20 season, Northern Ireland Opera and The Abbey, and will represent Ireland at The Prague Quadrennial, a world exhibition of theatre design, in June 2019.

Richard holds a first class honours degree in Music and French from NUI Maynooth and a Masters in Performance (Piano Accompaniment) from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London where he was also a student on the répétiteur course. He was a trainee répétiteur at English National Opera and since then he has worked with companies including Irish National Opera, Northern Ireland Opera, Wide Open Opera, Opera Theatre Company and Lyric Opera Productions. Previous productions with these companies include Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle (INO), Donnacha Dennehy and Enda Walsh’s The Second Violinist (INO/Landmark Productions), Verdi’s La traviata (ENO and Lyric Opera Productions), Puccini’s Madama Butterfly (Lyric Opera Productions), Bizet’s Carmen (Lyric Opera Productions), Puccini’s La bohème (Opera Theatre Company, ENO and Lyric Opera Productions), Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (WOO and ENO), Donnacha Dennehy and Enda Walsh’s The Last Hotel (WOO/Landmark Productions), Verdi’s Rigoletto (OTC), Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’amore (OTC and NI Opera) and John Adams’s Nixon in China (WOO). He plays regularly in concert with singers. He is currently a répétiteur in the vocal department at the TU Dublin Conservatory of Music and Drama. He has played with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the orchestra of English National Opera.

Wexford pianist Rebecca Warren is répétiteur with the INO Studio 2018/2019. She holds a Masters in Classical String Performance, Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Music and an Associate Diploma in Piano Performance from the London College of Music. Her piano teachers have included Marian Ingoldsby, Finghin Collins, Jan Čáp and Yekaterina Lebedeva, and she is undertaking further piano studies in the Royal Irish Academy of Music this year with Dearbhla Brosnan. She is in high demand as a piano accompanist and chamber musician and maintains a busy performance schedule while also running a successful teaching studio. She is an accomplished violinist and has been a member of and soloist with several orchestras and ensembles. Her collaborations and concert tours with other artists have brought her to the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg and the UK. Her interest in opera was first sparked when she was répétiteur for a production of Marian Ingoldsby’s Lily’s Labyrinth. In 2016 she was awarded a scholarship to study at the Académie d’été Nei Stëmmen, Luxembourg. Since then she has undertaken further operatic and vocal accompaniment studies in Italy, the UK and Greece under the tutelage of vocal coaches Matteo Dalle Fratte, Manolis Papasifakis and Roberto Mingarini and has been répétiteur for several operatic productions.

ANNA DEVIN SOPRANO

JENNIFER DAVIS SOPRANO

NICK PRITCHARD TENOR

TYLER NELSON TENOR

PAMINA

TAMINO

Irish soprano Anna Devin is widely admired for her “impeccable Baroque style” (Bachtrack), “vocal control...artistry and musicodramatic intelligence,” (Opera News). The 2018/19 season began with her Zurich Opera House debut as Rosane Vivaldi’s La verità in cimento, followed by her return to Teatro Real, Madrid, to perform the title role in Cavalli’s La Calisto and her Irish National Opera debut in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Her concerts include a Handel programme with the Irish Baroque Orchestra, Handel’s Messiah with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, the Irish Baroque Orchestra and at the Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, a New Year’s Day concert with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, Mendelssohn’s Symphony No 2 (Lobgesang) with the Irish Chamber Orchestra, Handel’s Esther with the Irish Baroque Orchestra and Handel’s Athalia at the London Handel Festival. She will also make her recital debut at the West Cork Chamber Music Festival with Joseph Middelton. Next season she will return to Glyndebourne to sing Almirena in Handel’s Rinaldo, followed by debuts at the Châtelet in Paris as Michal in Handel’s Saul and Komische Opera Berlin as Iphis in a new production by Richard Jones of Handel’s Jephtha. In addition to her work on stage, she is proud to be an Ambassador for the British Dyslexia Association. She is passionate about nurturing new talent and has given masterclasses at the Royal Irish Academy of Music as well as coaching at the Royal Academy Opera Course, London.

Cahir soprano Jennifer Davis made one of the sensational role debuts of 2018 as Elsa in a new production of Wagner’s Lohengrin conducted by Andris Nelsons at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. She has won praise for her gleaming, silvery tone, and dramatic characterisation of remarkable immediacy. Her future engagements include house and role debuts across Europe and America, including at the Wiener Staatsoper, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Deutsche Oper Berlin, San Francisco Opera and on the concert platform with the Accademia Santa Cecilia and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic. She was an Opera Theatre Company Young Artist from 2012–13; and from 2015–2017 was a member of the prestigious Jette Parker Young Artist Programme at Covent Garden, where she has appeared as Adina in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore; Erste Dame in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte; Ifigenia in the Handel pasticcio Oreste; Arbate in Mozart’s Mitridate, re di Ponto; Ines in Verdi’s Il trovatore; and Gretel in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel, as well as making appearances with the Royal Ballet as Elisabeth in Philip Glass’ Les enfants terribles and as the soprano soloist in Crystal Pite’s Flight Pattern. In future seasons she will continue her close association with the house. Companies she has worked with include Opera North, Staatsoper Stuttgart, Opera Vlaanderen, Festival International d’Art Lyrique d’Aix-en-Provence, Lyric Hammersmith, Wexford Festival Opera, and Lyric Opera Productions. She makes her Irish National Opera stage debut in The Magic Flute.

Nick Pritchard read music as a choral scholar at New College, Oxford, and studied at the Royal College of Music International Opera School. In 2017 he won the Whatsonstage Opera Poll award for Breakthrough Artist in UK Opera. Recent and future engagements include Lysander in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the Aldeburgh Festival, Amphinomus in Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Ferrando in Mozart’s Così fan tutte for Opera Holland Park, Henry Crawford in Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park for The Grange Festival, Acis in Handel’s Acis and Galatea for the London Handel Festival under Laurence Cummings, John/Angel 3 in George Benjamin’s Written on Skin with Melos Sinfonia under Oliver Zeffman, Charpentier’s Te Deum with the Early Opera Company and a Schubert recital with Graham Johnson at Wigmore Hall, Handel’s Messiah with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall and also with the Nieuwe Philharmonie Utrecht, Bach’s Mass in B minor and Bach cantatas with the English Concert under Harry Bicket and at the Al Bustan Festival in Beirut, Bach’s St John Passion with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales under John Butt (arias), Polyphony and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under Stephen Layton (Evangelist), and in New York with the Choir of New College, Oxford. This is his debut with Irish National Opera.

Tyler Nelson is one of America’s most promising young tenors who has already enjoyed success in a wide variety of concert repertoire. His recent engagements have included debuts with New Orleans Opera as Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, with Dayton Opera as Belmonte in Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail, the Utah Symphony & Opera as Le théière/ Le petit vieillard in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges, Opera Naples as Alfred in Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus, Opera Omaha as Trin in Puccini’s La fanciulla del West, Wide Open Opera as Almaviva in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, and in Handel’s Messiah with Augustana College as well multiple performances with Le Festival Lyrique International de Belle-Île en Mer as Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, Ferrando in Mozart’s Così fan tutte and as the tenor soloist in Beethoven’s Mass in C, and Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore and Requiem. His 2017-2018 season included Don Ottavio in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Opera on the James, Almaviva in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia with Opera Tampa, Handel’s Messiah with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and Paul in Gareth Williams’s Rocking Horse Winner and the Magician in Menotti’s The Consul, both with Opera Saratoga. Upcoming engagements include Alfredo in Verdi’s La traviata with Opera on the James and Mendelssohn’s Elijah with Salt Lake Choral Artists. This is his debut with Irish National Opera.

GAVAN RING BARITONE

KIM SHEEHAN SOPRANO

AUDREY LUNA SOPRANO

LUKAS JAKOBSKI BASS

PAPAGENO

QUEEN OF THE NIGHT

SARASTRO

Gavan Ring studied at the Schola Cantorum at St Finian’s College, Mullingar, before reading education and music at Dublin City University, the Royal Irish Academy of Music and the National Opera Studio in London. He is making his Irish National Opera stage debut as Papageno in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Opera highlights include leading roles at Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Scottish Opera, Opera North, Wexford Festival Opera, Opera Holland Park, Opera Rara, Wide Open Opera and Opera Theatre Company. Concert highlights include performances with the London Symphony Orchestra under Simon Rattle at the BBC Proms and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under Mark Elder. Recent work includes the roles of Ping in Puccini’s Turandot and Papageno in Mozart’s The Magic Flute for Opera North; Figaro in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Horatio in Brett Dean’s Hamlet for Glyndebourne, the title role in Mozart’s Don Giovanni for Welsh National Opera and Olivier in Strauss’s Capriccio for Garsington Festival Opera. Recitals for BBC Radio 3 and at the Wigmore Hall include partnerships with pianists Eugene Asti, Simon Lepper and Graham Johnson.

Cork soprano Kim Sheehan, “sporting a super voice” (Opera Now), has sung many of the roles in the coloratura repertoire in Germany, Switzerland, Britain and Ireland working with such established companies as the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Zurich Opera House and Wexford Festival Opera. She made her Royal Opera House debut as Diana in the world premiere of Jonathan Dove’s Diana and Acteon, in which she was described by the New York Times as “excellent”. She graduated with distinction and the Gold Medal from DIT Conservatory of Music, Dublin, before taking up a scholarship at the Royal College of Music’s Benjamin Britten International Opera School, London, and then continued on to the prestigious International Opera Studio at Zurich Opera House. She has received a host of excellent reviews from around Europe for her “outstanding” interpretation of Zerbinetta (Der Landbote), an “utterly brilliant” (Arts Desk) and “truly star-blazing” (Osterländer Volkszeitung) Queen of the Night with a voice that “sets the pulse racing” (Financial Times) and which shone “like the many fires of a diamond” (Forum Opera). She has also performed with Opera Theatre Company, Company Philip Connaughton and at the Cork Opera House. She writes with experimental project Second Moon of Winter signed to Denovali records and her project All that is Sound aims to use the voice not just as a performance tool but as a meditative one also.

Audrey Luna’s engagements this season include Hermione in Manfred Trojhan’s Oreste for her return to the Vienna State Opera, and her debut with NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra as Gepopo in Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre conducted by Alan Gilbert. Last season she returned to the Metropolitan Opera, New York, as Leticia in Thomas Ades’s The Exterminating Angel; sang Marie in Donizetti’s La Fille du régiment with the Hawaii Opera Theatre, Norina in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale with Fort Worth Opera, Controller in Jonathan Dove’s Flight with Des Moines Opera, and Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with Festival Opéra de Québec, and was soloist in Orff’s Carmina Burana for her Cleveland Orchestra debut. Recent engagements include debuts at the Salzburg Festival and Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (Leticia in The Exterminating Angel), Ariel in Ades’s The Tempest (Metropolitan Opera, Vienna State Opera debut); debuts with Houston Grand Opera (Madame Mao in John Adams’s Nixon in China), Seattle Symphony (Ligeti’s Requiem), and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra (Venus and Gepopo in Le Grand Macabre, conducted by Simon Rattle). She toured with the Calder Quartet for performances of Péter Eötvös’s The Sirens Cycle in Zurich, Paris, and Donaueschingen, Germany (CD recorded for the BMC label). Her previous appearance in Dublin was as Madama Mao in Nixon in China for Wide Open Opera. This is her debut with Irish National Opera.

Polish bass Lukas Jakobski studied at the Royal College of Music, and was a member of the Jette Parker Young Artist Programme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, where his roles included Angelotti in Puccini’s Tosca and Pietro in Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, performances which are now available on DVD. He has also performed with Classical Opera, Glyndebourne On Tour, Grange Park Opera, Opéra de Lyon, Dutch National Opera, Nederlandse Reisopera, the Polish National Opera and the Theater an der Wien. Concert engagements have included performances with the Academy of Ancient Music, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Ulster Orchestra, the Irish Baroque Orchestra, the Kymi Sinfonietta and the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra. Current engagements include a return to the Theater an der Wien as Leuthold in Rossini’s Guillaume Tell, Enrico in Donizetti’s Anna Bolena for Longborough Festival Opera, Bach’s St John Passion with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Handel’s Messiah with the Hallé Orchestra and Café Müller (to music by Purcell) with the Pina Bausch Dance Company. This is his debut with Irish National Opera.

RAPHAELA MANGAN MEZZO SOPRANO

ANDREW GAVIN TENOR

Second Lady

THIRD LADY

MONOSTATOS

Sarah Richmond is a singer known for warmth and versatility, and her roles have varied from Rosina in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia to Third Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, spanned periods from Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas to Gwendolen in Gerald Barry’s The Importance of Being Earnest and genres from Bianca/Gabriella in Puccini’s La rondine to Peep Bo Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado. Companies she has collaborated with include Pavilion Opera, NI Opera/Nevill Holt Opera, Iford Arts, Opera Collective Ireland, Lyric Opera Productions, Wide Open Opera, Spark Opera, Foyle Opera, North West Opera, Castleward Opera and Clonter Opera. Recital highlights include Oxford Lieder Festival, UK Strauss Society, Chester Music Festival and Dublin Song Series. Prominent conductors of solo engagements include Vasily Petrenko with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Gergely Madaras and Mark Elder. Most recently she performed Handel’s Messiah in Monte Carlo and Israelite Priest in Handel’s Esther with the Irish Baroque Orchestra under Peter Whelan. In June she will sing Véronique in Bizet’s Le docteur Miracle for Wexford Festival Opera at the Merrion Hotel in Dublin. She has been broadcast internationally as Willie in Mascagni’s Guglielmo Ratcliff at Wexford Festival Opera – which was also issued on CD by the RTÉ lyric fm label – and as a soloist for IRFU. Sarah was an ENO Opera Works Artist, NI Opera Young Artist and trained on the National Opera Studio Short Course. She graduated from the RNCM as a Drapers’ de Turckheim Scholar.

Raphaela has trained as a mezzo soprano, obtaining a record-breaking First Class Honours Degree from the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, Dublin and a Post Graduate Distinction from the Flanders Opera Studio, Belgium. Her singing career has seen her perform across the UK and Europe, where to date she has performed roles such as: Bradamante in Handel’s Alcina, Ottavia in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, Marcellina in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, Geneviève in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande, Idamante in Mozart’s Idomeneo, Glasha and Varvara in Katya Kabanova, Buttercup in Gilbert & Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore, Euridice in Haydn’s L’anima del filosofo, Olga in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and Mrs Lovett in Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd. Irish performances include the title role in Bizet’s Carmen, Cherubino in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, Orfeo in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, Tessa in Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Gondoliers, Bianca in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia and Penelope in Monteverdi’s The Return of Ulysses. She has performed in concert with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Irish Baroque Orchestra, Co-Orch and the Cork Fleischmann Symphony. Away from home she has performed in at the Usher and McEwan Halls, Edinbrugh, and Linbury Theatre in London. She also sings with leading choral societies in Ireland and Britain.

Andrew completed his Masters in Music Performance at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin in 2016, achieving First Class Honours under the tutelage of Mary Brennan, and that same year was a winner of the PwC Wexford Festival Opera Emerging Young Artist bursary. He is a graduate of the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, where he attained First Class Honours in English Literature and he also holds an MPhil in Children’s Literature from Trinity College Dublin. He made his Irish National Opera debut in April as Don Curzio in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and also played the roles of Franz, Andrés, Cochenille and Pitichinaccio in INO’s acclaimed production of Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann. Other roles include Michael Kelly in Mozart’s The Opera Director (INO), and Telemaco in Monteverdi’s The Return of Ulysses (Opera Collective Ireland). He created the roles of Alleyne, O’Halloran and Bob in Andrew Synnott’s Dubliners (Wexford Festival Opera/Opera Theatre Company) and also sang the role of Damon in Opera Theatre Company’s national tour of Handel’s Acis and Galatea and Arbace in a concert performance of Mozart’s Idomeneo at Kilkenny Arts Festival in in 2016. He also has a busy career as an oratorio soloist, and has performed in works by Bach (Evangelist in the St John Passion), Rossini, Liszt, Beethoven, Handel, Mendelssohn, CPE Bach, Mozart and Haydn.

RACHEL CROASH SOPRANO

Sarah Richmond MEZZO SOPRANO

FIRST LADY Dublin soprano Rachel Croash is a graduate of the Royal Irish Academy of Music and Maynooth University. She made her Irish National Opera stage debut in Mozart’s The Opera Director in April 2018. Her 2017 performance as Úna in Robert O’Dwyer’s Eithne (Opera Theatre Company) has recently been issued on CD on the RTÉ lyric fm label. She has been an Opera Theatre Company Opera Hub artist and the recipient of numerous awards including two bursaries at Wexford Festival Opera in 2015. She was a finalist in the 9th Festspiele Immling International Singing Competition and was subsequently invited back to perform Amore in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice and Gilda in selected scenes of Verdi’s Rigoletto. Her other opera roles include Musetta in Puccini’s La bohème, Mabel in Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance and Valencienne in Lehár’s The Merry Widow (Lyric Opera Productions), Elvira in Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri and Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan tutte (Blackwater Valley Opera Festival), Susanna in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and Frasquita in Bizet’s Carmen (Cork Opera House), Reneé in Delius’s Koanga (Wexford Festival Opera), Serafina in Donizetti’s Il campanello, Dew Fairy in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel and Annina in Verdi’s La traviata (ShortWorks at Wexford Festival Opera), Mademoiselle Silberklang in Mozart’s The Opera Director and Kate Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly (Irish National Opera), Mrs Coyle in Britten’s Owen Wingrave (Opera Collective Ireland), Susanna in Wolf-Ferrari’s Susanna’s Secret (Opera Theatre Company).

FEARGHAL CURTIS TENOR

ROBERT McALLISTER BASS-BARITONE

SPEAKER

FIRST ARMED MAN

SECOND ARMED MAN

Padraic Rowan graduated from the Royal Irish Academy of Music in 2013 with a Masters in Music Performance. He was a member of the Staatsoper Stuttgart Opera Studio for the 2016/17 season, a Jerwood Young Artist at the 2014 Glyndebourne Festival and is a laureate of Le Jardin des Voix, the young artist programme of Les Arts Florissants. Operatic engagements include Littore in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea (Salzburg Festival); the title role in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Alidoro in Rossini’s La Cenerentola (Landestheater Coburg); Yamadori in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Masetto in Mozart’s Don Giovanni (Staatsoper Stuttgart); First Soldier in Strauss’s Salome (Northern Ireland Opera); Lesbo in Handel’s Agrippina (Irish Youth Opera); Colline in Puccini’s La bohème (Opera Theatre Company). As a concert soloist, Padraic has performed Handel’s Messiah with the Staatskapelle Halle and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. Further concert performances include Bach’s St Matthew Passion and Weihnachtsoratorium, Mozart’s Requiem and Haydn’s The Creation. Under the direction of Emmanuelle Haïm, Padraic performed works from Handel as part of the 2015 Académie du Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. In the 2019/20 season, Padraic joins the Stipendiat Ensemble of Deutsche Oper Berlin, where he will perform a number of role debuts. Future engagements include Theseus in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Nevill Holt Opera) and Handel’s Messiah on a tour of Asia with Les Arts Florissants.

Fearghal is from Dublin and is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, London, and the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, Dublin. Most recently, he was part of the ensemble for Irish National Opera and United Fall’s production of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice and the chorus for Verdi’s Aida (INO). In 2018 he created the role of Stephen Dedalus in Eric Sweeney’s Ulysses (Bloomsday Festival) and in 2017 sang the role of Taoiseach in the first modern performance of Robert O’Dwyer’s Eithne (Opera Theatre Company). He was a member of the chorus in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro (Irish National Opera), and in the award-winning production of Donnacha Dennehy and Enda Walsh’s The Second Violinist (Wide Open Opera/Landmark Productions). Other opera highlights include Ensemble in Handel’s Acis and Galatea (OTC), Box in Sullivan’s Cox and Box and the title role in Rameau’s Pygmalion (Opera in the Open), Prologue/Quint in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw and Orpheus/Mercury in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld (DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama) and Apollo/Spirit/Pastore/ Ensemble in Monteverdi’s Orfeo (OTC), while he was an OTC Associate Young Artist in 2012/3. He also recently toured around Germany as lead classical tenor of The World of Musicals tour with GFD Promotions. His oratorio credits include tenor solo in Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, Charpentier’s Messe de minuit pour Noël, Mendelssohn’s Ave Maria and Karl Jenkins’s The Armed Man.

Robert McAllister achieved a joint honours degree in Business and Law at UCD, before deciding to pursue his operatic dreams. He studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and is now a member of the INO Opera Studio for the 2018/2019 season. Operatic roles performed include Sarastro in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Bottom in Purcell’s The Fairy Queen, Pluto in Monteverdi’s Il ballo delle ingrate, Luther in Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffman, Imperial Comissioner in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, The High King of Tír na nÓg in a concert performance of Robert O’Dwyer’s Eithne with Opera Theatre Company, a recording of which was recently released on the RTÉ lyric fm label. He has also covered the role of Ramfis in Aida and took part in Irish National Opera’s recent The Deadly World of Opera. He is an experienced oratorio performer and has performed Handel’s Messiah, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Haydn’s Nelson Mass, Liszt’s Coronation Mass, Mozart’s Spatzenmesse, Charpentier’s Messe de minuit pour Noël, Schubert’s Mass in C, Bach’s Coffee Cantata, Duruflé’s Requiem and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. He has performed with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, and last year travelled to Halle, Germany, to perform Handel’s Messiah with the Staatskapelle Halle. He has won many competitive awards including the Dramatic Cup, Young cup, Bass solo and the Oratorio Cup in the Feis Ceoil and in 2017 he was chosen as one of GoldenPlec’s Ones to Watch.

AMY NÍ FHEARRAIGH SOPRANO

PADRAIC ROWAN BASS-BARITONE

PAPAGENA Dublin-based soprano Amy Ní Fhearraigh was chosen as one of GoldenPlec’s Ones to Watch 2018. She is a current member of INO Studio. In April 2018 she made her Irish National Opera debut as Barbarina in the company’s critically-acclaimed production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. In September 2017 she made her debut with Opera Collective Ireland as Mrs Julian in the Irish premiere of Britten’s Owen Wingrave, for which GoldenPlec noted “her voice and physicality creating a character of delicious fury” and praised her “stunning performance”. Other roles include Susanna in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, the title role in Handel’s Susanna and Drusilla in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea (DIT Opera Ensemble), Lucinde in Gluck’s Armide (The Yorke Trust) and Frasquita in Bizet’s Carmen (Lyric Opera Productions). She made her RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra debut in a live broadcast on Lorcan Murray’s Classic Drive on RTÉ lyric fm. She will be performing in Brian Irvine and James Joys’s new A Different Wolf at Cork Midsummer Festival in June, with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra in August, and in Evangelia Rigaki’s new opera, This Hostel Life, in September. Early next year she will be singing Gretel for Irish National Opera, Abbey Theatre and Theatre Lovett’s touring production of Humperdinck’s Hansel & Gretel.

Turandot Puccini

Manon Massenet 26th Oct 2019

9th Nov 2019

Akhnaten Glass

Wozzeck Berg 11th Jan 2020

1st Feb 2020

Der Fliegende Holländer Wagner

Tosca Puccini

12th Oct 2019

23rd Nov 2019

Agrippina Handel 29th Feb 2020

14th Mar 2020

Madama Butterfly Puccini Porgy and Bess Gershwin

30th Mar 2020

Maria Stuarda Donizetti 9th May 2020

MATTHEW MANNION BARITONE

PETER O’REILLY TENOR

FIRST PRIEST

SECOND PRIEST

Matthew Mannion is a final year undergraduate at the Royal Irish Academy of Music where he studies with Owen Gilhooly and Dearbhla Collins. In 2018-19 he sang the role of Surgeon in the Irish premiere of Stephen McNeff’s Banished (Royal Irish Academy of Music), toured with Irish National Opera and United Fall in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, created the role of Liam in Tom Lane’s BackStage (Cork Midsummer Festival) and sang the title role in the Irish premiere of Judith Weir’s Scipio’s Dream (RIAM). Other roles include Samuel in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance (Lyric Opera Productions), Guglielmo in Mozart’s Così fan tutte (Flat Pack Music), Marchese in Verdi’s La traviata and Morales in Bizet’s Carmen (Lyric Opera Productions), the Imperial Commissioner in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly (Lyric Opera/Bowdon Opera Festival), Masetto in Mozart’s Don Giovanni (Opera Britain), Bartolo in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (DIT), and Second Elder in Handel’s Susanna (DIT/ Yorke Trust). As a soloist he has sung in Handel’s Messiah (Blackburn Music Society), Mozart’s Requiem (University of Dublin Choral Society, Wexford Festival Singers, Carlow Choral Society), Beethoven’s Mass in C (Carlow Choral Society), and Jesus in Bach’s St John Passion (Liverpool Baroque Orchestra). As a member of the chorus he has worked with Blackwater Valley Opera Festival, Opera Theatre Company, and Wide Open Opera. In the near future he will premiere the role of Owen in The Stalls by Tom Lane (Cork Opera House).

Peter O’Reilly is a graduate of the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama, where he was awarded a First Class Honours B.Mus. Whilst there, he was under the tutelage of Emmanuel Lawler, with whom he is continuing his training. Peter has also received coaching from Irish répétiteurs Mairéad Hurley, Trudi Carberry and Una Hunt. Peter has been an extremely successful prizewinner over recent years at the ESB Feis Ceoil, most recently winning the Cuisine de France John McCormack Bursary. He made his professional operatic debut in 2017, playing the role of Lechmere in Opera Collective Ireland’s production of Benjamin Britten’s Owen Wingrave. Previous notable engagements include two world premieres – Odhrán Ó Casaide’s Marbhna 1916 and Andrew Synnott’s Breakdown. He has also played leading roles for Lyric Opera Productions at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in Buxton Opera House, and the Rathmines & Rathgar Musical Society in the National Concert Hall, Dublin. He has also featured as the tenor soloist for oratorios performed by Dublin County Choir, Culwick Choral Society, Tallaght Choral Society, and the Guinness Choir. Last December he sang for Our Lady’s Choral Society’s performance of Handel’s Messiah in the National Concert Hall with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. He made his Irish National Opera debut as Nathanaël in Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann in September 2018. Peter will continue his studies as part of the Dutch National Opera Academy for the next two years.

Met Opera 2019-20 THE

WORLD’S

G R E AT E S T

OPERA

L I V E BY S AT E L L I T E TO YO U R LO C A L V E N U E

Tickets On Sale 2nd September 2019 www.classicalartsireland.com

03 43

INO studio update The development programme of the first seven months of INO Studio has kept our eight artists very busy. As part of April’s MusicTown festival in Dublin, our four studio singers (Amy Ní Fhearraigh, Robert McAllister, Andrew Gavin, Rachel Croash) and répétiteur (Rebecca Warren) took part in a new show: The Deadly World of Opera. This free, hour-long production was a crash course in the basics of opera for those new to the artform. The show was directed and co-written by studio director Sarah Baxter and was seen in East Wall, Ballymun, Clontarf and Inchicore as well as Dublin city centre. The singers performed to over 750 people, a third of whom had never been to an opera. INO Studio held a public masterclass with Irish mezzo-soprano, Tara Erraught, the day after her extraordinary National Concert Hall recital in April. The event was made possible through collaboration with the National Concert Hall and we hope to extend this partnership in further public masterclasses in the future. Outside of Dublin, our four singers and répétiteur performed a gala concert at Birr Festival of Music and Voice. If you’d like to hear more performances by some of Ireland’s most promising young artists, head down to the Carlow Arts Festival on for a recital by some of our singers. The INO Studio are also performing in a gala concert with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra at the National Concert Hall, featuring our studio conductor, Sinead Hayes. All this activity is on top of INO Studio’s participation in the The Magic Flute. All four of our singers have roles in today’s production. Our director, répétiteur and conductor, Sinéad Hayes, have all been working as assistants on the production. And Sinéad also conducts the two matinée performances. Application is now open for INO Studio 2019/2020. We’re looking for singers, conductors, composers, librettists, designers and répétiteurs interested in working in opera. For information contact Studio & Outreach Producer James Bingham at james@irishnationalopera.ie. The INO Studio is supported by a generous partnership with Goethe-Institut Irland and the Italian Cultural Institute.

22 OCTOBER – 3 NOVEMBER, 2019

BEST INTERNATIONAL OPERA FESTIVAL 2017

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Don Quichotte JULES MASSENET (1842–1912)

Dorilla in Tempe ANTONIO VIVALDI (1678–1741)

La cucina / Adina ANDREW SYNNOTT (1970–) GIOACHINO ROSSINI (1792–1868)

INO Studio

Opera Gala concert In Partnership with RTÉ Concert Orchestra

Friday 9 August Time 8pm Tickets €12 (Choir Balcony), €22, €27, €33, €39.50

irishnationalopera.ie

Founders Circle

F.X. & Pat O’Brien

Anonymous

Roy & Aisling Foster

Joseph O’Dea

Desmond Barry & John Redmill

Howard Gatiss

Dr J R O’Donnell

Valerie Beatty & Dennis Jennings

Genesis

Deirdre O’Donovan & Daniel Collins

Mark & Nicola Beddy

Hugh & Mary Geoghegan

Diarmuid O’Dwyer

Carina & Ali Ben Lmadani

Diarmuid Hegarty

Patricia O’Hara

Mary Brennan

M Hely Hutchinson

Annmaree O’Keefe & Chris Greene

Angie Brown

Gemma Hussey

Carmel & Denis O’Sullivan

Breffni & Jean Byrne

Kathy Hutton & David McGrath

Líosa O’Sullivan & Mandy Fogarty

Jennifer Caldwell

Nuala Johnson

Hilary Pratt

Seán Caldwell & Richard Caldwell

Susan Kiely

Sue Price

Caroline Classon, in memoriam David Warren, Gorey

Timothy King & Mary Canning

Landmark Productions

J & N Kingston

Audrey Conlon

Riverdream Productions

Kate & Ross Kingston

Gerardine Connolly

Nik Quaife & Emerson Bruns

Silvia & Jay Krehbiel

Jackie Connolly

Margaret Quigley

Karlin Lillington & Chris Horn

Gabrielle Croke

Patricia Reilly

Stella Litchfield

Sarah Daniel

Dr Frances Ruane

Jane Loughman

Maureen de Forge

Catherine Santoro

Rev Bernárd Lynch & Billy Desmond

Doreen Delahunty & Michael Moriarty

Dermot & Sue Scott

Lyndon MacCann S.C.

Joseph Denny

Yvonne Shields

Phyllis Mac Namara

Kate Donaghy

Fergus Sheil Sr

Tony & Joan Manning

Marcus Dowling

Gaby Smyth

R. John McBratney

Mareta & Conor Doyle

Matthew Patrick Smyth

Noel Doyle & Brigid McManus

Ruth McCarthy, in memoriam Niall & Barbara McCarthy

Bruce Stanley

Michael Duggan

Petria McDonnell

Catherine & William Earley

Jim McKiernan

Jim & Moira Flavin

Jean Moorhead

Ian & Jean Flitcroft

Sara Moorhead

Anne Fogarty

Joe & Mary Murphy

Maire & Maurice Foley

Ann Nolan & Paul Burns

James & Sylvia O’Connor John & Viola O’Connor

Sara Stewart The Wagner Society of Ireland Julian & Beryl Stracey Michael Wall & Simon Nugent Brian Walsh & Barry Doocey Judy Woodworth

INO team

James Bingham Studio & Outreach Producer Sorcha Carroll Marketing Manager Diego Fasciati Executive Director Sarah Freeman Head of Corporate Communications & Development

Board of Directors Gaby Smyth (Chair) Jennifer Caldwell Tara Erraught Gary Joyce Stella Litchfield Sara Moorhead Joseph Murphy Ann Nolan Yvonne Shields Michael Wall

Sarah Halpin Digital Communications Manager Cate Kelliher Business & Finance Manager Claire Lowney Development & Marketing Assistant Muireann Ní Dhubhghaill Artistic Administrator Gavin O’Sullivan Head of Production Fergus Sheil Artistic Director

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