A Duet of World Premieres for Wexford Festival Opera's 75th Anniversary

To mark the landmark 75th Anniversary Festival in 2026, Wexford Festival Opera has commissioned two brand-new works. These world premieres celebrate the beginnings of the Festival and the community at its heart. They include a Factory Opera by one of Ireland’s most celebrated novelists and an innovative Community Opera installation by the Festival’s composer-in-residence. This year’s Festival runs from 15–31 October.

The First Festival

Factory Opera | Music by Alberto Caruso | Libretto by Colm Tóibín

For Tóibín, who first attended a Wexford dress rehearsal as a student in 1971 and has seldom missed a year since, this opera is a tribute to the Festival he has loved and championed for decades.

Set in the local Tax Office in 1951, The First Festival celebrates the joy that erupts in Wexford as word spreads that an opera festival is starting in the town. When a motley crew of international singers and artists arrive in Wexford, singing arias of love and regret, long pent-up passions are unleashed on a town that will never be the same again. 

Written specifically for young voices on the Wexford Factory programme, this ensemble work is designed to showcase the next generation of opera singers, while delighting audiences.

Venue: National Opera House

Dates: October 2026 (Full details will be announced in April)

Still, life ...

Community opera | Created by Ailís Ní Ríain

This year’s Community Opera will be an entirely original opera installation created by the Festival’s composer-in-residence, Ailís Ní Ríain, who will work with the local community to create an experience rooted in Wexford's identity as a small town in south-east Ireland with an international reputation for arts and creativity. Ní Ríain works in the areas of concert music, site responsive installation and public art, opera, electro-acoustic and music-theatre. Ní Ríain is deaf/hard of hearing.   

Still, life… is a work about the quiet moments that hold everything - a meditation on what endures when everything else passes: relationships, emotions, landscapes, and time itself. It is a wonderful opportunity for the community to premiere a brand-new installation combining elements of opera, video, imagery, text, and more on an international stage.

Venue: Grain Store

Dates: October 2026 (Full details will be announced in April)

Booking Information

22 April: Priority booking opens for Friends of the Festival. Become a Friend to access tickets

6 May: General booking opens.