Calling all primary and secondary schools, and the wider community

Wexford Festival Opera’s Learning and Engagement programme are inviting primary and secondary school students, and the wider community, to join a number of programmes and workshops, and to partake in some performance opportunities at this year’s festival. The 74th edition of Wexford Festival Opera takes place from 17 October – 1 November.

The programmes on offer open doors to creative engagement for all ages through opera, music, and theatre. Beyond the stage, the development of skills and confidence running across all the programmes is truly transformative.

Working across all three programmes, Education Outreach co-ordinator for Wexford Festival Opera, Elizabeth Drwal, said: “Opera is a larger than life artform and Wexford Festival Opera is excited to share the joy of opera with young people and the wider community. The lasting benefits for primary and secondary school students includes the development of wider personal skills such as creativity, resilience, collaboration, self-motivation and organisational skills. Meanwhile, the community opera is a wonderful opportunity for the wider community to join in, meet new people, have some fun and to perform as part of the Festival.”

WFO’s learning and engagement programme runs across three strands:

Primary Schools: Let's Sing Together

Let’s Sing Together is a free 10-week programme for 4th and 5th class primary school children that runs from April-June, recommences in September and culminates in October. Pupils will explore an opera from this year’s Festival through interactive workshops in singing, acting, movement and storytelling. From April to June, children will learn about the elements of music, the mechanics of safe singing, and techniques for building characters and devising dramatic scenes.

Closer to the Festival, the children will visit The National Opera House to experience the excitement of an orchestra rehearsal, and to meet the conductor, before showcasing their own talent in a special daytime performance for schools on 23rd October for invites parents and carers. The children will become the Opera Chorus that day and sing together with professional singers from the Festival’s professional development academy, the Wexford Factory.

Secondary Schools: Transition Year Students: Wings to Fly

Wings to Fly is an exciting programme for transition year students offering an insight into a professional workplace and the many departments that support opera production. Participants will learn through a series of practical, hands-on workshops, mentoring sessions and talks from Festival professionals.

Starting in September and finishing prior to the Halloween mid-term, the programme invites small groups of transition year students into the National Opera House to meet singers, directors, designers, the technical team, electricians and carpenters to learn all the ins and outs of opera. This programme gives participants the confidence to think critically, to problem solve and improves their communication skills.

Every year the Festival’s artistic director, Rosetta Cucchi, chooses one of the mainstage operas to be part of the Wings to Fly programme. The TY students receive workshops about the opera, watch rehearsals and then come together to develop their artistic vision of that specific production. The project culminates on the main stage of the National Opera House with the students being given unique access to direct, conduct and present creative concepts to the singers and musicians of the chosen opera.

The students are also invited to watch the Public Dress Rehearsal (PDR) of the same production, and can also volunteer as front-of-house staff at the National Opera House during the PDR’s.

Community Opera

Now in its 3rd year, and following sell-out successes in 2023 and 2024, the Community Opera is an opportunity for non-singing and non-acting members of the wider Wexford community to be part of the Festival in October. Workshops take place one day a month, starting at the end of March, over a 6-month period prior to the Festival and no prior experience is needed to take part. Participants are supported and nurtured throughout the programme so if you’ve ever had an interest in singing and dancing and would like to have some fun, this is for you.

This year’s community opera is The Little Midsummer Night’s Dream by Benjamin Britten. There are 5 performances on various dates from 17 October – 1 November. Britten’s tale of enchantment, madness and love weaves together Shakespeare’s timeless wit with stunning orchestration. Participants receive workshops in singing, acting, moving and storytelling to form part of the Community Chorus in the opera performing alongside Wexford Factory artists to present an immersive performance of music and dialogue in The Grain Store at Stonebridge during the Festival. The Community Opera has been made possible through the support of Energia and The Talbot Collection.

Opera for All

Thanks to the support of Wexford County Council and Coca-Cola, Wexford Festival Opera is also delighted to offer complimentary tickets to local community groups across Wexford as part of its ‘Opera for All’ initiative, which ensures opera reaches new audiences and is accessible to everyone in the community.

Enquiries

Expressions of interest for these programmes can be sent to Elizabeth Drwal edrwal@wexfordopera.com - Education Outreach Co-ordinator with Wexford Festival Opera and vocal animateur and performance coach.

For more about this year’s Wexford Festival Opera, which runs from 17 October - 1 November, see www.wexfordopera.com. Priority booking for Friends opens on 23 and 30 April with general booking open from 7 May.