Blackwater Valley Opera Festival

Last updated

Lismore Castle Gardens, County Waterford LMF Castle Gardens.jpg
Lismore Castle Gardens, County Waterford

The Blackwater Valley Opera Festival (formerly the Lismore Opera Festival and Lismore Music Festival) is a classical music and opera festival held annually in Lismore, County Waterford, Ireland. [1] Founded in 2010 by Jennifer O'Connell and artistic director Dieter Kaegi, the festival was re-launched as the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival in February 2018. [2] [3]

Contents

Previous events have consisted of three opera nights performed in Lismore Castle's stable yard. [4] Concerts and recitals have also been staged in Lismore and in historic homes located along the banks of the Blackwater River downstream to the parish of Cappoquin. These venues have included Salterbridge House, Cappoquin House, Tourin House, Dromore Yard and Lismore Cathedral. [5]

In 2012, Irish President Michael D. Higgins inaugurated the festival's annual school's access programme. [6]

Marco Zambelli was the conductor of the festival for several years, except in 2016, when Killian Farrell conducted Così fan tutte , and in 2019 when Darren Hargan conducted Don Pasquale . [7] [8] The 2019 festival presented two operas for the first time, with 15 performances in total, including a solo recital by Giovanni Bellucci. [9] [10]

While the 2020 event was cancelled as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, [11] [12] the festival's organisers ran outdoor concerts for residential care home residents. [13] [14] By March 2021, this concert series was described as "the largest arts and health intervention supported in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland" and had included 350 live classical music concerts involving artists like Anthony Kearns, Des Keogh, Celine Byrne and Iarla Ó Lionáird. [15] The 2021 program was also modified due to COVID-19 restrictions and included a number of free open-air recitals in Lismore, Dungarvan, Youghal and Waterford. [16]

The 2022 event included a free open-air concert in Fermoy, as well as concerts from Maurice Steger, Giovanni Bellucci, and Irish Baroque Orchestra. [17]

Past productions

Related Research Articles

The German Fach system is a method of classifying singers, primarily opera singers, according to the range, weight, and color of their voices. It is used worldwide, but primarily in Europe, especially in German-speaking countries and by repertory opera houses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Opera Company</span> Opera company based in Toronto, Ontario

The Canadian Opera Company (COC) is an opera company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest opera company in Canada and one of the largest producers of opera in North America. The COC performs at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, which was purpose-built for opera and ballet and is shared with the National Ballet of Canada. For forty years until April 2006, the COC had performed at the O'Keefe Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrizia Ciofi</span> Italian opera singer

Patrizia Ciofi is an Italian operatic coloratura soprano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramón Vargas</span> Mexican operatic tenor (born 1960)

Ramón Vargas is a Mexican operatic tenor. Since his debut in the early '90s, he has developed to become one of the most acclaimed tenors of the 21st century. Known for his most expressive and agile lyric tenor voice, he is especially successful in the bel canto repertoire.

Alessandro Corbelli is an Italian baritone opera singer. One of the world's pre-eminent singers specializing in Mozart and Rossini, Corbelli has sung in many major opera houses around the world and won admiration for his elegant singing style and sharp characterizations, especially in comic roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Filippo Galli (bass)</span> Italian opera singer 1783-1853

Filippo Galli was an Italian opera singer who began his career as a tenor in 1801 but went on to become one of the most acclaimed basses of the bel canto era, with a voice known for its wide range, extreme agility, and expressivity, and a remarkable gift for acting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">András Kürthy</span> Hungarian opera stage director

András Kürthy is a Hungarian opera stage director.

A bass is a type of classical male singing voice and has the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a vocal range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C (i.e., E2–E4). Its tessitura, or comfortable range, is normally defined by the outermost lines of the bass clef. Categories of bass voices vary according to national style and classification system.

Dawn Kotoski is an American operatic soprano who has a substantial international opera career. She began her career at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City during the late 1980s singing lighter lyric soprano and soubrette roles. She joined the Vienna State Opera for the 1993–1994 season and since then her career has been centered mostly in Europe. She is the wife of tenor Neil Shicoff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hibla Gerzmava</span> Abkhazian soprano

Hibla Leverasovna Gerzmava is an Abkhazian-Russian operatic soprano who currently resides in Moscow.

Amira Selim is an Egyptian soprano and opera singer, based in France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agostino Rovere</span> Italian opera singer

Agostino Rovere was an Italian operatic bass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Poggi</span> Italian operatic tenor

Antonio Poggi was an Italian operatic tenor who had an active international career from 1827–1848. He is best remembered for creating roles in the world premieres of operas by Gaetano Donizetti and Giuseppe Verdi. He was married to soprano Erminia Frezzolini from 1841–1846.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regula Mühlemann</span> Swiss operatic soprano (born 1986)

Regula Mühlemann is a Swiss operatic soprano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olga Peretyatko</span> Russian operatic soprano (born 1980)

Olga Alexandrovna Peretyatko is a Russian operatic soprano. She has been known for lyric and coloratura soprano roles, most notably in operas by Rossini and Mozart. In recent years, she has been taking up heavier and more lyrical roles.

Christine Weidinger is an American operatic soprano who has had an active international career in operas and concerts since the early 1970s. Her career started at the Metropolitan Opera, after which she was active as a resident artist with opera houses in Germany during the late 1970s and 1980s. From the 1970s through the 1990s she worked as a guest artist with many leading opera houses throughout Europe, South America, and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maxim Mironov</span> Russian opera singer (born 1981)

Maxim Vyacheslavovich Mironov is a Russian tenor, best known for his interpretation of the bel canto repertoire. In 2001, he joined the Helikon Opera Theatre in Moscow, where he made his operatic debut in André Grétry's opera Pierre le Grand. Mironov won the 2nd Prize at the Neue Stimmen international singing competition in Germany in 2003. In Europe Mironov has performed in many opera houses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saimir Pirgu</span> Albanian opera tenor

Saimir Pirgu is an Albanian international opera singer (tenor). In 2014 he was awarded the Italian citizenship by the President of the Italian Republic Giorgio Napolitano.

Marina Rebeka is a Latvian soprano, active on both opera and concert stages. Associated with Violetta in Verdi's La traviata, she performs primarily in the 19th-century Italian and French repertoire, most notably works by Gioachino Rossini, in addition to Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni, another frequent role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacopo Spirei</span> Italian opera stage director (born 1974)

Jacopo Spirei is an Italian opera stage director. He is the winner of the audience prize in Salzburg for best production of the season 2012/2013 at the Salzburger Landestheater.

References

  1. 1 2 Neil Fisher (9 June 2017). "L'elisir d'amore at Lismore Castle, Co Waterford". The Times .
  2. "Festival homepage". blackwatervalleyoperafestival.com. Blackwater Valley Opera Festival. Archived from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2019. Building on the legacy of the Lismore Opera Festival, [the] Box office opens on March 1st 2018 [for] the Blackwater Valley [Festival] May 29th to June 3rd 2018
  3. 1 2 "Review: L'Italiana in Algeri - A spell-binding evening". Irish Examiner. 2 June 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  4. 1 2 Mark O'Sullivan (6 June 2012). "The Barber of Seville, Lismore Music Festival". Irish Examiner . Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  5. "The Festival – Venues". blackwatervalleyoperafestival.com. Blackwater Valley Opera Festival. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  6. Nicki ffrench Davis (1 June 2012). "Schooled in opera". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 27 February 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
  7. "Opera in the Valley". munster-express.ie. Munster Express Online. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  8. "Derry born conductor at Irish Opera Festival". derryjournal.com. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  9. Dervan, Michael. "Put Bellucci on your Liszt: this week's classical music highlight". The Irish Times. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  10. Dervan, Michael. "Communal virtuosity is abundant in NSO's Strauss performance". The Irish Times. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  11. "Updates on Summer Festivals Canceled Due to Coronavirus Outbreak". Opera Wire. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  12. "Blackwater Valley Opera Festival - BVOF 2020 Cancellation". Blackwater Valley Opera Festival. 21 March 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  13. Mannion, Eleanor (18 September 2020). "'Covid Care Concerts' tour delights care home residents". rte.ie. RTÉ News.
  14. "Opera brings festive cheer to care home residents in Limerick". limerickleader.ie. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  15. "350 Live Concerts With World-Class Artists Bring Joy To Residents Of Hospital Settings & Residental[sic] Care Homes". The Journal of Music. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  16. "Blackwater Valley Opera Festival launches 2021 programme". The Avondhu Newspaper. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  17. "Cork preparing for the welcome return of popular Blackwater Valley Opera Festival". The Corkman. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  18. Kearns, Kirsten Fedewa & Associates, L. L. C. and Anthony. "Tenor Anthony Kearns Returns to Lismore Opera Festival to Perform in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore". prnewswire.com. Retrieved 15 January 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. Dervan, Michael. "Opera in Waterford and an Irish debut: This week's classical music highlights". The Irish Times. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  20. "Images of the Day". The Irish Times. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  21. "Orfeo ed Euridice: Gluck under canvas". The Irish Times. Retrieved 20 June 2022.