This year’s operas set to be livestreamed by RTÉ

RTE will livestream at this year’s Wexford Festival Opera for the first time, as part of a collaboration with the European public service channel, ARTE. The partnership will see Wexford Festival Opera’s production of Saverio Mercadante’s Il bravo (The Assassin) livestreamed internationally on RTÉ’s online Culture platform, RTE. ie/culture.

In April 2019, the opera will also be broadcast on Arte’s digital on-demand culture channel, Arte Concert as part of its 2019 Opera Season in which a total of 22 operas from opera houses across 14 countries will be broadcast free-of-charge to audiences around the world, creating a special online service for lovers of classical music.

The latest project has been facilitated by a close partnership between RTÉ and ARTE as part of a pan-European public-service initiative which sets out to promote European culture by offering European cultural content and events on-demand and freeof-charge to audiences worldwide on the digital platforms of partner broadcasters.

International audiences will now get to experience the leading Irish cultural event, Il bravo (The Assassin) by Saverio Mercadante, live from the National Opera House as part of Wexford Festival Opera on www.rte.ie/ culture on Saturday, October 27. The performance will then be available for catch-up on RTÉ Player.

RTÉ lyric fm will broadcast Il bravo (The Assasin) live on Saturday, October 27 as part of Opera Night with Paul Herriott and it will also be streamed around Europe courtesy of the EBU Premium Opera Season. Two additional operas will be recorded for future dates.

The European premiere of William Bolcom’s, Dinner at Eight will be broadcast on Saturday November 3 on RTÉ lyric fm and streamed around Europe as well, courtesy of the EBU Premium Opera Season while the double-bill of L’oracolo and Mala vita will be broadcast on RTÉ lyric fm on Saturday November 10.

Ann-Marie Power, Group Head of Arts & Culture at RTÉ, said she is delighted that the partnership with Wexford Festival Opera is being strengthened.

‘Arts and culture is for everyone and this visual spectacle, along with RTÉ’s Culture Night events and the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards, is part of a series of exciting arts events which RTÉ is livestreaming and bringing to our audiences, wherever they are’, she said.

‘Ten years on from RTÉ broadcasting live on terrestrial television from the National Opera House on its opening night, a new and exciting chapter in Wexford’s partnership with RTÉ has commenced with the national broadcaster live streaming across the globe one of this year’s main opera productions’, said Festival chief executive David McLouglin.