Opera is enjoying a revival this summer in Northern Ireland. From the launch of NI Opera's innovative new season, to Scottish Opera's Rigoletto at the Grand Opera House and live screenings at both QFT and Belfast City Hall, opera is alive and well with much on offer for modern audiences.
The revitalisation of opera stems from a fundamental review by the Arts Council in 2010, which was designed to help bring opera in Northern Ireland up to an international standard.
A year on from the opera review, a number of changes are already evident. Last month, English Touring Opera brought three productions to the Grand Opera House, with support from the Arts Council's cross-border funding. This month sees Scottish Opera at the Opera House with their acclaimed production of Rigoletto, followed soon after by opera screenings from Glynebourne broadcast live at the Queen's Film Theatre. In July, Belfast City Council plans to stage an outdoor screening of Royal Opera House's Cinderella on the big screen at City Hall. Meanwhile, NI Opera has just announced ambitious plans for its new season, featuring local talent, which includes a collaborative production with Scottish Opera, Orpheus in the Underworld, touring across Northern Ireland before heading to the Young Vic Theatre in London.
Rosa Solinas, Head of Music, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said: "The wealth of opera on offer this summer shows that there is an appreciative audience for the art form here in Northern Ireland. The Arts Council has focussed on making opera affordable and accessible to as wide an audience as possible and ensuring that we develop audiences for the future.
"We have been delighted with the successful first year NI Opera has had, in particular its highly acclaimed production of Tosca in Derry~Londonderry.
"With touring productions, cinema screenings and educational workshops in schools, we hope to continue to develop a taste for opera amongst audiences here and finally dispel the myth that it is an exclusive art form."
Oliver Mears, Artistic Director, NI Opera, added: "It is very important to have a strong local base for opera and to promote young talent, from singers to set designers, which we are committed to. At the same time, it is also important to continue to attract international singers to Northern Ireland to ensure that opera here remains of the highest international quality.
"Our recent collaboration with the Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen's is a perfect example of this. We have joined forces to welcome internationally renowned soprano, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, to Belfast to perform the final concert of the 2011 Festival, where she will share the stage with a young, aspiring Northern Irish singer."
The Grand Opera House has been another key player in building relationships and promoting opera to audiences.
Michael Ockwell, Chief Executive, Grand Opera House said: "I am delighted that the Grand Opera House is in a position to facilitate such productive and creative partnerships. Our longstanding relationship with Scottish Opera has been further strengthened this year by Arts Council funding, which enables us to deliver our commitment to securing the best quality Opera product available for Northern Ireland audiences.
"It is also very exciting to work collaboratively with both Scottish Opera and NI Opera, two exceptional national Opera companies who have found a synergy through the Grand Opera House."