Today it was announced that the 2023 Wexford Festival Opera will be officially opened by An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at 7.15pm on 24th October. A fireworks display, supported by Wexford County Council, will follow at 7.30pm.
Further details will be announced in the coming weeks.
About Wexford Festival Opera 2023, running from 24th October – 5th November.
WFO 2023 promises a packed programme comprising of three mainstage opera rarities, two pocket operas, the Wexford Factory opera, 11 lunchtime recitals, an immersive community opera – a first for WFO, a choral recital with New Dublin Voices, the annual gala concert of festival favourites, film screenings, an impossible interview, the Dr Tom Walsh lecture given by Lara Marlowe, From Innocent Victims to Daring Warriors; Real-life Stories of Women in War, a myriad of joyous free pop-up events all around the town and an exuberant opening night.
The programme for the 72nd festival centres around the theme of Women and War, with each chosen work highlighting a different aspect of the struggles women face; in conflict, fighting prejudice and in making their voices heard.
The three mainstage operas are:
- A modern premiere of Zoraida di Granata by G. Donizetti 1822 in co production with the Donizetti Festival in Bergamo
- French rarity L’Aube rouge by Camille Erlanger 1911
- La Ciociara 2015, in a new orchestration for WFO by original composer Marco Tutino
- The return of the Wexford Factory – including performances of L’italiana in Algeri
- Pocket Operas/ Opera Beag: La fille du régiment by Gaetano Donizetti 1840 and Suor Angelica by Giacomo Puccini 1918
Wexford Festival Opera has a truly distinctive character. The festival’s founders set Wexford apart from the beginning with a bold and unique vision: to rediscover long-neglected works, staging revivals of the highest artistic quality. It is a vision to which the Festival has held fast for more than 70 years and that continues to give Wexford Festival Opera its distinctive character. Establishing its reputation for high-quality productions that, every year, bring thousands of opera-lovers flocking to Wexford from all over the world tempts audiences to Wexford in pursuit of the next big discovery, whether that be an opera, a singer, conductor, director or Wexford town itself. A festival of discovery and celebration, join us on a journey to the ultimate Wexford Festival Opera experience.
