A Night at the Opera
Dublin 21 February 2007: 'A Night at the Opera' will take place on Tuesday 27th February 2007 in the National Concert Hall, presented by the soloists, chorus and Symphony Orchestra of the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama and conducted by Fergus Sheil. The programme includes excerpts from some of the world's best loved operas including Carmen by Bizet, Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky and Norma by Bellini. The production will be directed by Vivian Coates who is renowned for his staging of opera performance.
According to conductor Fergus Sheil, rehearsals for the production are going extremely well and he is full of praise for the orchestra and singers, some of whom are full-time music students while others are attending school or are working and taking classes part-time at the Conservatory. "Our programme includes three quite diverse pieces, each of which places very different demands on both orchestra and singers - you have the bright, sunny, melodic material of Southern Spain in Carmen, the dark brooding Russian soul in Onegin, and then you have a classic example of bel canto in the Italian opera, Norma. It's a big undertaking to tackle such diversity but in rehearsal singers and players are all responding very well to the challenges."
If Music be the food of love.....'Carmen', Chloe O Sullivan (age 6) and Johnny Lawler (age 5) invite you to A Night at the Opera presented by the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama at the National Concert Hall on February 27th.
The role of Carmen will be played by Naomi O'Connell, a full-time student of music who is now in the third year of her degree programme at DIT. Speaking after her final costume fitting, Naomi said the cast were working day and night and enjoying the experience enormously. "It is a great experience for us as students to have the opportunity to perform music like this in what is a professional setting and with these gorgeous costumes! We are really getting into the soul of the music now and enjoying every minute. Rehearsals take place day and night, so it's definitely not 9 to 5 - it's a real taste of what professional life as a musician will be like!"
Now in its fifth year, A Night at the Opera is a highlight in the musical calendar of the Conservatory of Music and Drama and provides an opportunity for students to showcase their range and depth of talent. For audiences it is a chance to hear some of Ireland's exciting new performers who, like many graduates before them, will go on to perform on the national and international stage.
Last year's performance drew rapturous applause from a capacity audience and the cast and director are hoping for an equally enthusiastic reaction this year for what will be an exciting programme of opera favourites. As well as invited guests from the worlds of business and politics, the arts and media, the audience will include a large number of music lovers from all over the city, and students and graduates of the Conservatory.
The DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama has a proud history stretching back more than 100 years of music performance in Dublin. It provides an environment in which students can develop their potential to the highest professional level and quality of work and love of the performing arts are paramount. There are currently 1,900 students studying at the Conservatory from preparatory to professional levels, and in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Students participate in a variety of ensembles including the Opera Studio, Symphony Orchestra, Concert Band and Chamber Choir, all of which give regular public concerts. The Conservatory has pioneered many new courses and offered the first third-level undergraduate programme and the first MMus in Music Performance. Many renowned national and international performers are graduates of the Conservatory who return regularly to perform and to give master classes.
Tickets for 'A Night at the Opera' are €15 (€8 concessions) and can be booked directly through the National Concert Hall booking office - tel 01 417 0000 or www.nch.ie
For further information on the event and the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama T: 01 402 7829 or E: Grainne.Orourke@dit.ie or visit www.dit.ie
