Cork singer takes starring role on Opera House stage amid array of concerts celebrating its 170th
Today at 08:00
Cork Opera House continues to keep the people of Leeside and those further afield entertained as the venue unveils three shows as part of its 170th anniversary celebrations.
Following a Gala Concert earlier this year and the launch of its Send It Home campaign to collect historic memorabilia, the venue continues to entertain.
The first of the unique shows, Hänsel und Gretel, takes to the stage on Sunday, August 24. The classic opera will be performed by members of the Cara O'Sullivan Associate Artists programme.
Cork mezzo-soprano Niamh O'Sullivan (Hänsel) and Wexford soprano Kelli-Ann Masterson (Gretel) debut in the title roles of this fairy tale opera.
They are joined by Rory Dunne, Bríd Ní Ghruagáin and Emma Nash and the Cork Opera House Concert Orchestra conducted by Elaine Kelly.
A night celebrating Cork and Irish traditional music swiftly follows on Wednesday, September 10, as a collaboration with Masters of Tradition, an internationally renowned Bantry-based festival.
Martin Hayes is the Artistic Director and he is set to curate an evening full of music with several special guests, including Hayes' long-time collaborator, the acclaimed pianist, composer, and arranger Cormac McCarthy.
The third instalment of this special 170th announcement will present a dazzling evening of music that pays tribute to Cork Opera House's rich jazz heritage.
Swingin' & In Time – Jazz Giants at Cork Opera House Through the Decades - is a high-energy, glamorous celebration of jazz, featuring the dynamic Paul Dunlea Big Band and curated by acclaimed trombonist, arranger and composer Paul Dunlea.
He will recreate some iconic jazz moments that blessed the Opera House stage over the decades with esteemed performances by Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Tormé, Buddy Rich, Maynard Ferguson, and Blossom Dearie.
Swingin' & In Time will hit the stage on Saturday, September 27.
ADVERTISEMENT
Learn more
Cork Opera House CEO and Artistic Director, Eibhlín Gleeson said the newly announced productions are 'a celebration of opera, traditional music and jazz.'
'Created in collaboration with some of Ireland's most esteemed artists and musicians, these performances reflect Cork Opera House's commitment to celebrating everything that makes Cork unique—its culture, its creativity, and its community.
'Each production is a testament to the innovation and artistry at the heart of Cork Opera House. As we mark 170 years of performance, we invite you to join us in celebrating this milestone with works that honour our past, resonate in the present, and inspire the future,' she concluded.
Tickets are now on sale for these performances from www.corkoperahouse.ie and Box Office (021 4270022).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
13 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Queensland Rose lives the dream in mother's footsteps
Queensland Rose Siobhan Edwards has told RTÉ Entertainment that she is "living the dream" by following in her mother Alannah's footsteps in Tralee. Siobhan's mother, Alannah Mahony, was the 1989 Queensland Rose, but the 23-year-old from Brisbane told RTÉ Entertainment that she decided to enter "off my own bat" this year. "Obviously, it's been such a big part of her life, and a big part of our cultural heritage, celebrating the Irish community in Australia," she said at the Rose of Tralee launch in Dublin. "It's always been my dream to go. I see these women every year and I think, 'Oh my goodness, I would love to be in that position', and [I] decided this was definitely the year for it. And now it's a dream come true. I'm living the dream." Siobhan recently graduated from university, studying Politics and Marketing, and is working in strategy consulting. A "proud fourth-generation Irish Australian", whose great-grandparents were from Co Cork and Co Limerick, she is on her first visit to Ireland. When asked what the Rose of Tralee means to her, Siobhan replied: "For me, it's always been a representation of womanhood and empowering us as women and modern Irish women. "Especially coming over as an international girl as well, it's been such an amazing space to celebrate our Irish community and our Irish culture, when we're on the other side of the world as well. "It creates such an amazing bond between people, and it really creates a lot of friendships and a lot of spaces to celebrate Irish history and Irish community." She said there had been "just an instant connection" between this year's 32 Roses. "Honestly, you come into this experience and you don't have a lot of expectations, especially as an International Rose. "But to be able to meet all these women and just instantly mesh and have such beautiful connections already is truly an honour. "I know I'm going to take forward so many of these friendships into my life forever. It's amazing." "This is my first time in Ireland!" she added. "It's been really incredible. The weather has not been what I was expecting!"
Irish Independent
26 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Meet the Limerick teacher whose witty TikTok sketches captivate millions worldwide
Now, with over 200,000 followers on TikTok and more than 12.2 million likes, his sharp sketches and uncanny impressions are global, yet the man behind them still spends part of his week in a primary school classroom. Originally from Cappagh, his formative years were inspired by his late brother, who brought out his comedic side from a young age. 'I was just trying to be like him, really,' Séamus shares with the Irish Independent. Growing up, quintessentially Irish shows like Father Ted, Gift Grub and Après Match, shaped his blossoming sense of humour. 'I probably got into it just doing impressions, around home and then in secondary school. I'd do impressions of the teachers that continued into college and I started making videos of different characters.' At first, those videos never saw the light of day beyond a few trusted friends. Worried about offending people, he kept his comedy behind closed doors, but that all changed when lockdown hit. The turning point for the West Limerick man came with his first video. '[It] was an impression of Simon Harris and it got like 700,000 views,' he says. From that point on, 'the cat was out of the bag'. Suddenly, the rural teacher was a viral name, but despite his success, he remains a one-man band. 'Everything I do is on my own,' he admits. 'I write everything, I record everything, I edit everything, I post everything, it can be quite lonely.' To counter this, he enjoys keeping a routine as best he can. From teaching to farming and filming in spare time, he notes, 'all it takes is one video to change the trajectory.' One such video arrived in the least glamorous setting imaginable. 'When I posted my first Irish language video I did not expect it to do well,' he laughs, recalling: 'I was on the farm covering a pit of silage with my dad and my phone was exploding, everybody loved the video, it was completely unexpected.' Known for an accent that's become part of his online persona, he shares that it began almost as a disguise. 'I was quite conscious about my own voice, I ended up putting on a thick Limerick city accent, which was probably inspired by the Rubberbandits. We used to love their prank calls years ago.' He thought this was why his audience enjoyed his work. 'A month later, the penny dropped, it was because of the content,' he smiles. For all the highs, there can be quiet disappointments. 'If a video doesn't do well, it probably affects me more than if a video does well, but nobody else really cares that much,' he reflects, adding: 'The world of social media is very fickle so once I post a video I never actually watch it again.' These days, Séamus is stepping into stand-up, a hustle that brings all the same risks as uploading a video, only without the added safety of the delete button: 'I'm just trying to build up confidence and build up experience. 'At the moment, I'm figuring out that comedy is very unpredictable, but that's just the nature of it and it's good to challenge yourself.' The nerves before his first big support slot in Limerick city for comedian Michael Fry nearly rattled him, but once the Dolans crowd laughed, he knew he'd crossed a line he couldn't uncross. Now, between gigs in Tralee and Cork, trips to the Edinburgh Fringe, and the odd post while piking silage, he's learning to find balance between the public stage and a fiercely private life. While his videos may reach millions, at the end of the day, Séamus still prefers to put his phone down and quietly retreat to his home in Cappagh – shop or no shop.
The Irish Sun
44 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
‘Hard to believe' – Shane Lowry & wife Wendy stunned as youngest daughter reaches major life milestone
Over the weekend Shane suffered a blow surrounding next month's Ryder Cup LOW WAY 'Hard to believe' – Shane Lowry & wife Wendy stunned as youngest daughter reaches major life milestone SHANE and Wendy Lowry were both left a little stunned as their youngest daughter departed for her first day of school. The particularly early start is owing to them being based in Florida with the US school calendar quite different from the typical Irish equivalent. 3 They were back in Ireland last month to celebrate Wendy's birthday with loved ones Credit: @wendyirislowry 3 Ivy Lowry left for school alongside older sister Iris Credit: @wendyirislowry 3 The setting for Wendy's stylish birthday party was House Dublin on Leeson Street Credit: @shanelowrygolf That partly played into both of Ivy Lowry's parents being a bit taken aback as her first day of primary/elementary school arrived. Wendy captioned the above pic: "Hard to believe Ivy's off to school." Shane later reposted her photo on his own Instagram account. Over the weekend the Clara native suffered a blow in his quest for an automatic Ryder Cup place. He slumped to 59th from the 69-strong field at the opening FedEx Cup play-off in Memphis. Justin Rose claimed victory at the St Jude Championship after a tense three-hole play-off victory over American JJ Spaun. Tommy Fleetwood's long wait for a PGA Tour win continued after he finished third with the Southport native left kicking himself after holding a five-stroke lead through 36 holes. 45-year-old Rose carded a stunning run of four birdies in the closing five holes at TPC Southwind before prevailing in the play-off. But his victory didn't bring much good news for Lowry as permutations worked against the 2019 Open winner. Heading into last week, he was fifth on the Ryder Cup Team Europe rankings - with only the top six qualifying automatically for next month's team event. And now after Lowry's poor showing and Rose's triumph, along with a decent showing for Austria's Sepp Straka, the 38-year-old has slumped to number seven on the qualification table. Dan Burn enjoys day of golf ahead of Newcastle's Prem season getting underway While Lowry would be expected to earn one of the six captain's picks that Luke Donald will have available, he's facing a nervy few weeks after several of his European pals pushed him outside the automatic qualifying spots. His form may come as a huge worry to the European skipper. He's slumped ten places on the OWGR ladder after finishing T2 at the Truist Championship in May. And as a result of their strong showing at the FedEx St Jude, Rose and Fleetwood now join Rory McIlroy as the only three players to have officially sealed automatic qualification for the Bethpage Black match-up against Team USA. SILVER LINING But there's a silver lining for Lowry as he's already into this week's BMW Championship at Caves Valley GC. The field is down to just the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings ahead of the season's finale that will see only the top 30 progress to the Tour Championship at East Lake. And time is on his side until after the PGA Tour regular season ends as the final event for Ryder Cup points will be at the Betfred British Masters. That one concludes on August 24. As for Keegan Bradley's American side, 2025 US Open champion JJ Spaun also sealed an automatic qualification place after his runner-up finish in Memphis. The Californian now joins Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele on the team as they cannot mathematically drop outside the top six on the USA ladder.
