Wexford Festival Opera Prepares to Welcome Artists From Across Ireland and Around The World This October

Wexford Festival Opera will welcome live audiences back into the National Opera House this October, to experience in person the magic that is Wexford Festival Opera. The team is also excited to welcome creative teams and artists from across the world to Wexford and today cast details were confirmed for the 70th Anniversary Festival which will run from 19-31 October.

WFO has found exciting and innovative ways to present over 50 events this October. From the main stage operas, to concerts, to pop-up events and lectures, the 70th Wexford Festival Opera will feature artists from across the world and showcase some of the most exciting young Irish talent.

WFO 2021 will open with a fully-staged production of Edmea by Alfredo Catalani. Francesco Cilluffo, recently appointed WFO'S principal guest conductor, who made his Wexford debut in 2015 in Mascagni's Guglielmo Ratcliff, conducts the performances. Julia Burbach will make her Festival debut directing the production in designs by Cécile Trémolières in her house debut. The title role will be performed by French Soprano Anne Sophie Duprels, who performed the much acclaimed role of Katiusha in Risurrezione in Wexford in 2017. She will be joined by Russian bass Ivan Shcherbatykh, former guest soloist at the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia in his house debut, who will take on the role of Il Conte di Leitmeritz. Luciano Ganci, John Molloy, Leon Kim and two members of the Wexford Factory, Conor Prendiville and Conall O'Neill will complete the cast.

Guillaume Tourniaire will conduct a semi-staged production of Le Songe d'une Nuit d'Eté by Ambroise Thomas with Walter Le Moli directing, Stefania Panighini co-directing and set designs by Tiziano Santi, all in their house debut. Armenian born Soprano Hasmik Toroysan will make her WFO debut in the role of Queen Elizabeth I, Soprano Valentina Mastrangelo will play the role of Olivia and the role of Shakespeare will be performed by Tenor Sébastien Guèze. They will be joined by Tommaso Barea, Vasyl Solodkyy and Wexford Factory artists Rory Dunne and Kathleen Norchi.

A concert performance of Ein Wintermärchen (Karl Goldmark) conducted by Marcus Bosch in his Festival debut and will feature Burkhard Fritz in his Wexford Festival Opera debut as Leontes. Renowned for his heroic Wagner roles, the German tenor will, alongside soprano Sophie Gordeladze, lead the cast of 14. Wexford audiences will recall Sophie's acclaimed performance as Matilde in Maria de Rudenz in WFO 2016 and the stunning Gala Concert last year. This October she will take on the role of Hermione. Ava Dodd from Factory will perform the main role of Perdita.

While the team is looking forward to live audiences again, they are not forgetting those who cannot attend in person this year and some elements of WFO 2021 will be made available online. More details to be announced in the coming weeks.

Nurturing artists and showcasing the talents of young singers remains a cornerstone of WFO. Last year saw the inaugural Wexford Factory, where singers were mentored by world-renowned artists before performing in WFO 2020. This year will see those 10 singers return for further artist development with artists including Ernesto Palacio, Gregory Kunde, Ermonela Jaho, Ann Sophie Duprels, Mariangela Sicilia (One of our four ambassadresses) and Tara Erraught, as well as performing in various festival productions. The Wexford Factory is an international collaboration and one of the artists Jade Phoenix was chosen to participate in the 'Alberto Zedda Academy' at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro in July and, this year, another Factory artist will be chosen to participate in the Bolshoi Young Artists Programme in Moscow.

For more programme details, booking information and how to become a friend of WFO go to
wexfordopera.com

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