Wexford Festival
The Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Silent Night, set against the backdrop of World War I, will be one of the three main stage operas presented this October as part of the sixty-third Wexford Festival Opera. The opera won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2012 for American composer Kevin Puts. He and his librettist, Mark Campbell, will travel to Wexford to attend its first European performance. They will also give audiences an insight into what it takes to create an award-winning opera when they present the annual Dr Tom Walsh Lecture. One hundred years on from Word War I, the Festival will also contribute to the centenary events with special free screenings of the 2005 film Joyeux Noël, the inspiration for the opera, which tells the story of the night of the temporary truce in no-man's-land when the troops on both sides celebrated Christmas together. Silent Night will be just one of the three main stage operas presented in 2014. The others are Salomé by Antoine Mariotte and Don Bucefalo by Antonio Cagnoni. Wexford Festival Opera is one of the world's leading opera festivals and each year attracts audiences from home and abroad who travel to Wexford to experience this unique celebration of opera. It's the winner of many awards, including Best Irish Opera Production at this year's Irish Theatre Awards for the 2013 production of Cristina, regina de Svezia. This same production was also named Best Rediscovered Work at this year's International Opera Awards. Wexford Festival Opera was also nominated in three other categories in the International Opera Awards, including: Best Festival, Best Chorus, Best Re-discovered work (Cristina) and Best young singer (Helena Dix for her performance in Cristina). The programme for the festival, which will run for twelve days from 22 October until 2 November 2014, will also feature a number of daytime ShortWorks operas, a gala concert and lunchtime recitals, with something to tempt everyone, from opera lovers to those who may be attending the festival for the very first time. Early booking is strongly advised.
Information: www.wexfordopera.com
Posted: 15 September 2014
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