Ireland’s Summer Opera Festival

Michael Alen-Buckley is President of Blackwater Valley Opera Festival

Prior to this Michael led the BVOF Board as Chairman for nine years and was involved with the BVOF becoming established as a charity with a remit to support musicians and music in the community. In business, Michael co-founded RAB Capital plc (1999) and is Executive Chairman. Prior to that Michael was a stockbroker for about 20 years and held senior positions at leading firms over that time. Michael sits on a number of boards of innovative new companies.

Together with his wife, Gianni, he is a long-term supporter of: the Bush Theatre, the Almeida Theatre, the Donmar Warehouse, Garsington Opera, Glyndebourne Opera, Nevile Holt Opera. Both Michael and Gianni were founding partners of the Brunel Academy. They are both patrons of Irish Heritage, which supports Irish musicians and Irish composers in Great Britain to a wide audience.

Michael participates as an advisor to the BVOF Advisory Council.

For 10 years Dieter Kaegi was director of productions at the renowned Music Festival in Aix-en-Provence. He became assistant to the general director of Monte Carlo Opera followed by for twelve years as Artistic Director of Opera Ireland in Dublin. Since 2013 Mr Kaegi has been General Director of TOBS, theatre, opera and orchestra of Biel and Solothurn in Switzerland.

In 2009, together with Jennifer O’Connell he co-founded the Lismore Opera Festival (which changed its name in 2018 to Blackwater Valley Opera Festival) and he continues to act as its Artistic Director at Ireland’s Summer Opera Festival.

Dieter has directed over 100 opera productions in important opera houses and festivals in Europe, US and Asia, such as:  Grand Théâtre de Genève, Opernhaus Zürich, Maggio Musicale di Firenze, Rossini Festival Pesaro, Teatro Regio Torino, Teatro Real Madrid, Teatro Liceu Barcelona, Royal Opera Copenhagen, Opéra du Rhin Strasbourg, Chorégis d’Orange, Opéra de Nice, Opèra de Monte Carlo,  Opéra Royale de la Wallonie Liège , Seattle Opera , Washington Opera, Macau Arts Festival, Hong Kong Arts Festival, Korean National Opera Seoul, Jekaterinburg Opera, Perm Opera, Opera Posznan, Latvian National Opera Riga and many others.

Eamonn is an experienced development professional with a significant track record in high-level sponsorship negotiation, implementation and activation. Prior to becoming Festival Director he was Membership Relationship Manager at the RDS. Before this he directed the sponsorship and Friends strategy for Wexford Festival Opera and Wexford Opera House and managed key relationships for the company with leading Irish and international philanthropists. He has represented the cultural sector on the Minister’s Working Group on Arts Funding & Philanthropy. Formerly, Eamonn was Assistant Chief Executive and Head of Fundraising with the leading Irish research charity Fighting Blindness and Vice-President of the Students’ Union at NUI Maynooth. Eamonn previously served as a BVOF Board Member from 2017 and became Festival Director in April 2019 at Ireland’s Summer Opera Festival.

Breda has acted as Financial Controller since the 2018 Festival. Founder and principal of Lismore Accountants since 2015, Breda is a Chartered Accountant with over 20 years’ experience. Qualifying in 1999 while working with Deloitte in Cork, she has extensive experience dealing with businesses in this increasingly competitive and changing world and has a wide range of business experience. Breda served as Chief Executive at the 2019 Festival, overseeing the implementation of plans to meet the financial, commercial and operational objectives of the festival in line with BVOF’s ambitious 5 year growth plan.

Tara joined Blackwater Valley Opera Festival in 2022 as Marketing Director. In 2025-2026, her role evolved to Marketing and Sponsorship Consultant, with responsibility for strategic planning, brand positioning, campaign delivery, and the development of partnerships across both the festival and year-round activity.

Tara works as a Marketing and Sponsorship Consultant across the arts, culture, and tourism sectors. Her background spans communications, publishing, sales, and events, and work in the music and film industries in London and Amsterdam. Her work focuses on the relationship between culture, place, and audience, with particular experience in cultural partnerships and site-specific programming.

Shermin Thompson – Box Office and Hospitality Manager

With over 25 years of experience in hospitality, Shermin brings a wealth of knowledge and unwavering dedication to the team. Joining Blackwater Valley Opera Festival in 2024, her passion for quality, excellence, and skill-sharing is the driving force behind her career. Shermin excels in creating exceptional guest experiences, managing teams, and delivering outstanding service. Renowned for her diligence, conscientious work ethic, and adaptability, she remains committed to professional excellence and continuous learning.

Jacqui McLay – Patron Care Coordinator

Jacqui joined Blackwater Valley Opera Festival in 2022 as Patron Care Coordinator with a varied background and experience in events management, travel and customer care. Jacqui has an appreciation for various genres of music, and has been a member of The Fleischmann Choir for 17 years.