Repertoire Confirmed For 68th Wexford Festival Opera

As preparations for the 2019 Festival continue, Artistic Director of Wexford Festival Opera, David Agler, has confirmed a change to one of the main evening operas. Dorilla in Tempe by Antonio Vivaldi will replace the previously announced Der Freischütz by Carl Maria von Weber. This new, fully-scaled production will be presented in association with the prestigious Teatro La Fenice (Venice). The production will mark the welcome return of director Fabio Ceresa ('Best Director' International Opera Awards 2016) and costume designer Giuseppe Paella, who were the key creative team behind the critically acclaimed operas Guglielmo Ratcliff (2015) and Maria de Rudenz (2016). This will be the first Baroque opera produced in Wexford since 1985, and so will also offer our audiences more of a variety in this year's overall programme. The repertoire change is in keeping with the reduced artistic budget associated with the more compact 2019 Festival.

The three main evening operas are:

Don Quichotte by Jules Massenet
Sung in French
22, 25, 29 Oct, 1 Nov

Dorilla in Tempe by Antonio Vivaldi
Sung in Italian
23, 26, 30 Oct, 2 Nov

The world-premiere of a newly commissioned opera,

La Cucina by Irish composer Andrew Synnott,

Performed as a companion piece with

Adina by Gioacchino Rossini, a co-production with Rossini Opera Festival

Both sung in Italian
24, 27, 31 Oct, 3

The Festival will open on Tuesday, 22 October and run for 13 consecutive days, closing on Sunday, 3 November. The 2019 Festival will include 12 main evening opera performances as well as an exclusive concert performance on the Bank Holiday Monday, 28 October, of The Veiled Prophet by the Irish composer Charles Villiers Stanford, presented in association with Heritage Music Productions, headed by international pianist and Irish music specialist, Una Hunt. This eagerly anticipated project, supported by a major grant from the Arts Council of Ireland, will be conducted by David Brophy and include several distinguished Irish singers.

Further information on creative teams and daytime programme will be announced ahead of the opening of priority booking.

Priority booking for Friends of Wexford Festival Opera opens on Saturday, 23 March for Ensemble+, Aria, Cabaletta and Bravura Friends and commences Saturday, 30 March for all other Friends. General Booking opens on Saturday 13 April.

Wexford Festival Opera is supported by grants from the Arts Council, Wexford County Council and Fáilte Ireland/Ireland's Ancient East.

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