€10m blow as Opera Festival is postponed
WEXFORD’S FLAGSHIP EVENT IS DEFERRED UNTIL OCTOBER 2021
WEXFORD Festival Opera, which injects an estimated €10 million into the local economy annually, has been forced to cancel its planned programme this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and is instead holding a ‘reimagined’ online festival.
In a major cultural and economic blow the Opera Festival, which attracts thousands of visitors, will not be held in the town this year but will reach global audiences through a week-long series of free online performances.
Coming after three months of closures, the announcement is disappointing news for local hospitality and retail businesses which receive a significant boost from the international event but Festival management had no option but to postpone.
IT WAS with a heavy heart that Wexford Festival Opera management announced on Monday that this year’s event is being replaced by a free online programme of events which will include a performance of Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle, dedicated to the memory of victims of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Festival announced on Monday that it has taken the ‘difficult decision’ to reschedule the previously announced artistic programme to October 2021.
‘This is due to the ongoing worldwide uncertainty regarding the continuing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and social distancing restrictions into the autumn, and in the best interests of the health and welfare of the Festival’s audiences, artists, staff, and volunteers.’
In a joint statement, the new Artistic Director Rosetta Cucchi and Chief Executive Officer David McLoughlin said the world-renowned Festival makes an invaluable cultural and economic contribution to the nation in general and the Wexford community and businesses in particular.
‘The repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic are regrettably beyond our control and we fully acknowledge the impact the postponement of this year’s full festival will have on the community which founded the Festival seven decades ago.’
But they said, the indomitable spirit of Wexford Opera lives on, even in these uncertain and challenging times.
‘That spirit which enabled a small provincial town to create a world-renowned opera festival continues to this day, inspiring Wexford, with the support and guidance of its board of directors, to develop a crisis-inspired formula by presenting a reimagined, online Festival.
‘We are determined to leave no stone unturned to ensure the Festival remains active, dynamic and fully prepared to welcome audiences back to Wexford to celebrate the Festival’s 70th anniversary in 2021.’
The Festival will now run for eight consecutive days, from Sunday, 11 October to Sunday, 18 October 2020, with audiences from home and abroad invited to experience the magic of Wexford Festival online from the comfort and safety of their own homes. Further details of where and how to join are to be announced shortly.
Billed as ‘Waiting for Shakespeare... The Festival in the Air’, the programme will be an online celebration of music emcompassing many of the ambitions set out by Artistic Director Rosetta Cucchi earlier in the year. Her hope is to nurture the talents of the best young Irish singers through the mentorship of world-renowned artists who share a love of Wexford.
The reimagined Festival aims to bring together audiences and the wider worldwide Wexford community through the power of music.
The CEO and Artistic Director said the online event will build on the Festival’s pioneering digital initiatives of recent years to present an exciting and varied programme of events, safely and at no charge to audiences across Ireland and around the world.
It will also present an opportunity for the wider public to access and experience the magic of Wexford for the first time.
Ms. Cucchi and Mr. McLoughhlin stressed that the support of the Festival’s many stakeholders is especially appreciated at this challenging time, in particular, the principal funder, the Arts Council, along with that of Wexford County Council and Fáilte Ireland, all of which has been crucial to enable Wexford to present an online Festival against the odds this year.
They also thanked RTÉ, which has partnered with the Festival in the past to expand its audiences at home and abroad. ‘In enthusiastic anticipation of the return of our patrons next year, we are eager to still bring to you the spirit and community of Wexford this year.’
The Festival said existing ticket holders who have booked events, will be contacted directly about ticket refunds and the option to consider converting all or part of their refund into a donation to support Wexford’s artistic mission, in particular its ongoing initiatives to develop the talents and careers of emerging Irish singers and the creation of an online musical celebration this autumn.
The inaugural Wexford Factory, a professional development academy for young Irish/Irish-based singers has been retained as a key part of this year’s online Festival.
Participants will be tutored by some of the most celebrated professionals in opera today, including acclaimed tenor Juan Diego Flórez, who appeared in Wexford at the very beginning of his international career.
Wexford Factory participants will perform scenes from Verdi’s Falstaff from the stage of the National Opera House, streamed in an episodic format over six consecutive days.
The Festival will open with Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle, dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Covid-19 pandemic, and will close with the highly anticipated Lisette Oropesa concert.
Other events will include a star-studded Gala concert, featuring some of the opera world’s top performers, most of whom performed in Wexford early in their careers, a special dinner time recital by the celebrated Irish soprano Celine Byrne, as well as a new opera by Artist-in-Residence composer Andrew Synnott.
A community element will remain with a series of pop-up performances which will take place daily in Wexford town in accordance with social distancing guidelines.
Full details of ‘Waiting for Shakespeare ...The Festival in the air’, including a personal video presentation by the artistic director Rosetta Cucchi and downloadable brochure, is available through the link: www.wexfordopera.com
Wexford Festival Opera thanked the Arts Council, Wexford County Council, Fáilte Ireland/Ireland’s Ancient East and the Festival’s Friends, sponsors and donors.
‘It is only through their invaluable support that Wexford Festival Opera can, in turn continue to reach out on a global scale to enrich, entertain and enlighten audiences during these uncertain times.’