INO 2024 - 25 | New Season Announcement

TRADE / MARY MOTORHEAD 

A searing double bill from composer Emma O’Halloran kicks off INO’s new season in Kilkenny Arts Festival. The two operas, Trade and Mary Motorhead, delve into the complexities of modern life, featuring characters in unexpected situations, reacting to the twists and turns that life has thrown at them. Mark O’Halloran’s (Adam & Paul, Garage) texts cut straight to the raw emotional core of each character. Emma O’Halloran’s score combines beauty and drama in the vocal lines with echoes of 80’s gritty electronic music layered over the orchestral accompaniment, creating a new and unique soundscape. Kilkenny Arts Festival co-present the European premiere from Thursday 8 – Sunday 11 August, followed by a nationwide tour in Autumn from Friday 11 to Saturday 26 October visiting Dún Laoghaire, Cork, Tralee, Ennis and Naval.

BEATRICE & BENEDICT

“If I had a time machine I’d go back to 19th Century Paris to meet Hector Berlioz”, shares Fergus Sheil, Founding Artistic Director of Irish National Opera. “His music is revolutionary, his thinking constantly surprises. His creativity demolishes obstacles. He was a genuine maverick with an enormous musical personality.” This revolutionary spirit will infuse a concert performance of Beatrice & Benedict, featuring a stellar cast led by Irish mezzo-soprano Paula Murrihy and American tenor David Portillo in the title roles in the National Concert Hall, Dublin on Tuesday 1 October.

RIGOLETTO

Verdi’s Rigoletto is a timeless tragedy exploring a father’s love, betrayal, and the devastating consequences that follow. Directed by Julien Chavaz and designed by Jamie Vartan, the team behind INO’s acclaimed William Tell, this new production promises a forceful exploration of grief, loss, and the destructive power of revenge and runs for four performances in Bord Gáis Energy Theatre from Sunday 1 to Saturday 7 December.

FLEDERMAUS

“Opera isn't all tragedy, though, and sometimes it’s great just to have an evening of fun”, says Sheil, “I love Strauss’s Fledermaus mostly for its tunefulness, upbeat musicality and Viennese lilt.” The story has hilarious twists and turns, characters double-crossing each other, a masked ball, disguises, and rivers of champagne. This touring production reaches all corners of Ireland and showcases outstanding Irish vocal talent, including Jade Phoenix, Sarah Shine, and Sharon Carty and directed by Davey Kelleher. Fledermaus opens in Siamsa Tíre Tralee on Saturday 1 February and tours nationwide until Sunday 23 February 2025.

THE FLYING DUTCHMAN

Irish National Opera’s first Wagner opera, The Flying Dutchman, opens at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in March 2025. This epic tale explores a cursed sea captain's search for redemption through love. Wagner’s epic score captures the vast scale of the story, from the stormy overture to the final scene. The Flying Dutchman stars Giselle Allen (Elektra 2021) as Senta and Alfred Walker as The Dutchman and has four performances in Bord Gáis Energy Theatre from Sunday 23 to Saturday 29 March. Following the successful co-production of Der Rosenkavalier in 2022, Garsington Opera's Artistic Director Douglas Boyd says "We are delighted to be collaborating with Irish National Opera again, a company whose values we share. It is particularly exciting for Garsington Opera to be able to announce that this staging of The Flying Dutchman will be the first Wagner opera production in the festival's history."

L'ELISIR D'AMORE

“L’elisir d’amore has all the ingredients of a perfect romantic comedy”, says Fergus, “an unlikely love affair, a dubious elixir, heartache, obstacles, and eventual surrender. Above all, it's filled with lots of fun and music of great heart.” This production brings together star soprano Claudia Boyle, US tenor Duke Kim (Faust 2023 ), and John Molloy as the outlandish “doctor” Dulcamara. L’elisir d’amore (The Elixir of Love) will open in The Gaiety Theatre Dublin on Sunday 25 May running Tuesday 27, Thursday 29 and Saturday 31 May with further dates in the National Opera House Wexford on Wednesday 4 June and Cork Opera House on Saturday 7 June.

KABIN CREW: THE SOUND OF THE NORTHSIDE

Irish National Opera are teaming up with youth hip-hop collective, the Kabin Crew, in July to create a semi-staged showcase of their music The Sound of the Northside at The Everyman Cork. Kabin Crew will perform with the INO Orchestra, conducted by Medb Brereton Hurley, in specially tailored arrangements of the Crew’s music arranged by Áine Delany and directed by One Two One (Maud Lee and Zoe Ní Riordáin).

Irish National Opera's new season showcases how opera, in all its contrasting forms, has the power to move, inspire, and illuminate our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. From the raw emotions of contemporary works to the enduring themes of beloved classics, the 2024-25 season promises to be an operatic exploration of the human experience.