Save the Date!
We are pleased to officially announce our dates for next year and we hope you can join us for Ireland’s Summer Opera Festival from
26 May – 2 June 2025
PRIORITY BOOKING available from January 2025 for Friends of BVOF.
SIGN UP at blackwatervalleyopera.ie for more information.
BECOME A FRIEND of BVOF and enjoy exclusive offers, benefits and invitations to private events throughout the year.
Ireland’s Summer Opera Festival took place from 27 May – 3 June 2024 with four performances of G.F. Handel’s Giulio Cesare in the grounds of Lismore Castle, Co. Waterford. The headline opera featured the Irish Baroque Orchestra and the BVOF Chorus, conducted by Nicholas McGegan, directed by Tom Creed, with Set & Light Design by Aedín Cosgrove and Costume Design by Catherine Fay. The Giulio Cesare cast included Ingeborg Bröcheler, Anna Devin, Nils Wanderer, Carolyn Holt, Sharon Carty, Dean Murphy, Iestyn Morris and Fionn Ó hAlmhain.
Audiences enjoyed an exhilarating week of opera, classical music recitals and concerts, schools and free events, pop up events, dining and more at incredible homes and historic venues throughout the Blackwater Valley. Dromore Yard concerts featured Of Emperors, Kings, and Queens with Serenad Uyar, Leonardo Galeazzi, and Dearbhla Collins; Clara Haskil Piano Competition presented by Finghin Collins; and our 2024 festival finale was the sold-out Vivaldi Concert with the Irish Baroque Orchestra led by Nicholas McGegan with Arianna Vendittelli and Iestyn Morris. Free BVOF Open Air Lunchtime Recitals brought the magic of Ireland’s Summer Opera Festival to local communities in Lismore and Dungarvan, Waterford; Youghal, and Castlemartyr in Cork. Our 2024 Recitals Series took place at Salterbridge House, St Carthage’s Cathedral, Villierstown Church, Tourin House, and Woodhouse Estate Stradbally.
****READ THE 4* STAR REVIEWS FOR GIULIO CESARE BELOW ****
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ THE IRISH EXAMINER 4* REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The abundance of mellifluous arias is well sung by the cast. Particularly powerful are the scenes between mezzos, Carolyn Holt as Cornelia and Sharon Carty as Sesto.”
“Anna Devin as Cleopatra moves effortlessly from coquettish seduction to emotional heartbreak. German countertenor, Nils Wanderer is both comical and menacing as Tolomeo.”
“American baritone Dean Murphy brings a welcome bass ballast to the ensemble.”
“In the title role, Dutch contralto Ingeborg Brocheler has a lovely moment in Act 3 when Caesar can’t resist a smile as the resident ‘augellin’ or little bird chirrups as if on cue in the aria Se in Fiorito Ameno Prato with in tandem with a violin obligado.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ THE ARTS DESK 4* REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Giulio Cesare - characterful, lustrous Handel on parade. An infinitely various cast compels as the splendour falls on castle walls”
“Anna Devin’s achievement as an infinitely various Cleopatra will not be eclipsed by Louise Alder’s eagerly-awaited characterisation at Glyndebourne.”
“Over the Irish sea, in the grounds of a castle with exquisite gardens above the lushly wooded valley of the river Blackwater, they’ve pulled it off."
"This is a singular triumph of which Caesar would be proud”.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Opera Now 4* REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“This was earnest, dark-hued, grown-up, even a tad low-octane – but with high musical values and strong direction.”
“Anna Devin…covered all the bases of a complicated role, all sassy confidence in taunting Tolomeo and seducing Julius, then the sudden unexpected (to her and us) access of soul when she fears he is dead.”
“Sharon Carty’s great performance, fighting with fear and indecision with concentrated, undemonstrative actorly art. Carolyn Holt handled Cornelia’s monomaniac misery sympathetically, and the smaller roles (there are no boring ones, unlike much opera seria) were absolutely central to the drama and delivered terrifically well.” “Cornelia and Sesto brought a real emotional heart to things with centred, rock-solid performances.”
"Tolomeo’s arias were delivered with increasing feline stylishness (and the raised profile of him and the smaller 'adviser' roles skewed the drama in interesting ways)…”
“McGegan’s band played with a cultured bounciness, unafraid to take things strikingly slowly in the deeper arias, the virtuoso solos admirably done.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ THEATRE NEWS 4* REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“BVOF’s Giulio Cesare delivers in spades.”
“Ingeborg Bröcheler (contralto) as Giulio Cesare commands the auditorium with her swaggering presence. Nils Wanderer (countertenor) is brilliant as Tolomeo, the Egyptian king of high camp and Machiavellian darkness. Anna Devin (soprano) as the seductive Cleopatra, Carolyn Holt (mezzo-soprano) as the grief-stricken Cornelia and Sharon Carty (mezzo-soprano) as the vengeful Sesto, likewise deliver full blooded and nuanced performances.”
“The twenty-plus arias represent a smorgasbord of contrasting emotions and dazzling technical virtuosity from all the leads, but if forced to pick just one—a real sword-at-the-head choice—it would be (Anna) Devin’s “Se pietà di me non senti,” delivered with heart-wrenching emotion.”
“The 25-strong Irish Baroque Orchestra, steered by conductor Nicholas McGegan, interprets the rhythmically lively score with equal parts brio and aching finesse.”
“Bravura performances all round, further cementing Blackwater Valley Opera Festival’s reputation as a jewel in Waterford 's cultural calendar.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ KLASSIK BEGEISTERT REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“…This performance was almost perfect. Tom Creed, one of Ireland's leading theatre and opera directors, directed the actors with precision, attention to detail and, above all, a suspenseful mix of drama and humour…nothing distracted from their acting and, above all, their vocal art."
"First-class ensemble: Among the many brilliant performances, the leading Irish soprano Anna Devin in the role of Cleopatra was the undisputed star of the evening: vocally, she effortlessly and in a crystal-clear tone scaled the breakneck coloraturas of Handel's masterpiece. The German countertenor Nils Wanderer gave Tolomeo, Cleopatra's hateful and scheming brother, not only phenomenal vocal power at dizzying heights but also dazzling humour. The duet between mother Cornelia and her "son" Sesto - sung by the celebrated Irish mezzo-sopranos Carolyn Holt and Sharon Carty - was enchanting in its harmonic perfection. The Caesar of the Dutch contralto Ingeborg Bröcheler … improved to a touching, harmonious love duet with the ravishing Cleopatra of Anna Devin."
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ GOLDEN PLEC 3.5* REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Blackwater Valley Opera Festival…built on ambition and optimism, it has outdone itself this year...The idyllic pastoral haven of the (Lismore) Castle gardens, an appropriate mirror for an early drama like this.”
“Soprano Anna Devin is brilliantly playful as Cleopatra, vocally on top form and clearly enjoying the theatrical possibilities of the role, varying from a spiky, even reckless, sense of humour to sumptuous play-acting.”
“Countertenor Nils Wanderer presents a complex figure, and the childish sadism usually associated with this role is deepened here with a hint of twisted nobility, aided by Wanderer’s imposing physical presence and excellent singing.”
“Carolyn Holt movingly projects with her first aria, an affecting expression of loss, her voice matching the rich sound of the Irish Baroque Orchestra. Sharon Carty sings with keen expression and vivid fluency, and physically commits to the role with real strength and agility, a side to her work not always seen. The two combine beautifully in their duet.”
“Creed and the company show themselves very much alive to the ironies that sit alongside the darker strands of this work, and there is plenty of smart theatricality to enjoy, with the chorus put to good use as ‘rent-a-crowd’ extras for both sides of the story. It is a luxury to have a fuller-sized ensemble than is usually heard for productions of early opera here, directed superbly from the harpsichord by Nicholas McGegan.”
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READ ALL ABOUT IT
We are giving away some fabulous prizes at Blackwater Valley Opera Festival this year. Stayed tuned to be in with a chance to win performance tickets, hotel breaks, exclusive shopping vouchers, VIP treatments and more.
Visit Waterford ~ Where Ireland Begins
Blackwater Valley Opera Festival is a dedicated member of Visit Waterford and proud to be a premiere flagship festival for Waterford. We are thrilled to be showcased in the newly released Visit Waterford tourism video. Remarkably, Waterford has secured a unique position as the sole Irish destination listed in the prestigious New York Times “52 Places to Go” for 2024.