Fedora Prize 2025: Irish composer Michael Gallen wins €100,000 award for new opera
Michael Gallen
, has won the €100,000 Fedora Prize, the world's largest award for new opera.
The biannual prize, which was presented at Vienna State Opera on Saturday, was awarded by a jury that included the directors of the Paris Opera, Dutch National Opera, Danish National Theatre and Aix-en-Provence Festival.
Fedora
is a European circle of philanthropists who support opera and ballet.
In presenting the award to Gallen, to the American choreographer Shawn Fitzgerald Ahern – who also directed the work with Gallen – and to the producer
Maura O'Keeffe
, the president of Fedora, Stéphane Argyropoulos, said that The Curing Line 'redefines the operatic genre by fusing tradition with multimedia innovation'.
The opera, which draws on research into the Irish tradition of 'making cures', tells the story of a woman who loses the capacity to use her life-saving ancestral healing power. It asks whether, in regarding the human and the environment as separate, we are failing to acknowledge that fundamental parts of ourselves and our culture are becoming extinct.
READ MORE
The Swedish mezzo-soprano Birgitta Svendén, who chaired the jury, said, 'Here and now, the world is experiencing a turbulent and rather chaotic time. The theme for The Curing Line is more relevant than ever. What can we do as individuals, as communities, what can we learn from history and inherited traditions, how can we acknowledge the change we have to go through without losing hope for the future generations?
'The Curing Line will address many of the questions that we as human beings are faced with and do not have the answers for. This project is deeply immersive and multisensorial, which gives the possibility to expand the boundaries of opera. The narrative, the musical language and the staging will resonate to the audience of tomorrow.'
Gallen, whose opera
Elsewhere
was nominated for the Fedora Prize in 2021, said at the ceremony that 'for our independent, artist-led work to be selected as the winner of the award gives us a huge rush of affirmation that will carry us forward not just with this project but with all of our future plans and ambitions'.
[
Elsewhere review: Agitprop opera combines the serious and the comic
Opens in new window
]
Minister for Culture Patrick O'Donovan said, 'We are all very proud that
Straymaker
, a small company from the west of Ireland led by Michael Gallen, has been awarded this honour. I want to sincerely congratulate all involved.'
The director of the
Arts Council
, Maureen Kennelly, also congratulated Gallen and his collaborators. 'In recent years we have been honoured to support his work in many ways, and we are delighted that this award will bring an even wider audience to his ground-breaking work. Opera in Ireland is going through a very exciting period as exemplified by Michael's visionary work.'
Gallen, who was born in Monaghan and now lives in Co Mayo with his wife and son, wrote the libretto for The Curing Line, which is in Irish and English, with the poet
Annemarie Ní Churreáin
. The opera is produced by Straymaker in association with
Kilkenny Arts Festival
, the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris, Miroirs Étendus, Once Off Productions and Copenhagen Opera Festival.
Its development has been supported by the Arts Council and Creative Monaghan, and the premiere is planned for Kilkenny Arts Festival in August 2026.
Gallen's other recent commissions include new work for Radio France, the National Orchestra of Brittany, the Irish National Symphony Orchestra and Ulster Orchestra. A new album of his songs, Sudden Wells, is due for release in 2026.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Extra.ie
43 minutes ago
- Extra.ie
Ofcom receive 14,000 compalitns about new Love Island series
More than 14,000 complaints were made against the new series of Love Island as viewers worried about bullying on the show. The 12th series of the reality dating show concluded earlier in the month with a record number of Irish contestants. Unfortunately, we failed in our bid to get our first all-Ireland winner as Cach Mercer and Toni Laites were crowned the winners of the recent season. More than 14,000 complaints were made against the new series of Love Island as viewers worried about bullying on the show. Pic: Joel Anderson/ITV/REX/Shutterstock Broadcasting authority Ofcom received 14,167 complaints about the ITV show, including 24 about spin-off Love Island: Unseen Bits. The most complaints were sent into the governing body on Thursday, July 24 which saw 3,549 complaints with many regarding the alleged bullying towards 22-year-old marketing engineer Shakira Khan. Complaints also heard concerns regarding the bullying of eventual winner Toni as well as Yasmin Pettet, Helena Ford and Meg Moore. The return of Irish contestant Megan Forte Clarke was also the subject of some complaints. The Dubliner was dumped on day 19 of Love Island but returned as a bombshell two weeks later. Pic: ITV The return of Irish contestant Megan Forte Clarke was also the subject of some complaints. The Dubliner was dumped on day 19 of the show but returned as a bombshell two weeks later. Megan got to know Limerick rugby star Conor, with the pair being dumped just days before the final. A statement from Ofcom confirmed the complaints made throughout the series had been 'carefully accessed.' @meganforteclarke not us accidentally wearing the irish flag colours to the final 💅🏽💅🏽💅🏽 @Conor Phillips ♬ original sound – 🌍✈️ Dad & Son: Global Gems 'In our view, negative behaviour in the villa was not shown in a positive light, and contestants were seen supporting or apologising to each other,' they wrote. They added that viewers 'expect to see highs and lows' as friendships and relationships tested. While many were disappointed to see Irish couple Megan and Conor dumped just days before the final, the pair were back on TV screens for the finale where they 'accidentally' resembled the Irish flag. Taking to TikTok ahead of the culmination of the 12th season, Megan shared a sweet clip of Conor twirling her around. The Dublin woman donned a past-the-knee orange dress, while her other half wore a white t-shirt and khaki trousers, which he paired with snapback cap which featured a hint of green. 'Not us accidentally wearing the Irish flag colours to the final,' Megan wrote alongside the now-viral video.
Irish Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Irishman's massive swimming challenge in World Record bid and fundraising effort
He has lost count of the number of times he has been stung by jellyfish. But Daragh Morgan won't be stopped in his bid to enter the Guinness Book of World Records by becoming the first person to swim around the entire island of Ireland. The Dubliner, who now lives in Galway, began his tidal-assisted stage swim on May 31 and is now over the halfway mark, averaging close to 20km per day. When we spoke on Monday, he had completed 868km of an approximately 1,600km long fundraising swim, which began from Blackrock Diving Tower in his adopted hometown. 'We passed the halfway point, which was Dublin. That was a great milestone for us as a team,' he told Fitter Happier. You can check on his progress via his Swim Éire socials, his website and a live tracker. Morgan, an endurance swimmer, tends to be in the water for six hours, then rests for six, a schedule that helps him take advantage of the tides. Even so, the 26-year-old is battling more than just the painful whip of a lion's mane's tentacle; challenging weather and shifting currents also conspire to try to knock him off course. 'We always talked about Ireland in quarters. What we realised was the first quarter was probably going to be the most challenging,' he said. 'Starting off is hard, whatever you are doing. That's the stage when you haven't really put the miles in. 'But on top of that, the first quarter of the country is very tough, not just to swim, but to navigate a boat around the likes of Slyne Head in Galway and different places like Donegal Bay, that was the most challenging part.' Daragh Morgan swimming along the Irish coast Even more challenging than the jellyfish stings? 'We had a few tough night swims,' he said. 'One of the night swims, we were going around a place called Macehead, and that was quite challenging because it was one of the first swims, and the weather was tricky as well. 'You feel jellyfish on your face at night. You can't see them. Usually it's bad enough during the day because you can see them a lot and you can try to dodge them. 'But at night you have to release whatever tiny level of control you had and you just have to keep swimming. 'The stretch from Skerries to Howth and then Dublin Bay was the worst out of the whole lot. 'Now, there are loads (of jellyfish) up the north, but they were quite a bit deeper. 'I just found Dublin, from Skerries down to pretty much Dun Laoghaire was littered with lion's mains, and they are the worst because their tentacles go everywhere. It's like hair everywhere in the water. You are getting stung a lot. 'The worst thing about them is, it gets worse when you get out. You can't sleep and you are kind of twitching with the itchiness and pain of it. 'But I try to use that to be hyperfocused. I try to anchor myself in that, to be focused. It is what it is - you can't really go swimming and not get wet.' Daragh Morgan on the Naomh Cronan Morgan, who works in sales for Innocent drinks, first came up with the idea of circumnavigating Ireland six years ago - and thoughts of achieving it 'just would not leave me.' He usually swims between one and two miles off the coast. 'We've seen great wildlife, a lot of dolphins, porpoises, lots of different diversity on the west coast. We've seen dolphins there by Skerries as well,' he says. 'No basking sharks or bigger mammals. I haven't seen any of them so far, but I can imagine there have been a few underneath me. 'We've seen a lot of seals as well. Sometimes when you are swimming you are in a flow. People have said to me from the boat, this and that was following you, and I didn't realise, because I was just in the zone. 'I know they are checking me out, but I am just firing away.' He couldn't undertake such a challenge without a support crew. After each swim, he climbs on board the Naomh Cronan, a traditional Galway hooker built in Clondalkin and gifted to Badoiri an Cladaig (the Claddagh Boatmen), to recover, refuel and sleep. 'It's been great to carry a cultural flag as well around Ireland, which this boat is,' Morgan said. On board are captain Dara Bailey, pilots Cillin and Padraic Mac Donnacha and Peter Connolly, all from The Claddagh Boatmen Group. Padraic is also a marine scientist and in collaboration with ATU and university of Galway has undertaken to collect a water sample every 20 nautical miles and filter it. The filters will then be analysed for E-DNA (environmental DNA) in order to determine the species of animals (fish, marine mammals ect) which swim in the coastal waters of Ireland. This research could provide an important baseline for monitoring species migration due to climate change and the warming of the oceans. How much longer does Morgan think his swim will take? 'That's the big question,' he says. 'I can't tell you that and it's not like I don't want to tell you, it's just based on so many factors. I couldn't tell you where we'll be at the end of the week. 'It's very hard, because you are dealing with so many factors out of our control. Really, all we kind of know about is today and tomorrow.' # Daragh Morgan is aiming to raise money for the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) and Simon Community. Search for Swim Éire on gofundme to donate.
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Limerick magician to take risks and tackle hecklers at Electric Picnic Comedy Tent debut
Home > Regionals > Limerick > News Steve Spade is bringing his lightning comedy set to Electric Picnic 2025. Photo: David Doyle Photography Known for jaw-dropping illusions and a knack for mischief, the Limerick performer is swapping sleight-of-hand for a full-blown set alongside Ireland's comedy elite. The 2025 lineup is stacked with names like Dara Ó Briain, Foil Arms and Hog, and Emma Doran, and Spade is buzzing to join them. 'I met some of the acts before, with some I go way back. I've performed for Foil Arms and Hog backstage before so it'll be nice to meet old friends and to even see my name billed with Ireland's finest, it's really cool.' While magic and comedy aren't always paired, Spade insists the overlap is more natural than you'd think. 'People don't really think magic is comedy, but if you adapt what you're doing, it plays really well. Sometimes people don't know how to react to magic. Their first instinct, even if it's amazement, is laughter.' He's tailoring his set with festival flavour in mind to cater to his audiences. 'I've been working on a routine that's kind of festival-related, stuff like smuggling in drink, which everyone can relate to. 'I've even adapted a piece from my recent Lost Magic tour to make it more Irish and direct. It'll be like a stand-up set.' When it comes to hecklers, Spade is more than ready, recalling a moment in the early days of his career. 'I did a comedy club years ago where a guy started heckling. I stopped the show and asked him, 'Were you ever hugged as a child?' 'Then I got the whole audience to hug him,' he laughs. 'If that happens at Electric Picnic, it could be a thousand people hugging someone, like Woodstock all over again!' Despite the nerves of sharing a bill with seasoned comedians, Spade is relishing the challenge. Earlier this year he performed at the Pendulum Summit alongside Jimmy Carr and boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, the Coonagh man is all about taking risks, even if it means trying to connect with roughly 2,500 CEOs in a convention centre. 'I was nervous, but it went down really well. So when the Comedy Tent gig came up, I thought, why not?' As well as popping up at the ever-colourful Jerry Fish stage, Spade is gearing up to bring something new to Stradbally. 'I can't wait,' he says. 'I don't really know what to expect from the comedy, but that's what I like and I know it's going to kill.'
