Blackwater Valley Opera Festival has announced tenor Cathal McCabe as the 2026 recipient of the Bríd Phelan Emerging Talent Award, revealed at a special event at Kildare Village, the festival’s official fashion retail sponsor. The announcement took place during a live performance at Kildare Village, featuring Cathal McCabe, with soprano Bláthnaid Nicholson and pianist Conor Wilcox.
Established in 2025, the Bríd Phelan Emerging Talent Award is an annual bursary supporting emerging Irish opera singers at a key stage in their development.
Each year, one singer receives €6,000 to support further study and early professional work. The bursary is awarded annually to each over a five-year period from 2025 to 2029. This significant contribution reflects the festival’s ongoing commitment to fostering the next generation of operatic talent.
The award is made possible through the generosity of a BVOF Patron and supported by Kildare Village.
The announcement also marks a milestone year for both organisations. 2026 represents 10 years of partnership between Blackwater Valley Opera Festival and Kildare Village, the festival’s longest-standing sponsor, while Kildare Village celebrates its 20th anniversary in Ireland.
Cathal McCabe, a tenor from Dublin, is currently studying at the Dutch National Opera Academy. His recent roles include Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus with Westminster Opera Company, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, and Acis in Acis and Galatea with Opera in the Open. He has also appeared as Henry Crawford in Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park, Buck Mulligan in Nighttown with the Dutch National Opera Academy, and Shouter in Lady Gregory in America at Wexford Festival Opera. Speaking on receiving the award, Cathal McCabe said:
“It is an incredible honour and a privilege to have been named the recipient of the Bríd Phelan Emerging Artist Bursary. This award will have such a positive impact on my studies here at the Dutch National Opera Academy and beyond. I would like to extend my most sincere thanks to the donor for their kind-hearted support and for honouring the legacy of Bríd Phelan. I would also like to thank Kildare Village for their commitment to the development of this award. I am honoured to be the second recipient of this new award, which will undoubtedly open the gates for numerous emerging talents in the years to come.”
Blackwater Valley Opera Festival (26 May – 1 June 2026) will present 24 performances across 13 venues throughout the Blackwater Valley (Waterford/Cork). The programme includes Mozart’s Don Giovanni at Lismore Castle, conducted by Peter Whelan and directed by Tom Creed, alongside Handel’s Acis and Galatea at St Carthage’s Cathedral.
The wider programme includes concerts and recitals at Dromore Yard, Ballynatray House, Villierstown Church, Salterbridge House, Tourin House and Woodhouse Estate, with artists including Niamh O’Sullivan, Gary Beecher, Finghin Collins, Dearbhla Collins, Magdalene Ho, Pierre Génisson and Elias David Moncado.
The festival expects to welcome over 5,000 visitors in 2026 and will engage more than 1,000 students through its education programme, bringing total participation to over 8,500 since its inception. These initiatives continue to make opera and classical music accessible to the wider community.
Through its bursary initiatives, Blackwater Valley Opera Festival will support 10 artists and performers with €50,000 in funding in 2026, made possible thanks to the generosity of its supporters.
Blackwater Valley Opera Festival is supported by grants from the Arts Council of Ireland and Waterford City & County Council. The festival’s lead sponsors are The James and Deirdre Dyson Trust, John Pollard Foundation, Kildare Village, Silvercrest Asset Management Group, and Curraghmore Whiskey.
Pictured: Tenor Cathal McCabe named 2026 Bríd Phelan Emerging Talent Award recipient at Kildare Village with Victor Biffi Rosano, Business Director at Kildare Village, and Eamonn Carroll, Festival Director of Blackwater Valley Opera Festival. (Blackwater Valley Opera Festival, 25 May – 1 June 2026). c. Anthony Woods
