With the 67th Wexford Festival Opera in full swing, Wexford soprano Maria Hughes and Dublin tenor, Richard Shaffrey, are announced as the 2018 PwC/Wexford Festival Opera ‘Emerging Young Artist’ bursary winners. This initiative serves to support and celebrate Ireland’s Emerging Young Artists from the opera world and helps to contribute towards the many costs associated with furthering their careers.
Each year thousands of visitors from Ireland and around the world travel to Wexford to discover hidden operatic gems. This year audiences around the world will have the chance to experience the magic of Wexford Festival Opera for themselves without ever leaving their homes.
As part of Wexford’s long-running partnership with RTÉ, for the first time ever, the national broadcaster will live-stream one of the Festival’s main stage evening operas. The Bank Holiday Saturday performance of Saverio Mercadante’s Il bravo (The Assassin) will be streamed live from the National Opera House via www.rte.ie/culture on 27 October.
Josepha Madigan TD, Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht today announced a €1m capital grant for the National Opera House, in advance of the opening of the 67th Wexford Festival Opera, which opens tonight with a ceremony and fireworks display on Wexford’s quay front. The National Opera House on High Street, is home to the internationally acclaimed Wexford Festival Opera. Minister Madigan will be in Wexford this evening to officially open the Festival.
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With only a few days to go until the Festival kicks off, glasses were raised to toast long-time volunteer, Selina Scott who was named the 2018 Ecclesiastical/Wexford Festival Opera Volunteer of the Year. Selina is latest addition to a long list of Festival Volunteers to be honoured since the awards began in 2011.
The board of Wexford Festival Trust has elected Dr Mary Kelly as its incoming Chairperson in succession to the current Chairman, Mr. Ger Lawlor who will complete his term of office at the end of 2018. Dr Kelly will take up the post on January 1st next.