“The Irish National Opera is defining the landscape of opera in Ireland at the moment. The potential of opera as a collaborative art form is open-ended and it is of great appeal to the students of our School of Creative Arts consisting of the Departments of Music, Film and Drama”, commented Dr Evangelia Rigaki, School of Creative Arts.
Dr Rigaki is a composer whose current research is questioning established opera practices and expectations. Her last project was the installation - opera ‘This Hostel Life’ produced by the Irish National Opera last September and based on the book of the same name by Melatu Uche Okorie.
She is currently developing a Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality opera with Professor Aljosa Smolic, School of Computer Science and Statistics, and the Vsense team at Trinity College Dublin.
The first talk of the series will feature Fergus Sheil who is conductor and Artistic Director and founder of the INO. Sheil will discuss the INO’s mission to reposition opera in the Irish landscape and the international opera scene.
Inaugurated in 2018, the INO presented eight productions across 14 venues in its first year.
"I hope that students and staff will get an insight into the excitement of the new opera productions that happen in Ireland through the Irish National Opera", Dr Rigaki added.
This year, the Department of Music will also offer public Masterclasses with their musicians in residence Richard O Donnell (percussion), Sebastian Liebig (Violin), Martin Johnson (Cello), Bill Dowdall (Flute), and Fintan Sutton (Clarinet).
The Department will hold their annual composition graduate show in the Studio of the National Concert Hall on the 21st May 2020.
Irish National Opera: Creating a New Path for Opera in Ireland will take place onWednesday, 22 January 2020, 6 – 7:30pm in the Trinity Long Room Hub. Click here for more information.