Anne Reck awarded Wexford Festival Opera’s 2024 ‘Volunteer of the Year’

Ecclesiastical Ireland and Wexford Festival Opera celebrate and encourage volunteerism at this year’s Festival and launch the ‘Festival Memory Bank’
15 October 2024: Wexford Festival Opera proudly announces Anne Reck, long term volunteer and wardrobe mistress as the 2024 Ecclesiastical/Wexford Festival Opera Volunteer of the Year. Anne was honoured during the first Public Dress Rehearsal of this year’s Festival. Anne was chosen through a public vote by fellow volunteers, board and staff of the Festival.
Anne joined the Festival as a volunteer in the wardrobe department back in the days of the Theatre Royal. She recalls her first Festival in 1977 when her job was making cummerbunds for members of that year's male chorus. Over the last 47 years Anne has worked since mid-September each year until the Festival is over sewing costumes and making alterations to the costumes for each of the Festival’s main stage and smaller operas. With a company of over 200 members this is no small task. Anne has been wardrobe mistress for the last 16 years and manages a department of people, she now works alongside her daughter Sinead who she introduced to the wardrobe department.

Pictured: Scott Hayes, Head of Relationship Management Ecclesiastical, Rosetta Cucchi Artistic Director WFO, Anne Reck, Volunteer of the Year 2024 and Eleanor White, Chair of the Volunteer Committee
The announcement was made by Artistic Director, Rosetta Cucchi and Scott Hayes, Head of Relationship Management at Ecclesiastical Ireland from the stage of The National Opera House on the night of the first public dress rehearsal, Le Maschere, attended by an audience of Festival volunteers.
Rosetta Cucchi, Artistic Director of Wexford Festival Opera said "Anne has played a vital role in the wardrobe department for many years. Starting in the days of the Theatre Royal as a volunteer and now as wardrobe mistress. This department works tirelessly behind the scenes and are a key part to making everything come together on stage to look effortlessly wonderful for our audiences. Anne has been working in this department since I came to Wexford, and I am truly delighted to be awarding her Volunteer of the Year this year for the work she has done and continues to do each year"
Ecclesiastical Insurance, a specialist insurer of the Arts, has supported Wexford Festival Opera’s volunteer programme for 11 years. Recognising and telling the stories of over 400 current and past volunteers who work in all areas of the Festival, from front of house to driving to costume and backstage.
Photo: Patrick Browne