Countdown on for Wexford Festival Opera ticket release
OPENING night might be six months away, but the countdown is well and truly on for the release of tickets for this year’s Wexford Festival Opera.
Taking place over 16 days between October 18 and November 2, Wexford Festival Opera is world renowned for both the extraordinary artistic experiences audiences encounter and its warm and inviting atmosphere.
The programme for the 2024 Wexford Festival Opera this autumn explores the theme of Theatre within Theatre and general booking opens on May 8.
Since its inception in 1951, the Wexford Festival Opera has flourished and gained worldwide recognition. Each year the festival features three main stage productions of rarely performed operas, as well as a number of short opera works. But the festival is not just about opera, the charm of Wexford town itself is an integral part of the overall experience.
Wexford Festival Opera 2024 will be one of the biggest of recent years. It will consist of 70 events over 16 days, including the three main stage operas: Le Maschere by Pietro Mascagni (1901), The Critic by Charles Villiers Stanford (1916) and Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali by Gaetano Donizetti (1827).
Other festival highlights will see two Pocket Operas, including a new work by Colm Tóibín and Alberto Caruso; the Wexford Factory returning for the fifth year with a new group of artists, many of whom will feature in performances of Pagliacci; a Gala concert by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra with four singers and the much-loved annual Gala concert featuring festival artists.
The local community will once again play an integral part in the Festival. Local Wexford singers will once again take part in a Community Opera alongside festival artists with the staging of Donizetti’s ‘ The Elixir of Love’.
This year will also see engagement projects, where children in both primary and secondary schools will be encouraged to explore opera and stage performance. These will see the students work directly with WFO artists and creative teams.
A late night, post opera, music and dance performance of Bach’s Cello suites and Festival regulars, The Dr Tom Walsh Lecture and another Impossible Interview are also in the offing.
It has also been announced that this year, apart from October 18 when the opening night opera will commence at 8pm, that the evening performance time will move to 7.30pm.
Speaking at the announcement of the programme for 2024 WFO Artistic Director Rosetta Cucchi said: “After the deep emotion of the 2023 season, I wanted to give the public a peek behind the curtain where anything can happen and everything is possible… with a touch of lightness.”
Booking dates/details
Priority booking for Festival Friends: Bravura, Aria, Cabaletta, Ensemble+ opens on April 24. Priority booking for Festival Friends: Ensemble, Prelude opens on May 1. General booking opens on May 8.
Tickets can be booked via the box office at the National Opera House Wexford, Monday to Saturday, 9:30am - 5pm / +353 53 912 2144 / wexfordopera.com
To become a Friend of Wexford Festival Opera, phone: +353 53 912 2144, email: friends@wexfordopera.com online: wexfordopera.com