Waterford opera festival aiming to spark new interest

One of the ongoing aims of the people behind the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival in Co Waterford is to reach out to sections of the community where opera might otherwise remain unknown and try to spark some interest.

Which is one of the reasons why the festival has been running a Discover Opera programme for schools for the last 14 years and, during that time, over 6,500 pupils from the area have benefitted and managed to enhance their knowledge and enjoyment of this branch of our musical tradition.

The latest iteration of the festival opened yesterday and runs until Bank Holiday Monday with a wide-ranging schedule of recitals, open-air performances, workshops, exhibitions, dining, and the main opera performances themselves. Which this year, against the fairytale castle backdrop of Lismore, feature Giulio Cesare.

George Frederick Handel’s composition was first staged at the King’s Theatre in London in 1724 and is this week being staged in west Waterford for the first time.

As part of the Discover Opera segment of the festival, students from schools across the region have been learning more about this opera and about what is involved in putting on such a production.

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Discover Opera is a collaboration between Blackwater Valley Opera Festival and Music Generation, the national music education programme.

“It’s been a very exciting few weeks,” Shauna McCullough of Music Generation Waterford said.

She added: “We’re celebrating Discover Opera where we’ve had a number of our music educators, and some of the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival artists, going out to the schools in Waterford and just on the border with Cork, to spark curiosity among the children in the classrooms and bring the opera into their space.

“They learn about this year’s production; they learn about lighting; they learn about costumes; they learn about all of the different voices that make up the opera; and just unpacking everything about the opera and making it really successful for them.”

Festival director Eamonn Carroll explained that it is part of their efforts to bring opera and classical music to the communities.

“We’re very proud of it but most importantly it has such a wonderful impact on the students and teachers and schools in the entire area.”

Mr Carroll said they get “amazing” feedback from the schools involved.

“It sparks an interest and a curiosity in music and in the arts and that’s really important for us because what we hope from our investment in this programme is that the next generation of audience and volunteers and people will become involved in this festival for generations to come.”

In relation to the main production itself, Giulio Cesare features the Irish Baroque Orchestra and the BVOF Chorus, with Nicholas McGegan on the baton; while Tom Creed is the director, set and lighting design is by Aedín Cosgrave and Catherine Fay is in charge of costumes.