The Wexford Opera Festival is out for new blood! With the festival starting in just over two weeks time, they’re starting a campaign to make Opera ‘savage’, according to the video below.

The festival is one of those amazing oddities of Irish life, as it started in Wexford in 1951, and has grown to international recognition since. This year the festival includes a team of artists from all over the world, with singers, designers and musicians from Ireland, America, Portugal, Australia, Spain, Japan and Venezuela to name but a few.

Since the release of the brochure last May, there have been some updates to the cast and creative teams. Carlos Izcaray will now conduct the Jules Massenet double bill of Thérèse/La Navarraise, while Australian soprano Helena Dix will sing the title role in Cristina, regina di Svezia. Limerick baritone Owen Gilhooly has also since been cast as Emilio in Nino Rota’s Il Cappello di Paglia di Firenze.

Up-and-coming Irish directors Conor Hanratty and Sophie Motley, who are directing two of the four ShortWorks, Richard Wargo’s Losers and The Sleeping Queen by Michael William Balfe respectively, will also serve as assistant directors on two of the three evening operas. Conor is assistant director on Cristina, regina di Svezia, while Sophie is assisting on Thérèse/La Navarraise.

The 62nd Wexford Festival Opera will run for 12 days from Wednesday, 23 October until Sunday 3 November. The programme includes three mainstage opera productions: Il cappello di paglia di Firenze by Nino Rota; Cristina, regina di Svezia by Jacopo Foroni; and a double bill of Thérèse and La Navarraise by Jules Massenet. Four daytime ShortWork operas will be presented: La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi; The Sleeping Queen by Michael William Balfe; L’Elisir d’amore by Gaetano Donizetti; and Losers by Richard Wargo.

Whether it’s your first time seeing Opera or first time visiting Wexford Festival Opera, no experience is necessary to enjoy the 62nd Wexford Festival Opera. .

This October, make sure you have your tickets booked to Wexford Festival Opera – Ireland’s Premier Cultural Event. Create your own exhilarating Festival Experience, with over 58 events to choose from – including 3 main stage operas, 4 daytime shortworks operas and a whole host of lunchtime concerts, recitals and late night events – enough to keep you wanting more.