Wexford Festival Opera is delighted to present the 200th-anniversary of Rossini’s final opera in the Italian language, one of his most entertaining operas and a source of great hilarity, Written as a cantata to celebrate the coronation of French King Charles X in Reims in May 1825, it was rediscovered and brought back to life in 1983.
Il viaggio a reims will be performed by the Wexford Factory artists. Singers: Adam McDonagh, Agshin Khudaverdiyev, David Kennedy, Forooz Razavi, Ihor Mostovoi, Jane Burnell, Laura Aherne, Maria Matthews, Rory William Lynch, Sean Tester, Tong Guo, Valeria Gorbunova and Yu Shao
Pianists: Declan Murphy, Doireann O’Carroll and Frasier Hickland
Maria is a graduate of TU Dublin and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She performs regularly in the chorus of Irish National Opera, recently appearing in Gounod’s Faust and Puccini’s La bohème. In 2021, she won the Birr Lyons Vocal Bursary and Trench Award. In 2023, she appeared with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.
Maria is a graduate of TU Dublin and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She performs regularly in the chorus of Irish National Opera, recently appearing in Gounod’s Faust and Puccini’s La bohème. In 2021, she won the Birr Lyons Vocal Bursary and Trench Award. In 2023, she appeared with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.
British/Irish soprano Jane Burnell, praised for her "effortless, vivacious singing," holds a Master’s in Vocal and Opera Studies from the Royal Northern College of Music. She was the 2021 Sussex Young Musician of the Year and a 2024 David Clover Festival award-winner. Jane has performed with Buxton Opera as Gasparina (La Canterina) and Giovanna (Ernani) and regularly appears as a Baroque soloist across the UK. She is also an active music educator with Leeds Lieder and Grange Park Primary.
Laura is a graduate of RCM and RIAM, where she was the Joseph Clover Scholar. She was also awarded the Brackaville Bursary by Irish Heritage. Laura has appeared at venues and festivals in Ireland and the UK, including Wigmore Hall and the Irish Embassy in London.
David is in his final year at the Royal Irish Academy of Music under Owen Gilhooly-Miles. As the first Irish scholar of the LiedAkademie with Heidelberger Frühling under Thomas Hampson, he performed with Susan Manoff at Pierre-Boulez Saal in Berlin. His roles include Dr. Falke (Die Fledermaus) at Berlin Opera Academy.
Conor was a member of the first Wexford Factory. Here he performed as Fritz (Edmea, 2021) and Dr. Cajus (Falstaff, 2020). His recent roles include Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Beppe (Pagliacci), Moser (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg). In 2024 he will be the Defendant (Trial by Jury).
Rory is currently a member of Chamber Choir Ireland and a Lay Vicar Choral in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin. A professional ensemble singer, his stage debut was at Wexford Festival Opera 2023 as Danilo in Camille Erlanger’s L’Aube rouge and he is returning to the festival this year as a member of the Wexford Factory. In 2024, he will perform his first principal role as Mr Owen in RIAM Opera’s production of Dominic Argento’s Postcard from Morocco.
Welsh bass-baritone Meilir Jones, a Royal Academy of Music graduate, has performed with Welsh National Opera, Grange Festival Opera, and the Wexford Festival Opera. He has sung as a soloist at prestigious venues including the Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall. Meilir has received numerous awards, including the AESS Courtney Kenny Award and the Blue Ribbon Osborne Roberts Memorial Prize.
Artistic Director of WFO since 2020, Rosetta is a renowned musician and stage director. From her early studies at the Rossini Conservatoire in Pesaro, she has directed with opera companies throughout the world. Her first association with WFO was as repetiteur (1995) and she recently directed Risurrezione (Alfano), Adina (Rossini) and La cucina (Synnott).
After earning a specialist degree at the IUAV Venice, Massimo graduated as a costume designer from the Scuola dell’Opera Italiana in Bologna. He worked with Vera Marzot, and later he was assistant to Claudia Pernigotti. His recent designs include Madama Butterfly, Giovanna D'Arco, Falstaff. He is currently Head of Wardrobe at WFO.
September 2023
The Plot
The plot is a pre-text to showcase some of the greatest singers of Rossini’s time.
Il viaggio a Reims tells the story of a group of uppercrust Europeans, en route to join in the French coronation festivities for which the opera was written. These prestigious guests have been staying in a hotel (il Giglio d’oro) on their way to Reims, where the celebration will take place. When the day arrives, there are no horses available to pull their coaches. When they discover that, following the coronation, the King will return to Paris they decide, instead of trying to get to Reims, to have a grand banquet and travel to Paris the following day.
While they wait, they join together in celebratory songs and rejoice in the spirit of community.
