The Marriage of Figaro programme by irishnationalopera

Irish National Opera Mozart

The Marriage of Figaro

Acknowledgements Niall Doyle, Liz Meaney and all at The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon. Laura McGuigan and all at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin. Aisling White, Tracy Ryan and all at the National Opera House Wexford. Gerry Keenan and all at the Irish Chamber Orchestra. Gail Henry and all at RTÉ lyric fm. Istituto Italiano di Cultura. Sharon Carty. National Concert Hall. Jack Mastroianni at IMG. Tim Menah at Askonas Holt. Emma Hall at Musichall. Christopher Carroll at Christopher Carroll Artists. Mark Kendall at Mark Kendall Artists Management. Dominic Stafford Uglow at Stafford Law. John McHugh and Hazard Chase. Sharon Levinson at Dennis Lyne Agency. Amy Markatis at CVH Management. David Mooney at DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama. Ross Hinds at Wesley House, Leeson Park. Catherine at Barnardos Bridal Rooms. Eden Bar & Grill. Ruth Fitzmaurice and Ian Thompson. Terry Stanley. John Ryan. Trevor Price. Odhran Sherwin. Stephen Coleman. Noel McEntee. Barry O’Brien. Rory Everitt. Kieran Cooney.

wolfgang amadeus MOZART 1756-91

the marriage of figaro Le nozze di Figaro 1786

in partnership with irish chamber orchestra

Opera buffa in four acts Libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte After Pierre Beaumarchais’s comedy La Folle Journée, ou Le mariage de Figaro First performance, Burgtheater, Vienna, 1 May 1786. First Irish performances, 27 January 1821 (in English), 6 March 1838 (in Italian). First Irish National Opera performance, 13 April 2018, National Opera House, Wexford.

Sung in Italian with English surtitles The edition of Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) used in these performances is published by Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel. Performed by arrangement with Faber Music Ltd, London. Duration 3 hours 20 minutes including one 20 minute interval after Act II. The performance on Saturday 21 April will be recorded by RTÉ lyric fm for future transmission.

PERFORMANCES Friday 13 April National Opera House Wexford Tuesday 17 April Gaiety Theatre Dublin Wednesday 18 April Gaiety Theatre Dublin Friday 20 April Gaiety Theatre Dublin Saturday 21 April Gaiety Theatre Dublin

Irish National Opera

Presented in association with the Dublin Theatre Festival In partnership with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra

Bartók

BLUEBEARD’s CASTLE fri 12, sat 13, sun 14 October Gaiety Theatre DUBLIN Tickets go on sale Friday 27 April from dublintheatrefestival.com Directed by Enda Walsh Starring Paula Murrihy · Joshua Bloom

irishnationalopera.ie

an ideal starting point I’m delighted to welcome you to Irish National Opera’s first new production and the launch of a new era for opera in Ireland.

Fergus Sheil Artistic director

Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro is an ideal starting point. Few other operas can equal its brilliance. Da Ponte’s libretto, with its countless twists, turns and subplots, all masterfully interwoven, is a work of genius on its own. The inventiveness of Mozart’s music elevates the words to yet another dimension. The genius of The Marriage of Figaro lies in the unparalleled relationship of text and music – a holy grail of interaction that gives us the artform we love.

We live in a golden age of Irish opera performance, so we are fortunate to have a mouth-watering roster of Irish artists to showcase. It’s a huge inspiration to be able to present the mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught, who comes to INO between stints at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Berlin State Opera. Her combination of effortless-seeming technical brilliance and communicative personality makes her one of the most thrilling singers of our time. She appears alongside top Irish artists Ben McAteer, Máire Flavin, Aoife Miskelly and John Molloy, who are all regular performers on major international opera stages. And emerging artists Amy Ní Fhearraigh and Andrew Gavin get an early chance to share the stage with one of Ireland’s best-loved veteran artists, Suzanne Murphy. Our production is enhanced by the wealth of experience brought by our international guests, Jonathan Lemalu, Adrian Thompson and Graeme Danby. The creative team, led by director Patrick Mason, has sought to present Figaro in a production that is faithful, detailed and full of fun. In the pit is the Irish Chamber Orchestra with its razorsharp musical responsiveness; this is the first of several planned partnerships with this orchestra. Our conductor is Peter Whelan, an artist I admire hugely for the imaginative ways he has of making the music jump off the page of the score. Opera only ever comes fully to life through a terrific team effort. The people working behind the scenes to deliver the productions outnumber the cast you see on stage. Visible or invisible, the skill and dedication of each member of the team are what make this big machine come to life and produce experiences unlike anything else. You may already know and love Figaro. Or you may be encountering the opera for the first time. Either way, I hope you will be moved, even swept off your feet, by tonight’s performance, and I look forward to seeing you again in 2018 and beyond. 05

Irish National Opera

VERDI

AIDA sat 24, tue 27, thur 29 NOVEMBER & sat 1 DECEMBER BORD GáIS ENERGY Theatre Tickets from €15 booking bordgaisenergytheatre.ie 0818 719 377

In association with Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. In partnership with RTÉ Concert Orchestra.

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08 02

investing in opera

Diego Fasciati Executive Director

Opera has always depended on the kindness of, well, maybe not strangers but institutions and individuals without whose support the artform would simply not exist. The Marriage of Figaro would never have seen the light of day without the patronage of Austria’s Joseph II – nor without the guile of Lorenzo Da Ponte, the immensely talented Italian librettist. It was he who convinced the would-be reformer emperor that while the subject matter of Figaro had been deemed too dangerous for the theatre, it would be perfectly innocuous in opera form.

To this day, many European opera houses retain a “royal box” but, crucially, they are now funded through the public purse. Thus they belong to and are accessible by all. We are keenly aware that the Arts Council has made a significant new commitment to opera in Ireland. We are grateful not only for the increase in opera support but also for the council’s vision in calling a national opera company into being, in spite of its own not insignificant financial constraints. We believe that our broad-ranging 2018 programme already demonstrates good value for money and provides an excellent return on investment. By European standards, though, Ireland still lags behind in state support for the arts in general and opera in particular. We hope this will be addressed in the near future. We are also grateful to the generous and committed opera lovers who have joined our Founders Circle. Their contributions form the foundation of Irish National Opera and we look forward to many more joining their ranks. As we build our new company, we are also looking forward to working with corporate partners who wish to associate their brand with our new, ambitious, exciting and distinctively Irish company. Of course we will always also depend on you, our audience. Attending performances is the most important form of modern-day patronage. The comic Chris Addison recently described the experience and effect of opera as “an espresso shot of pure humanity.” You will get plenty of those in tonight’s performance. Welcome to The Marriage of Figaro. We hope you enjoy the show.

Join Irish National Opera’s Founders Circle Be Part of Irish Opera History!

We’re ambitious, bold and new. In our first year, we will present seven operas, five of them new productions, and tour to thirteen venues in Ireland as well as to London’s Barbican Centre. We will collaborate with Irish artists and opera stars who have held global audiences spellbound. We will appear in major festivals, including the Galway International Arts Festival and Dublin Theatre Festival. This is a renaissance of opera in Ireland and you can be part of our success story. Join the Founders Circle by making a once-off contribution of €1,000 and your name will forever be associated with the founding of Irish National Opera. We will acknowledge members of our Founders Circle in perpetuity. If you wish, you may also choose to make a Founders Circle contribution in someone else’s name(s) and, if you prefer, you can make a contribution anonymously. This is your chance to play a part in the history of Irish opera.

Call us on (01) 679 4962 see www.irishnationalopera.ie or email diego@irishnationalopera.ie for further information.

Founders Circle Founders Circle Members as of 06/04/18

Mary Brennan

Phyllis MacNamara

Angie Brown

Tony & Joan Manning

Jennifer Caldwell

R. John McBratney

Audrey Conlon

Petria McDonnell

Jackie Connolly

Jean Moorhead

Maureen de Forge

Sara Moorhead

Michael Duggan

Ann Nolan & Paul Burns

Catherine & William Earley

F.X. & Pat O’Brien

Jim & Moira Flavin

James & Sylvia O’Connor

Maire & Maurice Foley

Dr J. R. O’Donnell

Gemma Hussey

Diarmuid O’Dwyer

Kathy Hutton & David McGrath

Patricia O’Hara

Karlin Lillington & Chris Horn

Margaret Quigley

Susan Kiely

Patricia Reilly

Timothy King & Mary Canning

Catherine Santoro

J. & N. Kingston

Dermot & Sue Scott

Kate & Ross Kingtson

Gaby Smyth

Landmark Productions

Bruce Stanley

Stella Litchfield

Wagner Society

Jane Loughman

Brian Walsh & Barry Doocey

Lyndon MacCann S.C.

And those who wish to remain anonymous

setting the scene The story of The Marriage of Figaro is one of the oldest stories in the world, one that’s still to be encountered all too frequently and widely, witness the post-Harvey Weinstein #MeToo campaign. A man wants a woman and just doesn’t know where to draw the line. In the opera the power nexus is extreme. The man is a member of the nobility, Count Almaviva, and the focus of his desire is Susanna, one of his employees. To get what he wants he even threatens to revoke his abolition of the droit du seigneur that would have given him the right to sleep with Susanna The play by Beaumarchais on which the opera is based had been banned by Louis XVI in France and by Joseph II in Vienna. The rulers of the 18th century were as careful about their images as royalty and nobility as the dictators and autocrats of today are about their own representations. The opera’s librettist, Lorenzo da Ponte, had to explain to the emperor that “I have omitted and shortened anything that could offend the sensibility and decency of a spectacle at which His Sovereign Majesty presides.” And in his preface to the printed edition of the libretto he explained his cuts as being motivated by “prudent considerations and exigencies imposed by morality, place and spectators”. Yet Mozart and da Ponte managed to sneak past their ruler a work that leaves no doubt about where their sympathies lie in the opera’s struggle between the upper and lower orders. It’s not exactly a fairly-balanced fight. The Count’s sinned-against wife is on the same side as Susanna and her soon to be husband Figaro. And in the middle of their scheming there is the unpredictable and irrepressible page boy Cherubino whose teenage infatuations lead him into all kinds of trouble and who becomes the unwitting agent of many of the opera’s comic situations. The Count’s own lust has no impact on the possessive control he still wants to exert over his wife. So she is delighted to have the opportunity to turn the tables on him. The opera’s final act all hinges on deceit and disguise, with people in a garden at night wooing and exchanging keepsakes in a series of slapstick-like misadventures. The Count’s unmasking forces him to change his tune and true love can run smoothly once more. The character Figaro first appeared in Beaumarchais’s play Le barbier de Séville and then in the operas on that play by Rossini and others. He is the barber who helps the Count win the hand of Rosina, the girl of his dreams. This is achieved against the wishes of her guardian, Doctor Bartolo, and only by greasing the palm of her music teacher Don Basilio. In tonight’s opera Rosina is now the Countess. Figaro has become the Count’s valet and is getting ready for his own wedding to Susanna, the Countess’s maid. But although the Count has abolished the droit du seigneur he still has Susanna in his sights.

synopsis The action takes place over a single day in the castle of Count Almaviva near Seville.

Act I Figaro and Susanna are preparing for their wedding in a partly-furnished room the Count

has chosen as their new quarters. Figaro is pleased until Susanna points out the shortcomings of the room. It’s within easy reach of the Count’s room and Susanna knows that the Count is a sexual predator and has his eye on her. Figaro sings that if the Count wants to take him on it will be Figaro who will call the tune. Bartolo and his housekeeper Marcellina are plotting to scupper the wedding. Marcellina fancies Figaro, who is half her age, and wants to marry him. Susanna arrives and the two women trades barbs. The page Cherubino is a hormonal teenager. He is attracted by anyone in a skirt, especially the Countess for whom has even written a song. He envies Susanna, who gets to dress and undress the Countess, and he snatches one of her ribbons as a keepsake. He sings of the confusion of his lovelife and when the Count is spotted approaching, he hides behind an armchair, where Susanna tries to cover him. The Count and Susanna engage awkwardly with each other, and when the voice of Basilio is heard it’s the Count’s turn to want to hide behind the armchair. Basilio arrives and his gossip about amorous intrigues finally rouses the eavesdropping Count and causes him to reveal his presence. The consternation that follows is trumped when the Count accidentally uncovers Cherubino. A lot of explaining ensues. A chorus of villagers drummed up by Figaro enters to sing the Count’s praises for having abolished “a privilege so painful to lovers”. The Count finds it all devilishly sly, but he’s wily himself. He decides to take Cherubino out of the picture by sending him off to join the army, as an officer in his own regiment. His intention is to trim the wings of the young “amorous butterfly”.

Act II The Countess is in her boudoir and in one of the opera’s most famous arias, Porgi amor,

she craves relief from the pain of fading love. She turns to grilling Susanna about the Count’s behaviour and when Figaro enters he lays out a plan to ensnare her errant husband. The idea is to tell the Count by anonymous letter that his wife is having an assignation with a lover. This is to distract him from interfering with the wedding. Then Susanna will agree to meet him, but the person who shows up will be Cherubino, dressed as a woman. The trap will be sprung when the Countess shows up and catches the two of them together.

Cherubino arrives, and is persuaded to sing the song he wrote for the Countess. He already knows of the scheme against the Count and, after Susanna locks the door, she and the Countess have fun dressing him up in female clothes. The Count’s arrival is signalled by his knocking on the door. Cherubino has time to hide in the Countess’s dressing room, but the Count is on the war path. He is racked with suspicions because of the letter, the locked door, and the noises he now hears from the locked dressing room. The Count goes off for help, and the fabulous confusions which follow are only partially resolved when Cherubino pulls off one of opera’s most celebrated defenestrations. His jump from the window is not a clean escape. He unfortunately messes up the work of the gardener, Antonio. Figaro arrives with nothing apparently on his mind but his wedding. The Count is more interested in cross-examining him about the letter. Antonio rushes in, complaining about the damage done by the man who jumped out of the window, a development that Figaro can’t quite manage to explain away. Marcellina arrives wanting to enforce a contract that compels Figaro to marry her because of an unpaid debt, and she is backed up by Basilio and Bartolo. The Count seizes the opportunity to take control or, as he puts it, make sure things are done in proper order.

Act III The Count is in the large hall where the wedding will take place. He is turning over the

day’s events, trying to make sense of them. The Countess and Susanna are scheming, and the Countess instructs Susanna to agree to meet the Count in the garden, though the Countess will actually go instead. Figaro arrives and a triumphant remark by Susanna is overheard by the Count, whose thoughts then turn to vengeance. Marcellina is still pursuing Figaro, and Don Curzio’s legal decision has gone her way. Figaro must pay up or marry her. Figaro is a foundling who believes himself to be of noble birth, and when he recounts the story of his childhood it becomes clear he can’t marry Marcellina. She is his mother, and Bartolo his father, a development which is explored in a glorious sextet. Marcellina and Bartolo decide there will be a double wedding. The gardener’s daughter Barbarina is in love with Cherubino and decides to help him elude the Count – by dressing him up as a girl. The Countess again contemplates her fate, wondering where her happy moments have gone.

The gardener tells the Count that Cherubino is still around. The Countess has Susanna write a letter to entrap the Count, and they sing an enraptured duet while the Countess dictates the words. The letter is sealed with one of the Countess’s pins. The peasant girls, Barbarina and Cherubino among them, arrive with flowers for the Countess and Antonio enters with the Count to expose Cherubino. Barbarina shows guile in dealing with the Count, and uses their less than proper past encounters to make him let her marry Cherubino. Figaro urges for the wedding to get underway. A march is heard, the ceremonies start, the Count and Countess receive the couples, and a chorus sings in praise of the Count’s liberal abandonment of the droit du seigneur. Susanna slips the letter to the Count, who is seen by Figaro pricking his finger with the pin that seals it. The act ends with a festive chorus.

Act IV It is evening and Barbarina is in a garden with two pavilions, searching for something she has lost – the pin, which the Count has told her to return to Susanna. When she tells Figaro what she is looking for he remembers the Count pricking his finger and immediately fears Susanna is two-timing him. Marcellina urges patience, but Figaro vows to avenge all husbands, and Marcellina decides to warn Susanna.

Barbarina enters for an assignation she has made with Cherubino. Figaro, Bartolo and Basilio arrive, all under the assumption that Susanna is rendezvousing with the Count behind Figaro’s back. Figaro expresses his feelings of betrayal and torment. The Countess and Susanna, each in the other’s clothes, enter with Marcellina. With all the disguises, the deceitful arrangements and the ill-founded presumptions, the scene is set for the confusions and suspense of a great comedy of errors. At its height the Count accuses Figaro of seducing the Countess, and the Countess (in reality, the disguised Susanna) pleads forgiveness. The Count refuses all entreaties. Enter the real Countess, and now it’s the Count who wants to be forgiven. The Countess is kinder. She forgives immediately. The revelry of the wedding day can resume.

CAST Count Almaviva, A Spanish Lord

Ben McAteer

Baritone

Countess Almaviva, His wife

Máire Flavin

Soprano

Susanna, The Countess’s maid

Tara Erraught

Mezzo-soprano

Figaro, The Count’s servant and Susanna’s fiancee

Jonathan Lemalu

Bass

Cherubino, A page

Aoife Miskelly

Soprano

Marcellina, Housekeeper to Bartolo

Suzanne Murphy

Soprano

Doctor Bartolo, A Doctor

Graeme Danby

Bass

Don Basilio, A music master

Adrian Thompson

Tenor

Don Curzio, A judge

Andrew Gavin

Tenor

Antonio, The Count’s gardener and Susanna’s uncle

John Molloy

Bass

Barbarina, His daughter

Amy Ní Fhearraigh

Soprano

Bridesmaid 1

Catherine Donnelly Soprano

Bridesmaid 2

Dominica Williams

ORCHESTRA

Irish Chamber Orchestra

Mezzo-soprano

chorus Soprano Catherine Donnelly Corina Ignat Gabrielle Mulcahy Muireann Mulrooney

Mezzo-soprano Eimear McCarthy Luddy Bríd Ní Ghruagáin Martha O’Brien Dominica Williams

Tenor Fearghal Curtis Philip Keegan Ciarán Kelly Josh Spink

Bass Rory Dunne Cormac Lawlor Kevin Neville David Scott

Creative Team Conductor

Peter Whelan

Director

Patrick Mason

Set & Costume Designer

Francis O’Connor

Lighting Designer

Paul Keogan

Choreographer

Muirne Bloomer

Assistant Director

Sarah Baxter

Répétiteur

Aoife O’Sullivan

Production Team Production Manager Eamonn Fox

Tailor Gillian Carew

Italian Coach Pia Maltri

Company Stage Manager Paula Tierney

Wigs & Make-up Carole Dunne

Stage Manager Conleth Stanley

Technical Manager Tom Rohan

Communications & Development Consultant Nik Quaife

Assistant Stage Manager Mary Kilduff

Master Carpenter Pete Boyle

Costume Supervisor Sinéad Lawlor

Production Electrician Pip Walsh

Costume Assistant Lauren Murphy

Lighting Programmer Eoin McNinch

Costume Makers Denise Assas Anne O’Mahoney

Set Construction TPS, Scenic Artist Sandra Butler Surtitle Operator Maeve Sheil

Publicist Conleth Teevan Graphic Design Alphabet Soup programme editor Michael Dervan Photography Kip Carroll Pat Redmond Promotional Video Gansee Films

being tara What do you remember from the first opera you went to? The first opera I saw live was Aida, in Verona, where they do the big chorus – everyone sings before the show and at the end of the show. For me it was the set. It was so huge, the big pyramid, and they had a mechanical elephant. I also remember that Amneris had what looked like... the amphitheatre is so big, and we were so high up... but she had what looked like a chain-metal, heavy, heavy costume, and when she sang she made more noise than the whole chorus together. I remember thinking, if that’s the next step, that’s what I now need to learn, that projection. I was so taken aback when she came to sing. It’s maybe not the most interesting music in the whole opera. But it was incredible! So, the sets, the costume, and her I remember. And the chorus. I really had no exposure to opera before that. It was chance that we went to that particular show. It was part of the cultural experience of the holiday. It was just so wonderful.

What do you remember from your first appearance on an opera stage? A lot, a lot. Really, a lot. I was only with Ronnie [her teacher, Veronica Dunne] about maybe two months before she said to me, this summer I’m going to send you to work with Ugo Benelli in Italy. I thought, OK, whatever, thinking it was going to be like a masterclass. He had picked, to do with students, Puccini’s

e r raught Gianni Schicchi, one of the most difficult ensemble pieces in any repertoire. I remember going over there. I hadn’t a word of Italian, but I had learnt everything backwards with Ronnie and with Jeannie Reddin, God rest her [Jeannie Reddin, accompanist and vocal coach, died in 2016 at the age of 100].

thought, oh my God, I’m actually on the stage, before I had even for a second thought, are my parents here, or how the audience are, or the conductor. Nothing, nothing. I got so lost in the character. That’s when I thought, you know what, I’ve gotta learn how to act as a singer, and not just do a good art-song performance.

I really knew every part. So I was musically prepared. We sat and we did all these musical rehearsals, and I thought, we are the bomb, we are going to be amazing. Until the first stage rehearsal, and then I thought, oh God, I have just two faces. My shocked face or my happy face. Nothing in between. And I remember panicking and panicking and panicking coming up to the performance, thinking the Italians are going to see right through me. I knew what every word meant. And I knew how to tell a story. But I didn’t really know how to play, how to play with my whole body. You know, not just give a concert.

I knew straight away after that first show, there was a big difference between what I’d learnt so far as a singer, and what it was to be an opera singer. I learnt that I was going to have to learn how to read the audience. I didn’t even know there was an audience that first night, I was so over-involved in her. It was the beginning of a big, big, ten-, twelve-year learning curve, of how to find out what people want, and how to give that and let it have an effect on the singing, but without it taking over the whole body. Still being able to play without losing the vocal quality, being able to read the audience and change things up a little bit.

I remember then that I sat and quickly called Ronnie and said, I’m missing something, I’m missing this next kind of step. They’re going to chew me up. And she said, you’ve got to be tough. You can’t just go out there as Tara and do a concert as Tara with Tara’s experience. You have to think now like La Ciesca [her character in Gianni Schicchi], think of the back story and so on. I was so over-involved for about two days, wondering what would she eat, or how she would have got up in the morning.

It was a big thing, that first show. A really big thing. I haven’t thought about it like this in a long time!

I really went far too far. I had done the whole role, we were nearly at the end of the show before I

What was the best opera or singing advice you ever got? It has to be that you give your most in the rehearsal room, like push the boundaries as far as they’re going to go in the rehearsal room. And for me, I’ve spent a lot of time doing funny characters, so especially when you do a trouser role, there’s an emotional blockage that you really can’t pass as a woman playing a man. Because you don’t know. You can ask and you can watch and you can see. 17

That’s one of the reasons I do these Mozart roles. It’s to try and learn the women and really try to learn to be open. With Elvira in Don Giovanni, for example, I had to push the boundaries and let all the anger out in the rehearsal room, to see what happened. It’s quite a selfish thing to do that as a singer. But you’ve got to see emotionally where you want to go with it. Let it all out! And then you realise, OK, number one, it definitely wasn’t good for the voice. Number two, it doesn’t travel, the actual emotion and drama of it don’t leave the stage. When Ronnie had said that to me she really meant that I’ve got to stay as open as I can, emotionally, but make sure it’s in a way that the public can read it and can see it. That it’s for them, that they must feel that gutwrenching pain. I came to experience that quite late, because of the repertoire that I do.

What moment do you most look forward to when you go to a performance of The Marriage of Figaro? The Overture. I cannot wait for it to start. It’s the only show where I’m in my seat the second they open the doors, and waiting and waiting. I just find it the most exciting music in all of opera. It’s just incredible what happens in the overture. And it’s such a fast start. He starts with all guns blazing.

What’s the most challenging aspect of singing Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro?

What is the most annoying misconception about opera?

It’s long. It’s really long. And he wrote this incredible fourth-act ending. The music is stupendous. It’s high. It’s piano. And it’s stamina. When I was studying it I thought, it’s definitely twice as long as anything else I sing, it’s going to be impossible, nearly. Until I got to the staging of it, and to play it. Then it’s no problem.

That it is elitist. For me that’s a big thing. I understand that oftentimes and in certain countries it has become terribly expensive. However, I’ve been very lucky to spend the last ten years on the continent. And yes, of course you can spend €300 if you want on one ticket. But you can also get a ticket for €5, if you want, and you’re willing to sit or stand wherever that might be. It’s been very, very interesting in Germany to see how normal it is to bring your children to the theatre. It’s part of the culture.

Because she goes on such an interesting journey. The story never stops. She doesn’t sit down for a minute. There’s nowhere where there isn’t a problem or an issue. There’s always something to be resolved. And you’re so busy doing that, the voice is free. It’s great. There’s nowhere in the show where you’ve got to drag yourself up again. In other shows where you may be on stage for 15 minutes but you don’t sing, you’ve got to keep everything up. Keep the voice warm and keep the body alive to

keep everything fresh. With Susanna there’s no problem. It’s so genius the way it’s written.

What was it like to make your debut at the Met? Surreal. The thing with the role I sang, Niklausse [in Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann] is that he starts the whole show. The first fifteen minutes he’s just singing by himself. So to come out there that first night, I thought, O Lord above. Geraldine McGee [her teacher in her home town, Dundalk] had always said to me, you must always say three Hail Marys when you go on stage. Well, I stood at the side of the Metropolitan stage and I said three Hail Marys, because it was all I could think to do. My parents were there, Ronnie was there, Alison Young [vocal coach] was there. They’d all flown in. It was brilliant. I can’t lie to you. After about the first four bars I relaxed into myself. It is the most incredible space. Because you can really hear the sound coming back. But the first 90 seconds, when you’re just not sure, were terrifying. It was quite barren, very little costume, bare feet, bare arms. It felt really exposed, just clarinet, nothing else in this football stadium room. I was there all September, October with the Hoffmann. I left for three weeks, came back to Munich, which really is home, for a Schweigsame Frau by Richard Strauss. I went back to the Met to do Hansel [in Humperdinck’s

Hansel and Gretel], a role I know very well, in a production I know very well. That was even more comfortable, because I trusted the theatre and the size of it, and I trusted myself. I had a lot more fun, because I was much more relaxed. It’s an amazing place.

If you weren’t an opera singer, what might you have become? A very interesting question. I would have been the boss of something. I probably would have gone into hospitality, like my parents. I find the industries the same, especially as a chef or, say, a hotel manager. As a chef, as a performer, it’s the same thing. It might be the same menu, the same performance every night. But with a different audience. There are always critics. It’s always open to people’s opinions and tastes. At the same time we have to come in and be open and give our very best. But it’s still my musical choices, or their choices in the menu and ingredients. But, my God, a live kitchen is so energetic. When my father comes in from work, it’s the same as when I come in from a show. He’s full of chat. It’s this absolute adrenaline high. That’s where I probably would have gone. But my strongest subject at school was business studies. And that’s a different thing altogether. In interview with Michael Dervan

Michael Kelly on

Michael Kelly in 1792 by John Condé

Michael Kelly (born Dublin, 12 August 1762; died Margate, 9 October 1826) The autobiography of the Irish tenor, actor, theatre manager and composer Michael Kelly was published in London in two volumes in 1826. The full title is long, in the style of the time: Reminiscences of Michael Kelly of the King’s Theatre, and Theatre Royal Drury Lane, including A Period of Nearly Half a Century; with Original Anecdotes of Many Distinguished Persons, Political, Literary, and Musical. One of those “distinguished persons” was Mozart, and the easiest way to introduce the multi-talented Kelly is by leaning on another Irish person, the Galway scholar Emily Anderson (1891-1962), whose 1,100-page English translation of Mozart’s letters, first published in 1938, is still in print today. Her footnote on Kelly reads: “Michael Kelly (1762-1826), who in Mozart’s catalogue of his own works appears as ‘Occhelly’, was born in Dublin. He went to Naples in 1779 to be trained as an operatic tenor, and four years later came to Vienna where he enjoyed the intimate friendship of Mozart. Kelly took the parts of Basilio and Don Curzio in the first performance of Le nozze di Figaro. He also composed songs which were popular. His Reminiscences in two volumes, written by Theodore Hook with the help of material supplied by Kelly, appeared in 1826. They contain accounts of Mozart which are both interesting and important.” The following extracts from Kelly’s Reminiscences detail his first meeting with Mozart, and his memories of The Marriage of Figaro.

I went one evening to a concert of the celebrated Kozeluch’s, a great composer for the pianoforte, as well as a fine performer on that instrument. I saw there the composers Vanhal and Baron Dittersdorf; and, what was to me one of the greatest gratifications of my musical life, was there introduced to that prodigy of genius – Mozart. He favoured the company by performing fantasias and capriccios on the piano-forte. His feeling, the rapidity of his fingers, the great execution and strength of his left hand, particularly, and the apparent inspiration of his modulations, astounded me. After this splendid performance we sat down to supper, and I had the pleasure to be placed at table between him and his wife, Madame Constance Weber, a German lady of whom he was passionately fond, and by whom he had three children. He conversed with me a good deal about Thomas Linley, the first Mrs. Sheridan’s brother, with whom he was intimate at Florence, and spoke of him with great affection. He said that Linley was a true genius, and he felt that, had he lived, he would have been

ozart one of the greatest ornaments of the musical world. After supper the young branches of our host had a dance, and Mozart joined them. Madame Mozart told me, that great as his genius was, he was an enthusiast in dancing, and often said that his taste lay in that art, rather than in music. He was a remarkably small man, very thin and pale, with a profusion of fine fair hair, of which he was rather vain. He gave me a cordial invitation to his house, of which I availed myself, and passed a great part of my time there. He always received me with kindness and hospitality. – He was remarkably fond of punch, of which beverage I have seen him take copious draughts. He was also fond of billiards, and had an excellent billiard table in his house. Many and many a game have I played with him, but always came off second best. He gave Sunday concerts, at which I never was missing. He was kind-hearted, and always ready to oblige; but so very particular, when he played, that if the slightest noise were made, he instantly left off. He one day made me sit down to the piano, and gave credit to my first master, who had taught me to place my hand well on the instrument. – He conferred on me what I considered a high compliment. I had composed a little melody to Metastasio’s canzonetta, Grazie agl’ inganni tuoi, which was a great favourite wherever I sang it. It was very simple, but had the good fortune to please Mozart. He took it and composed variations upon it, which were truly beautiful; and had the further kindness and condescension to play them wherever he had an opportunity. Encouraged by his flattering approbation, I attempted several little airs, which I shewed him, and which he kindly approved of; so much indeed, that I determined to devote myself to the study of counterpoint, and consulted with him, by whom I ought to be instructed. – He said, “My good lad, you ask my advice, and I will give it you candidly; had you studied composition when you were at Naples, and when your mind was not devoted to other pursuits, you would perhaps have done wisely; but now that your profession of the stage must, and ought, to occupy all your attention, it would be an unwise measure to enter into a dry study. You may take my word for it, Nature has made you a melodist, and you would only disturb and perplex yourself. Reflect, ‘a little knowledge is a dangerous thing;’ – should there be errors in what you write, you will find hundreds of musicians, in all parts of the world, capable of correcting them; therefore do not disturb your natural gift.” “Melody is the essence of music,” continued he; “I compare a good melodist to a fine racer, and counterpointists to hack post-horses; therefore be advised, let well alone, and remember the old Italian proverb – Chi sa piu, meno sa – Who knows most, knows least.” The opinion of this great man made on me a lasting impression.

Michael Kelly on

the marr

There were three operas now on the tapis, one by Righini, another by Salieri (the Grotto of Trophonius), and one by Mozart, by special command of the Emperor. Mozart chose to have Beaumarchais’ French comedy, Le Mariage de Figaro, made into an Italian opera, which was done with great ability, by Da Ponte. These three pieces were nearly ready for representation at the same time, and each composer claimed the right of producing his opera for the first. The contest raised much discord, and parties were formed. The characters of the three men were all very different. Mozart was as touchy as gun-powder, and swore he would put the score of his opera into the fire if it was not produced first; his claim was backed by a strong party: on the contrary, Righini was working like a mole in the dark to get precedence. The third candidate was Maestro di Cappella to the court, a clever shrewd man, possessed of what Bacon called, crooked wisdom; and his claims were backed by three of the principal performers, who formed a cabal not easily put down. Every one of the opera company took part in the contest. I alone was a stickler for Mozart, and naturally enough, for he had a claim on my warmest wishes, from my adoration of his powerful genius, and the debt of gratitude I owed him, for many personal favours. The mighty contest was put an end to by His Majesty issuing a mandate for Mozart’s Nozze di Figaro, to be instantly put into rehearsal; and none more than Michael O’Kelly, enjoyed the little great man’s triumph over his rivals. Of all the performers in this opera at that time, but one survives – myself. It was allowed that never was opera stronger cast. I have seen it performed at different periods in other countries, and well too, but no more to compare with its original performance than light is to darkness. All the original performers had the advantage of the instruction of the composer, who transfused into their minds his inspired meaning. I never shall forget his little animated countenance, when lighted up with the glowing rays of genius; – it is as impossible to describe it, as it would be to paint sun-beams. I called on him one evening; he said to me, “I have just finished a little duet for my opera, you shall hear it.” He sat down to the piano, and we sang it. I was delighted with it, and the musical world will give me credit for being so, when I mention the duet, sung by Count Almaviva and Susan, Crudel perchè finora farmi languire così. A more delicious morceau never was penned by man, and it has often been a source of pleasure to me to have been the first who heard it, and to have sung it with its greatly gifted composer. I remember at the first rehearsal of the full band, Mozart was on the stage with his crimson pelisse and gold-laced cocked hat, giving the time of the music to the orchestra. Figaro’s song, Non più andrai, farfallone amoroso, Bennuci gave, with the greatest animation, and power of voice. I was standing close to Mozart, who, sotto voce, was repeating, Bravo! Bravo! Bennuci; and when Bennuci came to the fine passage, Cherubino, alla vittoria, alla gloria militar, which he gave out with Stentorian lungs, the effect was electricity itself, for the whole of the performers on the stage, and 22

rriage of figaro those in the orchestra, as if actuated by one feeling of delight, vociferated Bravo! Bravo! Maestro. Viva, viva, grande Mozart. Those in the orchestra I thought would never have ceased applauding, by beating the bows of their violins against the music desks. The little man acknowledged, by repeated obeisances, his thanks for the distinguished mark of enthusiastic applause bestowed upon him. The same meed of approbation was given to the finale at the end of the first act; that piece of music alone, in my humble opinion, if he had never composed any thing else good, would have stamped him as the greatest master of his art. In the sestetto, in the second act, (which was Mozartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favourite piece of the whole opera,) I had a very conspicuous part, as the Stuttering Judge. All through the piece I was to stutter; but in the sestetto, Mozart requested I would not, for if I did, I should spoil his music. I told him, that although it might appear very presumptuous in a lad like me to differ with him on this point, I did; and was sure, the way in which I intended to introduce the stuttering, would not interfere with the other parts, but produce an effect; besides, it certainly was not in nature, that I should stutter all through the part, and when I came to the sestetto speak plain; and after that piece of music was over, return to stuttering; and, I added, (apologizing at the same time, for my apparent want of deference and respect in placing my opinion in opposition to that of the great Mozart,) that unless I was allowed to perform the part as I wished, I would not perform it at all. Mozart at last consented that I should have my own way, but doubted the success of the experiment. Crowded houses proved that nothing ever on the stage produced a more powerful effect; the audience were convulsed with laughter, in which Mozart himself joined. The Emperor repeatedly cried out Bravo! and the piece was loudly applauded and encored. When the opera was over, Mozart came on the stage to me, and shaking me by both hands, said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bravo! young man, I feel obliged to you; and acknowledge you to have been in the right, and myself in the wrong.â&#x20AC;? There was certainly a risk run, but I felt within myself I could give the effect I wished, and the event proved that I was not mistaken. I have seen the opera in London, and elsewhere, and never saw the judge pourtrayed as a stutterer, and the scene was often totally omitted. I played it as a stupid old man, though at the time I was a beardless stripling. At the end of the opera, I thought the audience would never have done applauding and calling for Mozart; almost every piece was encored, which prolonged it nearly to the length of two operas, and induced the Emperor to issue an order on the second representation, that no piece of music should be encored. Never was any thing more complete, than the triumph of Mozart, and his Nozze de Figaro, to which numerous overflowing audiences bore witness.* * I was not aware at that time of what I have since found to be the fact, that those who labour under the defect of stuttering while speaking, articulate distinctly in singing. That excellent bass, Sedgwick, was an instance of it; and the beautiful Mrs. Inchbald, the authoress, another.

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BIOGRAPHIES Peter Whelan CONDUCTOR Irish-born Peter Whelan is among the most exciting and versatile exponents of historical performance of his generation, with a remarkable career as a conductor, keyboardist and solo bassoonist. He is artistic director of the Irish Baroque Orchestra and founding artistic director of Ensemble Marsyas. As conductor, Peter has a particular passion for exploring and championing neglected music from the baroque and classical eras. Recent projects funded by The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and Creative Scotland involved recreating and staging live performances of choral and symphonic music from eighteenthcentury Dublin and Edinburgh. This led to his awardwinning disc Edinburgh 1742 for Linn Records and his 2017 reconstruction of the Irish State Musick in its original venue of Dublin Castle. In January Peter joined the Irish Baroque Orchestra as artistic director with an ambitious programme to champion period performance in Ireland and showcase Irish talent internationally, including a tour to the US in 2019. Other recent highlights with the IBO include a production of Handel’s Acis and Galatea with Opera Theatre Company in 2017. Peter has also joined Irish National Opera as artistic partner, and conducts Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro with the Irish Chamber Orchestra and Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice with the IBO during INO’s inaugural season. In the autumn of 2018 he makes his debut with English Touring Opera. As founding artistic director of Ensemble Marsyas, he has performed at the Edinburgh International Festival (2017), Kilkenny Arts Festival (2017), Bath Festival (2017) and Wigmore Hall (2016). Ensemble Marsyas’s award-winning discography includes a 2017 disc of Barsanti which was named Editor’s Choice in Gramophone magazine

and Recording of the Year in MusicWeb International, as well as reaching second place in the Official UK Specialist Classical Chart. Ensemble Marsyas has performed internationally under Peter’s direction including performances at the Lammermuir Festival, Göttingen Handel Festival, Tetbury Festival and at Great Music in Irish Houses. Peter is “as exciting a live wire as Ireland has produced in the world of period performance” (Irish Times), and he has been praised for his “stylish verve” (BBC Music Magazine), “exuberance and elegance” (Irish Examiner), and “slick tempi, grit and character” (GoldenPlec).

Patrick Mason DIRECTOR Patrick Mason is a freelance director of theatre and opera. He has had a long association with the Abbey and Gate Theatres, and served two terms as artistic director of the Abbey. He has directed new plays by many Irish writers, such as Frank McGuinness, Marina Carr, Tom Murphy, Tom Kilroy and Brian Friel. His production of Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa won a Tony Award for Best Director on Broadway. His work in opera includes productions for English National Opera, Opera North, Wexford Festival Opera, Israeli Opera, Opera Zuid, Buxton Festival, Welsh National Opera, and Grange Park Opera. His production of Puccini’s Il trittico at ENO was nominated for an Olivier Award. For many years he was an adjunct professor at UCD, and his contribution to Irish theatre, as a director and a teacher, has been marked by honorary degrees from UCD and TCD.

Francis O’Connor DESIGNER

Paul Keogan LIGHTING DESIGNER

Francis O’Connor trained at Wimbledon School of Art under Richard Negri. His career in the last thirty years has encompassed work across drama, musical theatre and opera. He has designed numerous plays for the Abbey Theatre, Gate Theatre, National Theatre, London and The Royal Shakespeare Company. He has also premiered much new work with the Royal Court and Hampstead Theatre. He has designed internationally including productions for Komische Oper Berlin, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Opéra national du Rhin, English National Opera, Opera North and Spoleto Festival amongst others. He has a long association with Garsington, Buxton and Grange Park Festivals. His designs for the world premiere of Kevin Puts’s Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Silent Night for Minnesota Opera won much acclaim. His designs for Jonathan Dove’s Pinocchio for Opera North were nominated for the prestigious Faust Prize and this production has toured the world. Francis is perhaps best known for his collaboration with Garry Hynes and Druid Theatre. The many award-winning productions they have created have toured widely. They include The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Leenane Trilogy, Druid Synge, Druid Murphy and Druid Shakespeare. His awards include three Irish Times Theatre Awards, the Boston Critics Circle Award, and the Elliot Norton Award.

Paul Keogan studied Drama at Trinity College Dublin and Glasgow University. His other opera credits include Verdi’s Falstaff (Vienna State Opera), Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (Korea National Opera), Piazzolla’s Maria de Buenos Aires (Cork Opera House), Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmelites and Saint-Saëns’s Samson et Dalila (Grange Park Opera), Klaas de Vries’s Wake (Nationale Reisopera, Netherlands), Massenet’s Thérèse and La Navarraise, Foroni’s Cristina, regina di Svezia and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Snegurochka (Wexford Festival Opera), The Makropulos Case (Opera Zuid, Netherlands), Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Mark Antony Turnage’s The Silver Tassie and Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking (Opera Ireland). His theatre designs include Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan (Vaudeville Theatre, London), O’Casey’s The Plough and The Stars (Lyric Hammersmith/Abbey Theatre Dublin), Ross O’Carroll Kelly’s Postcards from the Ledge (Landmark Productions), Teresa Deevy’s Katie Roche, David Ireland’s Cyprus Avenue, Mark O’Rowe’s Our Few and Evil Days, James Plunkett’s The Risen People and Richard Dormer’s Drum Belly (Abbey Theatre, Dublin), Hans Christian Andersen/Nancy Harris’s The Red Shoes, Conor McPherson’s The Birds, Brian Friel’s Performances, Frank McGuinness’s The Gates of Gold, Brian Friel’s Molly Sweeney (Gate Theatre, Dublin), Harold Pinter’s The Caretaker (Bristol Old Vic), Janet Plater’s The Gaul (Hull Truck), Molière’s The Miser (Garrick Theatre, London), Nina Raine’s Tribes (Crucible, Sheffield), Rosemary Jenkinson’s Here Comes The Night (Lyric Theatre, Belfast), Tennessee Williams’s A Streetcar Named Desire (Liverpool Playhouse), Kathleen Chandler’s Before it Rains (Sherman Cymru), Caryl Churchill’s Far Away (Corcadorca Theatre Company), and John B Keane’s Big Maggie (Druid, Galway).

Muirne Bloomer CHOREOGRAPHER

Sarah Baxter Assistant director

Muirne Bloomer is from Dublin. She has had an extensive performance career in ballet, contemporary and dance theatre both at home and abroad, working with Dublin City Ballet, Vienna Ballet Theatre, Rubato Ballet, Dance Theatre of Ireland, Holland Show Ballet, Irish Modern Dance Theatre and CoisCéim Dance Theatre. Productions she has choreographed include Look Back in Anger, The Great Gatsby, Private Lives, Little Women, Arcadia and Dancing at Lughnasa (Gate Theatre); Donegal, You Never Can Tell, She Stoops to Conquer, A Doll’s House, Cavalcaders, Drama at Inis, The Tempest (Abbey Theatre), Dandy Dolls, Gulliver’s Travels (Peacock Theatre), Pageant, The Ballet Ruse, As You Are, The Train, The Making of ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore, Wallflowering, Hue and Cry, Moment, The Star Child (Project Arts Centre), Rigoletto (Opera Theatre Company), Red Riding Hood, Ssh! We Have A Plan, Duck, Death and the Tulip (Lyric Theatre), Egg (Lincoln Center, New York), Nivelli’s War (New Victory Theater, New York), Pinocchio, The Incredible Book Eating Boy (The Mac), Can You Catch a Mermaid? (Pavilion Theatre), The Merchant of Venice (The Helix), Dancing at Lughnasa (National Theatre Bucharest, The Helix, An Grianán), The Death of Harry Leon (Smock Alley), The Hand (Liberty Hall), Laochra (for The GAA 1916 Commemoration at Croke Park), Intimate Details and Golf Swing (for the Opening Ceremony of the Ryder Cup, K Club), A Dash of Colour (for the Special Olympics Opening Ceremony at Croke Park), and Rock Rivals (ITV).

Sarah is a freelance director based in Dublin who focuses on developing and staging new work. Her work as director/co-creator includes it’s getting harder and harder for me (Dublin Fringe 2017; MAC, Belfast 2018) and Jellyfish (Dublin Fringe 2015/UK tour 2016), both with Alice Malseed; and Diary of a Martian Beekeeper (Rory Gallagher Theatre, Cork/2017 Smock Alley, Dublin 2018) with Niamh Shaw. Her work as director includes 24 Hour Plays: Dublin (DYT/Abbey Theatre, 2018); Dubliners Women (The New Theatre), Taboo (White Label), both named in critics top theatre 2016; The Hellfire Squad and Vehicle (Devious Theatre) and To Space (Niamh Shaw), which toured to Edinburgh and Adelaide Fringe Festivals. She has directed rehearsed readings of A Tribute to Sam Shepard: Buried Child and A Lie of The Mind (Bow Street/Culture Night); Ob Gob (Roderick Ford/Abbey Theatre); Dead Air (Bram Stoker Festival); Next of Kin and Fracture (Abbey Theatre/Fighting Words). She was recently associate director on The Unmanageable Sisters (Abbey Theatre) and has worked as assistant director with Landmark Productions, Gate Theatre, Field Day Theatre Company and Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre Company. Sarah is a member of the artist collective White Label and a graduate of the London International School of Performing Arts (LISPA).

Aoife O’Sullivan répétiteur

Jonathan Lemalu BASS Figaro

Aoife O’Sullivan was born in Dublin and studied at the College of Music with Frank Heneghan and later at the RIAM with John O’Conor. She graduated from Trinity College Dublin with an honours degree in music. In September 1999 she began her studies as a Fulbright scholar at the Curtis Institute of Music and in 2001 she joined the staff there for her final two years. She was awarded the Geoffrey Parsons Trust Award for accompaniment of singers in 2005. She has played for masterclasses including those given by Malcolm Martineau, Ann Murray, Thomas Allen, Thomas Hampson and Anna Moffo. She worked on Mozart’s Zaide at the Britten Pears Young Artist Programme and on Britten’s Turn of the Screw for the Cheltenham Festival with Paul Kildea. She has appeared at the Wigmore Hall in concerts with Ann Murray (chamber versions of Mahler and Berg), Gweneth Ann Jeffers, Wendy Dawn Thompson and Sinéad Campbell Wallace. She has worked on the music staff at Wexford Festival Opera, and on three Handel operas for Opera Theatre Company, Orlando, Xerxes and Alcina, and for Opera Ireland on Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking and Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She also worked at the National Opera Studio in London and was on the deputy coach list for the Jette Parker Young Artist Programme at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. Aoife is now based in Dublin where she works as a répétiteur and vocal coach at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama.

Grammy award-winning bass Jonathan Lemalu was born in Dunedin, New Zealand. He graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Otago University, and in 2002 as a postgraduate student (Distinction) at London’s Royal College of Music, where as a Queen Elizabeth Queen Mother scholar he was awarded the college’s top honours (Tagore Gold Medal and Queen Elizabeth Rosebowl). He has performed at the Royal Opera, London, Metropolitan Opera, New York, Lyric Opera, Chicago, Bavarian State Opera, San Francisco Opera, Theater an der Wien, Hamburg State Opera, Cincinnati Opera, San Diego Opera, Dallas Opera, Salzburg Festival, Glyndebourne Festival, Théâtre du Capitole, Toulouse, Oper Frankfurt, English National Opera, and in Tokyo, Australia and New Zealand. His roles include Dulcamara in Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’amore, Nick Shadow in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, Leporello in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Bottom in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Pogner in Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Basilio in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, Collatinus in Britten’s Rape of Lucretia, Mr Flint in Britten’s Billy Budd, Argante in Handel’s Rinaldo, Zoroastro in Handel’s Orlando, Colline in Puccini’s La bohème, Gobrias in Handel’s Belshazzar, Rodomonte in Haydn’s Orlando Paladino, Papageno in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Sacristan in Puccini’s Tosca, Queequeg in Jake Heggie’s Moby Dick, Rocco in Beethoven’s Fidelio and the title roles in Mozart’s Nozze di Figaro, Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle, Verdi’s Falstaff, Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess, Britten’s Noye’s Fludde and Handel’s Saul and Hercules with conductors Zubin Mehta, Antonio Pappano, Simon Rattle, Roger Norrington, Vladimir Jurowski, René Jacobs, William Christie, Charles Dutoit, Valery Gergiev, Patrick Summers, Charles Mackerras, Colin Davis, Ivor Bolton, Mark Elder, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Edward Gardner, and Daniel Harding.

Tara Erraught MEZZO-SOPRANO Susanna Irish mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught enjoys an ever-growing international career, acclaimed for her rich voice, expansive range and dynamic stage presence. Currently in her final season as a resident principal soloist with the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, she has performed at the BBC Proms, with Theater an der Wien, Washington National Opera, Hamburg State Opera, Berlin State Opera, Wide Open Opera, Opera Theatre Company, at the Salzburg Festival, and in recitals and concerts throughout the United States, Canada, Denmark, France, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. In Ireland she has also performed with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and in recitals at Dublin’s National Concert Hall, Music for Galway, Drogheda International Classic Music Series and the Great Music in Irish Houses festival. 2017-18 season highlights include her role debut as Annius in a Deutsche Grammophon live concert recording of Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito, house debuts at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, a return to the Vancouver Recital Society, and debuts at the Schwarzenberg Schubertiade, Welsh National Opera International Concert Series, and Vocal Arts DC in Washington. Next, she reprises her role as Rosina in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia for Berlin State Opera. Announced 201819 engagements include Alcina in Haydn’s Orlando Paladino at Munich’s Prinzregententheater, debuts with the Welsh National Opera (Angelina in Rossini’s La Cenerentola) and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, two productions with Bavarian State Opera (Despina in Mozart’s Così fan tutte; Hänsel in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel), and Mozart’s Don Giovanni (Donna Elvira) for Berlin State Opera. Tara, who is from Dundalk, is a recipient of the Bavarian state government’s prestigious

Pro meritis scientiae et litterarum for outstanding contribution to the arts (2013). She is a graduate of the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin, where she studied, and continues to study, with Veronica Dunne.

Ben McAteer BARITONE Count Almaviva Northern Irish baritone Ben McAteer trained at the National Opera Studio in London and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Before embarking on a musical career he studied chemistry at the University of St Andrews. He was runner-up at the 2012 Kathleen Ferrier Awards, won NI Opera’s inaugural Festival of Voice and was also a finalist at the 2014 International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition. He made his Welsh National Opera debut last season as Falke in Die Fledermaus and Goryanchikov in From the House of the Dead. While in residence at Scottish Opera, he created the role of James in Stuart McRae’s The Devil Inside, and his appearance in the North American premiere of the work won him Outstanding Performance in an Opera at the My Theatre Awards in Toronto. With Scottish Opera he also sang the title role in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and toured as Guglielmo in Mozart’s Così fan tutte and Pish-Tush in Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado. Other recent engagements include Figaro with the Xi’an Symphony Orchestra in China, Norman Hay’s The Wind Among the Reeds with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra as part of the Composing the Island festival, and a recording of Sullivan’s The Light of the World with the BBC Concert Orchestra. He made his English National Opera debut in February as the Earl of Mountararat in Gilbert & Sullivan’s Iolanthe, about which Classical Source said his performance comes close to stealing the show with When Britain really ruled the waves.

Máire Flavin SOPRANO Countess Almaviva

Aoife Miskelly SOPRANO Cherubino

Dublin-born soprano Máire Flavin is a performer with an engaging presence and delightful charisma. In addition to her Irish National Opera debut, this season has also seen her create the role of Hannah in Donnacha Dennehy and Enda Walsh’s award winning The Second Violinist for Landmark Productions/Wide Open Opera, return to the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra for Mozart’s Requiem under Nathalie Stutzmann, and make another tour with Scottish Opera. In 2016 she garnered critical acclaim with her role and house debut as Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan tutte for Opera North – “the real discovery is the Irish soprano Máire Flavin, who is resplendent as Fiordiligi,” wrote The Guardian, adding, “Flavin has a perfectly proportioned Mozartian voice, with a glittering upper register that suggests she may be the next singer ready to graduate to greater things.” Other recent work has included Mimì in Puccini’s La bohème and Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni (Opera Theatre Company); the title role in Handel’s Agrippina (Opera Collective Ireland and Northern Ireland Opera); Mimì (Iford Festival Opera); and Violetta in Verdi’s La traviata. Previous seasons’ highlights include roles with Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris, Atelier Lyrique de Tourcoing, Glyndebourne on Tour, Welsh National Opera, Scottish Opera, Opera North and NI Opera, with conductors including Mark Wigglesworth, Lothar Koenigs, Jac van Steen, Jean-Claude Malgoire, Alan Buribayev, John Wilson, Jonathan Cohen and Christoph Poppen. She was an Opera Theatre Company Young Artist from 2007-8.

Belfast soprano Aoife Miskelly has recently been made an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) where she studied with Royal Academy Opera. During her studies, she was a Kathleen Ferrier finalist, Samling Scholar, Internationale Meistersinger Akademie Young Artist and the recipient of the Bernadette Greevy Award. During the 2012-16 seasons she was a principal soloist at Oper Köln where she sang roles including Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto, Gretel in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel, Musetta in Puccini’s La bohéme, Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Frasquita in Bizet’s Carmen, Despina in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Valencienne in Lehár’s Die lustige Witwe, Servilia in Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito, Papagena in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and the lead role Harey in the German premiere of Detlev Glanert’s Solaris. She has sung The Woman in Donnacha Dennehy/Enda Walsh’s The Last Hotel for the Royal Opera, London; Helena in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Japan; Thérèse in Poulenc’s Les Mamelles de Tirésias for La Monnaie/ Festival d’Aix-en-Provence; and Eliza in Lerner & Loewe’s My Fair Lady for the Royal Opera House Muscat, Oman. For NI Opera, she has sung Dew Fairy in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, and her Mozart roles for the company have included Zerlina, Despina, and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte. She sang Polissena in Handel’s Radamisto for Young Irish Opera and Cecily Cardew in the Irish premiere of Gerald Barry’s The Importance of being Earnest for Wide Open Opera. Last year she sang the title role in Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Snow Maiden for Opera North. In June she sings Susanna in Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro at the Nevill Holt Opera festival, and in the autumn she makes her role and house debut at Welsh National Opera as Clorinda in Rossini’s La Cenerentola.

Adrian Thompson TENOR Don Basilio

Graeme Danby BASS Doctor Bartolo

London-born Adrian Thompson is an artist of extraordinary versatility with a wide-ranging opera, concert and recital repertoire. He trained at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he is now a professor of vocal studies. His operatic credits include the title role in Britten’s Peter Grimes, Monostatos in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Skuratov in The House of the Dead and Canio in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci (Oper Frankfurt); Snout in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (La Scala, Milan); Mao in John Adams’s Nixon in China and First Jew in Strauss’s Salome for Canadian Opera Company; Valzacchi in Strauss’s Rosenkavalier (Royal Opera, London); Rev. Adams in Britten’s Peter Grimes (Grand Théâtre The Diary of One de Genève); title role in who Disappeared (Festival d’Aix-en-Provence); Mr Upfold in Britten’s Albert Herring, Triquet in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, School Teacher in The Cunning Little Vixen (Glyndebourne Festival); Monostatos in Mozart’s The Magic Flute (English National Opera, Opéra national du Rhin). As an experienced recitalist his concert repertoire includes Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Verdi’s Requiem and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde as well as the Evangelists of Bach’s St John and St Matthew Passions. He has performed with all the major British orchestras and ensembles both in the UK and further afield. During his career he has worked with many distinguished conductors: John Eliot Gardiner, Trevor Pinnock, Harry Christophers, Andrew Davis, Richard Hickox, Colin Davis and Philippe Herreweghe.

Graeme Danby is widely recognised as one of Britain’s finest character basses. For the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, he has sung Billy Jackrabbit in Puccini’s La fanciulla del West, Charrington in Lorin Maazel’s 1984, Gonzalo in Thomas Adès’s The Tempest, Second Armed Man in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Casino Manager in Prokofiev’s The Gambler and il Sacristano in Puccini’s Tosca. He has made more than 1,200 appearances with English National Opera and the roles he has sung include Bartolo in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, Basilio in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Collatinus in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, Dulcamara in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, Quince and Snug in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Pistol in Verdi’s Falstaff, Pooh-Bah in Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado, Ribbing in Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera, Sacristan in Tosca, Sarastro in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, and Somnus in Handel’s Semele. In the UK he has also appeared with Opera North, Scottish Opera and the Garsington, Glyndebourne and Buxton Festivals, and has performed internationally at Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu, De Vlaamse Opera in Belgium, the Salzburger Landestheater, Opéra national du Rhin, Strasbourg, La Scala, Milan, and Palau Reina Sofia, Valencia. Recent engagements include his debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Don Magnifico in Rossini’s La Cenerentola with Scottish Opera and Opéra de Rouen, and Swallow in Britten’s Peter Grimes in Lisbon. His recordings include Berg’s Lulu, Verdi’s A Masked Ball, Mozart’s The Magic Flute and Strauss’s Salome for Chandos Opera in English and Adès’s The Tempest for EMI.

Suzanne Murphy SOPRANO Marcellina

Andrew Gavin TENOR Don Curzio

Limerick-born Suzanne Murphy began her classical studies with Veronica Dunne in the autumn of 1973 at the College of Music, Dublin, following a varied career in folk music and theatre. In 1974, while still a student, she had the opportunity to study and sing the title role in Rossini’s La Cenerentola for the first company to bear the name Irish National Opera and she toured Ireland with this production. This was followed by the role of Elisetta in Cimarosa’s Secret Marriage. She joined Welsh National Opera in 1976 as principal soprano, and made her debut as Konstanze in Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail, and she was featured singing music from this opera in Miloš Forman’s 1984 Academy Award-winning film Amadeus. She has performed with Welsh National Opera, English National Opera, Opera North, Scottish Opera, Royal Opera, London, Vienna State Opera, Berlin State Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Oper Köln, Oper Frankfurt, Opéra de Paris, La Monnaie, Brussels and Opera São Paulo. In North America and Canada she has given performances in New York, Pittsburgh, Washington, Minneapolis and Vancouver. Earlier in her career, she specialised in the bel canto repertoire of Bellini and Donizetti, before moving on to the more dramatic operas and Wagner. of Verdi, Puccini, Tchaikovsky, Her recordings encompass the works of composers as diverse as Mozart, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Puccini and Verdi as well as arias from operetta and musicals and Irish Songs. In 2001 she joined the teaching faculty of both the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff and the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin. Her accomplishments in music have been recognised with honorary fellowships from Cardiff University and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and honorary doctorates from the University of Glamorgan and University of Limerick.

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. He is also a graduate of the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, where he attained First Class Honours in English Literature, and he also holds an M Phil in Children’s Literature from Trinity College Dublin. In October 2017 he created the roles of Alleyne, O’Halloran and Bob in Andrew Synnott’s Dubliners at Wexford Festival Opera, and later performed the work with Opera Theatre Company in Dublin. Earlier in 2017 he sang the role of Damon in Opera Theatre Company’s national tour of Handel’s Acis and Galatea with the Irish Baroque Orchestra. He made his Wigmore Hall debut in 2016 as part of Irish Culture in Britain: A Centenary Celebration. At the Kilkenny Arts Festival in 2016 he sang the role of Arbace in a concert performance of Mozart’s Idomeneo, and he was a winner of the 2016 PwC Wexford Festival Opera Emerging Young Artist bursary. While studying at the RIAM he sang the role of Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, and also performed the title role in a production of Cavalli’s Ormindo, both in productions at the Samuel Beckett Theatre in Trinity College Dublin. Notable oratorio engagements include Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Liszt’s Coronation Mass, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Handel’s Messiah, Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 2 (Lobegesang), CPE Bach’s Magnificat, Mozart’s Requiem, Haydn’s The Creation, Beethoven’s Mass in C, Bach’s St John Passion and the complete Mozart mass series of the Dún Laoghaire Choral Society.

John Molloy BASS Antonio

Amy Ní Fhearraigh SOPRANO Barbarina

John Molloy is one of Ireland’s leading basses and hails from Birr. He studied at the DIT Conservatory of Music, the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester and the National Opera Studio, London. Roles he has undertaken for Opera Theatre Company include Sparafucile (Verdi’s Rigoletto), Trinity Moses (Weill’s Mahagonny), Figaro (Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro), Zuniga (Bizet’s Carmen) and he also appeared in Stephen Deazley’s children’s opera BUG OFF!!! Other roles include Alidoro in Rossini’s La Cenerentola (Scottish Opera), Guccio in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi (Royal Opera, London), Masetto in Mozart’s Don Giovanni (English National Opera), Arthur in Peter Maxwell Davies’s The Lighthouse and Figaro in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro (Nationale Reisopera, Netherlands), Le Commandeur in Thomas’s La cour de Célimène (Wexford Festival Opera), Angelotti in Puccini’s Tosca, Luka in Walton’s The Bear, Banco in Verdi’s Macbeth and Dulcamara in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore (OTC and NI Opera), Raimondo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor (Opera Holland Park), Leporello in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Sarastro in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Bonze in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly (Lyric Opera), Snug in Britten’s A Midsummer Nights Dream (Opera Ireland) and Henry Kissinger in John Adams’s Nixon in China (Wide Open Opera). His concert repertoire includes Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis (Shanghai Opera), Verdi’s Requiem and Mendelssohn’s St Paul (RTÉ Concert Orchestra), Haydn’s Creation (Continuo Rotterdam), Handel’s Messiah (Rheinische Philharmonie Hallé) and Stravinsky’s Renard (London Sinfonietta).

Dublin-based soprano Amy Ní Fhearraigh was chosen as one of GoldenPlec’s 2018 Ones to Watch. She is under the tutelage of Sinéad Campbell-Wallace having graduated from the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama with First Class Honours in the Bachelor of Music Pedagogy degree. She is a multiple competition prizewinner in both DIT’s inhouse competitions and the ESB Feis Ceoil at which, in 2016, she won the Dramatic Cup & Tony Quigley Award and secured an invitation to perform in the ESB Feis Ceoil Gala Concert. She made her debut with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra in a live broadcast on Lorcan Murray’s Classic Drive and her professional role-debut as Frasquita in Lyric Opera’s production of Bizet’s Carmen last year. In October she made her debut with Opera Collective Ireland in the Irish premiere of Britten’s Owen Wingrave conducted by Stephen Barlow where her handling of the role of Mrs Julian was praised as a “stunning performance” in which “her voice and physicality [created] a character of delicious fury”. Other operatic roles include Susanna in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, the title role in Handel’s Susanna, Drusilla in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, and Lucinde in Gluck’s Armide. Other notable repertoire includes covering the soprano role of Hannah in Donnacha Dennehy’s critically acclaimed The Second Violinist, and the role of La Cugina in a concert performance of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly with the RTÉ National Concert Orchestra. She was recently invited to participate in the annual Glasthule Opera Gala conducted by David Brophy, and in the inaugural Rising Stars Concert at University Concert Hall, Limerick.

Catherine Donnelly SOPRANO First Bridesmaid

Dominica Williams MEZZO-SOPRANO Second Bridesmaid

Catherine Donnelly is a soprano from County Down. She graduated from Queen’s University, Belfast, with a degree in medicine and works as a community doctor in care of the elderly. She is in her second year studying a Masters in music performance at DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama under the tutelage of Colette McGahon-Tosh and répétiteur Mairéad Hurley. Last year, for the conservatory, she performed the role of Daniel in a dramatic portrayal of Handel’s oratorio Susanna, and has performed with the chorus of NI Opera in their productions of Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte. She joined the Opera Theatre Company chorus for the revival of Robert O’Dwyer’s Irish language opera Eithne last October. She has also performed the role of Belinda in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas in a concert performance with Armagh City Choir. She is a keen performer of sacred music, she has performed as a soloist in Beethoven’s Mass in C, Mendelssohn’s Hymn of Praise, Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols, Faure’s Messe basse and two of Handel’s most famous oratorios, Messiah and Samson. She joined Belfast’s early music ensemble Sestina last year for their “come and sing” Messiah and again for touring performances of Handel’s Dixit Dominus in April. Catherine performed the role of the Queen in DIT’s production of Balfe’s The Sleeping Queen in the National Concert Hall in Dublin in January.

Dominica is a mezzo-soprano from Dublin. In January, she sang at the launch of Irish National Opera, taking the mezzo role in Brian Irvine’s specially-commissioned Opera – it’s all about like... As a Young Artist with Northern Ireland Opera (2016/2017), she sang the role of Dorabella in an abridged touring production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte. She previously covered the role of Second Secretary in the Irish premiere of John Adams’s Nixon in China for Wide Open Opera with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and sang Second Maiden in Puccini’s Turandot with Northern Ireland Opera. She frequently sings in opera choruses, working with companies such as Opera Holland Park, Irish National Opera and NI Opera.She has a passion for contemporary music and was thrilled to be asked to perform four new works for mezzo-soprano, flute, viola, and harpsichord with members of Kirkos Ensemble for the Irish Composers’ Collective in November 2016. She sang in a masterclass with baritone Simon Keenlyside as part of the New Music Dublin festival in the National Concert Hall in March 2017 and is currently covering the role of Amy in Donnacha Dennehy and Enda Walsh’s The Second Violinist, which has already enjoyed successful runs in Galway and Dublin, and travels to the Barbican, London, this September. As an oratorio and concert soloist and has sung with the Ulster Orchestra, East Cork Choral Society, Dún Laoghaire Choral Society, Dublin County Choir, University of Dublin Choral Society and AIB Choral Society.

Irish chamber orchestra The Irish Chamber Orchestra (ICO) is Ireland’s finest chamber orchestra, combining high quality performances with an expansive artistic vision. Virtuosic, innovative and creative, the ICO blazes a trail with its unique collaborative approach and its rich relationships with an array of creative partners. The ICO continues to work with Jörg Widmann (Principal Conductor/Artistic Partner), expanding audiences at home and abroad with his unique vision. Under the leadership of Katherine Hunka, the orchestra is one of Ireland’s busiest touring ensembles, both nationally and internationally. The orchestra’s trail-blazing approach continues to attract the world’s finest musicians, both international and national and the repertoire is exciting, risk-taking and diverse. The orchestra has successfully toured across Europe, Australia, South Korea, China and the US and has recorded numerous CDs. Outside the concert hall, the Irish Chamber Orchestra inspires and supports communities with vitality unmatched by other ensembles. Its Sing Out with Strings initiative provides free tuition in singing, song writing and string instruments to 300 children throughout Limerick city – developing not only musical but key life skills. The Irish Chamber Orchestra is resident 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.

Violin 1 Nicola Sweeney (Leader) Emily Nenniger Cliodhna Ryan Kenneth Rice Jenna Sherry Violin 2 André Swanepoel Anna Cashell Oonagh Keogh Louis Roden Jane Hackett Viola Joachim Roewer Robin Panter Cian Ó Duill Mark Coates Smith

Cello Christian Elliott Aoife Nic Athlaoich Richard Angell

Bassoon Lawrence O’Donnell Ide Ní Chonaill

Double Bass Malachy Robinson

Horn James Palmer Stephen Nicholls

Flute Fiona Kelly Emma Roche

Trumpet Simon Menin David Collins

Oboe Alun Darbyshire Matthew Draper

Timpani Adam Dennis

Clarinet Katherine Spencer John Forde

Board of Directors Aibhlín McCrann (Chair) Frank Casey (Hon.Life President) Eamonn Cregan Joseph Dundon Joan Garahy Colm O’Brien Rosemary Collier Chief Executive Gerard Keenan Friends/Finance Margaret Kelly

Marketing & Communications Manager Charlotte Eglington Operations Manager Cathriona Murphy Education & Outreach Officer Kathrine Barnecutt Artistic Advisor Sonja Stein Sonja Stein Company

Irish National Opera

Still to Come in 2018 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 DÃºn 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 38

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

NOVEMBER Saturday 24 Verdi Aida Dublin Tuesday 27 Verdi Aida Dublin Thursday 29 Verdi Aida Dublin

DECEMBER Saturday 1 Verdi Aida Dublin

To book tickets and to find out more see irishnationalopera.ie 39

IRISH CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Irish Chamber Orchestra

Katherine Hunka Director/Violin Nicola Sweeney Violin

VIVALDI

Concerto for 4 Violins and Cello in D-major, Op. 3 No. 1 (RV 549)

MALACHY ROBINSON

Dream of the Green Men

J.S. BACH

Concerto for 2 Violins in D minor, BWV 1043

SCHUBERT

String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D810 Death and the Maiden

Wednesday 16 May St. Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick @ 8pm (850th Anniversary Programme) www.irishchamberorchestra.com €25, €22 and €10 students Thursday 17 May Cultúrlann, Kilkee, Co. Clare @ 8pm 065 9060769 www.culturlannsweeney.ie €25 Friday 18 May Newport Church, Newport, Co. Mayo @ 8pm (Centenary Celebration) www.eventbrite.ie €20 (plus booking fee) Saturday 19 May The Garage Theatre, Monaghan @ 8pm 047 39777 www.garagetheatre.com €20, €15

D N A H T DEA

N E D I A THE M www.irishchamberorchestra.com

2017 2018

RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra

FEEL THE PASSION. LIVE THE MUSIC.

SCHUBERT ‘Unfinished’ Symphony RAVEL La Valse and the sensational Pink Martini solo artist

STORM LARGE singing KURT WEILL’S The Seven Deadly Sins Carlos Kalmar conductor FRIDAY 27 APRIL 2018 • 7.30pm

TICKETS FROM €15 / Booking: 01 417 0000 / www.nch.ie

FIND OUT MORE! www.rte.ie/nso

4th - 7th MAY 2018 Cara O’Sullivan

Opera arias and musical classics from one of Ireland’s greatest international sopranos. Fri 4 May, 8pm - €22/20

Finghin COllinS & JOhn FinuCane

Acclaimed pianist Finghin Collins with great piano solos, joined by RTÉ Symphony Orchestra’s principal clarinettist John Finucane in duet. Sat 5 May, 8pm - €16/14

the trenCh award gala COnCert

Six young singers/musicians of the future perform a programme of their choice, at which a distinguished panel will select the recipients of the valuable Trench Award and other bursaries. Sun 6 May, 7.30pm - €14/12

MuSiC in Birr CaStle

Carolyn Holt Mezzo-Soprano (Trench Award 2015) Triona Marshall Harp. An afternoon recital for Festival Patrons. Sun 6 May, 3pm

A weekend of classical music throughout the beautiful Georgian town of Birr, in Co. Offaly with Masterclasses, Lunchtime Concerts, Birr Young Voices Choral Project & more.

www.birrtheatre.com Ph: 057 9122911 02

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Supporting the arts, supporting communities.

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M A S S E N E T

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Irish National Opera

INO team Artistic Director Fergus Sheil Executive Director Diego Fasciati Head of Production Gavin Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Sullivan Marketing Manager Sorcha Carroll Office & Finance Manager Cate Kelliher Artistic Administrator Muireann NĂ Dhubhghaill Marketing Interns Sonya Hayden Nina Suter

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

Company Reg No.: 601853

Further executive and board recruitment will take place throughout 2018.

69 Dame Street | Dublin 2 | Ireland T: +353 (0)1 679 4962 E: info@irishnationalopera.ie irishnationalopera.ie

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