Day Time Recitals
Day Time Recitals
The Day-Time Recitals Series brings a variety of beautiful music to the grand houses, churches and other enchanting locations in the Blackwater Valley, where patrons can experience the wonder of historic homes and tranquil gardens. Throughout the week, local chefs and businesses will work in partnership with us to offer patrons a variety of world-class food and hospitality experiences.
BVOF Opera Chorus Recital - Villierstown Church - Thursday May 28th - 11.00am
As part of our summer opera festival, BVOF is thrilled to announce the BVOF Chorus Recital, which will take place at Villierstown Church on Thursday 28 May at 11.00. This recital will bring Ireland’s most talented emerging voices to new audiences at a special price. It is the perfect opportunity to engage with the opera world for the first time and to experience the wonder of a chorus that is going from strength to strength. The BVOF Chorus will perform arias, duets, and ensembles from some of the world’s best-loved operas at an event that is set to delight young and old.
We are pleased to welcome local/community groups and children under 12 free of charge, as part of BVOF’s Outreach Programme. For more information on free tickets and concessions for OAPs, please contact the box office at boxoffice@blackwatervalleyoperafestival.com in advance.
DATE & TIME: Thursday 28 May, 11.00
VENUE: Villierstown Church
ARTISTS: Members of BVOF Opera Chorus accompanied on piano by maestro Darren Hargan
TICKET PRICES: €10 excl €3.50 sales commission per order. Concessions available to OAP’s.
DINING: A light lunch option from B Ross Compassionate Kitchen may be added to your ticket at the time of purchase for an additional €18pp
Amy Gillen & Tara Viscardi Recital - Tourin House - Thursday May 28th - 3.00pm
On Thursday 28 May, flautist Amy Gillen and harpist Tara Viscardi make a welcome return to the Festival, following their triumphant performance at the Irish Heritage Bursary recital at Dromore Yard in 2019.
Hailing from Donegal, Gillen has already gathered a wealth of awards that belie her years. Only in her early twenties, Gillen’s exceptional talent has won her the Irish Heritage’s Music Bursary for Performance, the Sir James Galway Rising Star Award (for which she performed at the Galway Flute Festival in Switzerland), the Royal Irish Academy of Music’s Gaiety Bursary, and many more.
Gillen will be accompanied by Kerry-born harpist Tara Viscardi. Viscardi’s awards include the John Vallery Memorial Prize for the best performance by a string player at the 2016 Irish Freemasons Young Musician of the Year, and the Feis Ceoil Senior Harp Cup 2015.
We look forward to sharing with you this celebration of two of Ireland’s finest young classical musicians.
DATE & TIME: Thursday 28th May, 3.00pm
VENUE: Tourin House
ARTISTS: Amy Gillen, Flute and Tara Viscardi, Harp
Ticket Prices Unallocated Seating €20 (excl €3.50 sales commission per order).
Irish Heritage Bursary Recital - Dromore Yard - Friday May 29th - 12 Noon
Masterpiece Series of Recitals
BVOF is proud to continue our successful partnership with Irish Heritage in 2020 through the Irish Heritage Bursary Recital, which takes place on Friday 29 May at 12.00 at Dromore Yard.
Irish Heritage is a not-for-profit performing arts organisation dedicated to supporting Irish musicians and composers at the start of the careers when their needs as young artists are greatest.
At the much-anticipated Irish Heritage Bursary Recital, three young performers will be showcased and will receive Blackwater Valley Opera Festival Awards.
Violinist Mollie Wrafter comes from County Offaly. Wrafter is based in Manchester as a student of the Royal Northern College of Music and has been awarded the Irish Heritage Music Bursary for Performance. Soprano Ellen Mawhinney is from Glengormley, County Antrim, and studies at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. She has been awarded the Irish Heritage Brackaville Bursary for Vocal Studies. Justine Gormley, winner of the Irish Heritage Accompanist’s Prize, will be performing on piano. Gormley is from Belfast and like Wrafter, studies at the Royal Northern College of Music.
These enormously talented young prizewinners are assessed in partnership with Irish Heritage at a special concert at Wigmore Hall, London.
We are pleased to welcome local/community groups and children under 12 free of charge, as part of BVOF’s Outreach Programme. For more information on free tickets and concessions for OAPs, please contact the box office boxoffice@blackwatervalleyoperafestival.com in advance.
DATE & TIME: Friday 31st May, 12:00 noon
VENUE: Dromore Yard, Aglish
ARTISTS: Mollie Rafter, Violin / Ellen Mawhinney, Soprano / Justine Gormley, Piano
Ticket Prices Front Row €30 / Other Seating €20 (all prices exclude €3.50 sales commission per order)
Princess Grace Irish Library - Yeats Recital with the RIAM - Dromore Yard - Friday May 29th - 3:00pm
We are pleased to announce a unique recital in partnership with the Princess Grace Irish Library, Monaco and the Royal Irish Academy of Music.
On Friday 29 May, Irish actor Mark Lambert will read poetry by W.B. Yeats, a leading light of the Irish literary establishment. Additionally, Lieder (poetry set to classical music) will be performed by Ireland’s most outstanding young singers, selected by RIAM for performance in an event that fuses poetry and music in the romantic setting of the ancient Dromore Yard.
As Ireland’s oldest conservatoire, RIAM has a long history of nurturing excellence in musicians from across the globe and is famed for its performing groups. RIAM performers https://www.riam.ie/degrees-programmes/performing-opportunities/ are celebrated for “the vitality and passion” of their performances.
We look forward to welcoming you to this one-of-a-kind cultural event, which honours Ireland’s literary history while looking to the future with some of its brightest young musicians.
DATE & TIME: Friday 29th May, 3.00pm
VENUE: Dromore Yard
ARTISTS: Royal Irish Academy of Music
TICKET PRICES: €20-€40 (prices exclude €3.50 sales commission per order). Concessions are available to OAPs.
RDS Collins Memorial Recital - St. Carthage's Cathedral - Saturday May 30th - 11:30am
A core part of our mission here at BVOF is to provide a platform for exceptionally talented young musicians, and the RDS Collins Memorial Recital is at the heart of that aim.
This year, we are honoured to host piano virtuoso Kevin Jansson https://artofthepiano.org/participants/kevin-jansson/ at St Carthage’s Cathedral, Lismore. The event takes place on Saturday 30 May at noon.
Jansson, who hails from Cork, is set to become a household name. At only nineteen, he is already a six-time international award winner who debuted in recitals at the tender age of twelve – the same year he became the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland’s youngest-ever member. Jansson is also the winner of the prestigious 2019 RDS Music Bursary. He currently studies under Dr Veda Kaplinsky and Julian Martin at the Juilliard School in New York, having previously studied at CIT Cork School of Music with Mary Beattie. He is the winner of the Jeune Chopin Competition (Switzerland) and the Isidor Bajić Piano Memorial Competition (Serbia).
We are pleased to welcome local/community groups and children under 12 free of charge, as part of BVOF’s Outreach Programme. For more information on free tickets and concessions for OAPs, please contact the box office boxoffice@blackwateroperafestival.com in advance.
DATE & TIME: Saturday 30 May, 12:00 noon
VENUE: St. Carthage’s Cathedral, Lismore
ARTISTS: 2019 RDS Music Bursary winner Kevin Jansson, Piano
TICKET PRICES Unallocated Seating €10 excl €3.50 sales commission per order.
Maudlin of Paplewick - St Carthage’s Cathedral - Saturday May 30th - 3.00pm
Robert Schumann once said, “Without craftsmanship, inspiration is a mere reed shaken in the wind.” This quote is a pertinent reminder of the gruelling work of composers, who spend countless hours perfecting every note and bar of music before a composition can come to life. While promoting upcoming Irish performers is central to BVOF, celebrating Irish composers goes hand in hand with this aim. In 2020, we will be celebrating Ina Boyle (1889-1967).
This summer, we welcome the return of the works of Ina Boyle to the Festival. Boyle’s work was performed in 2018 at BVOF by Swiss cellist Nadège Rochat at a hugely successful recital. We are honoured to be staging the world premiere of Boyle’s “opera for children” Maudlin of Paplewick.
The fanciful plot of Maudlin of Paplewick follows the story of a wicked witch, the eponymous heroine. The pastoral story unfolds in Paplewick, a medieval village in Nottinghamshire that once marked the entrance to Sherwood Forest (where Robin Hood and his merry men rule). Boyle described the opera as “quite gentle and kindly … it is very unpretentious”. Like many celebrated children’s works, Maudlin of Paplewick is driven by the power of good over evil and is sure to become beloved by both young and old.
We are thrilled to bring this touching, joyful opera to life in its world premiere, 56 years after it was first completed. St. Carthage’s Cathedral is the dream setting for Maudlin of Paplewick as it is an ancient site where history, holiness and human warmth come together.
This concert performance also marks a formal collaboration between BVOF and the Royal Irish Academy of Music.
DATE & TIME: Thursday 28th May, 3.00pm
VENUE: St Carthage’s Cathedral, Lismore
ARTISTS: TBC
Ticket Prices Unallocated Seating €20 excl €3.50 sales commission per order.
String Serenade - Cappoquin House - Sunday May 31st - 12.00 Noon
According to Gustav Mahler, in its beginning, all music was chamber music, performed by ensembles of instrumentalists and intended to be listened to in a small space by a small audience. We are pleased to invite you to join us for a string trio recital with Lynda O’ Connor and leading members of the BVOF Orchestra. The programme will feature works by Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart and Borodin.
Interaction and relationships are at the heart of any strong chamber music event, and it is a privilege for us to welcome some of Ireland’s leading orchestral players to Cappoquin House.
DATE & TIME: Sunday 31 May, 12.00 Noon
VENUE: Cappoquin House
ARTISTS: Lynda O’ Connor, violin
Ticket Prices Front Row €30. Unallocated Seating €20 excl €3.50 sales commission per order.
Bolshoi Theatre Young Artists' Recital - Dromore Yard - Sunday May 31st - 4.00pm
More than ten years after the foundation of the Bolshoi Theatre Young Artists Opera Programme, BVOF is pleased to host a selection of the finest young performers from Russia and the CIS countries. This recital takes place at Dromore Yard on Sunday 31 May at 15.00 and is set to be an exciting fusion of Russian talent with a traditional Irish setting. The programme will feature Russian chamber music by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Mussorgsky, performed by Maria Motolygina (soprano), Maria Barakova (mezzo), Dmitry Cheblykov (baritone) and accompanied by pianist Serghei Konstantinov.
These young musicians were selected through a rigorous audition process, before spending two years being trained in diverse disciplines such as voice studies, stage movement, acting, and foreign languages. The keystone of their training, however, was the master-classes taught by world-class singers and repetiteur coaches. The final layer of their training included extensive performance work on the greatest stages of the world, with the goal being to develop a new generation of exceptional Russian performers who are unrivalled on the world stage.
DATE & TIME: Sunday 31 May, 3.00 pm
VENUE: Dromore Yard, Aglish
ARTISTS: Maria Motolygina, soprano / Maria Barakova, mezzo / Dmitry Cheblykov, baritone / Serghei Konstantinov (pianist)
Ticket Prices €20-€40 excl €3.50 sales commission per order.
‘Folk Tales’ Cello and Piano Recital - Salterbridge House - Monday June 1st - 11.00am
Following the recent release of their album ‘Folk Tales’, Irish cellist Gerald Peregrine and English pianist Antony Ingham will perform miniatures by rarely-recorded composers such as Bax, Bridge, Delius, Elgar, Moeran and Vaughan Williams. We are fortunate enough to be able to host this word-class recital at the picturesque Salterbridge House in Cappoquin.
The recital will feature selected music from ‘Folk Tales’, described by reviewers as “a delight from beginning to end.” ‘Folk Tales’ focusses on composers of the new English impressionists’ movement of the early 20th century. The folk revival at the time inspired these works, which incorporate themes of Irish culture and folklore. Peregrine and Ingham’s interpretation explores the positive cultural links that existed between Ireland and England at that time and highlights the influence that Ireland had on the development of British music. Last year, ‘Folk Tales’ was released to great critical acclaim by Naxos, the leading independent classical music record label worldwide. Classical FM’s Drive Discovery show selected it as Album of the Week, while BBC R3 and RTE Lyric FM both playlisted it.
Peregrine is regarded as one of the leading Irish musicians of his generation. He regularly performs in Europe, Asia, and America, and has gained acclaim for his solo and chamber music performances. He has been welcomed into the greatest music halls in the world, from Carnegie Hall to the Lincoln Centre and the Theatre de Champs Elysées among others. Similarly, the prize-winning Antony Ingham is one of the finest chamber musicians and accompanists working in London today. Ingham has performed as the official accompanist for the orchestra of the Royal College of Music, St-Martin-in-the-Fields, Trinity College, London College of Music and the Purcell School.
DATE & TIME: Monday 1 June, 11.00am
VENUE: Salterbridge House
ARTISTS: Gerald Peregrine, Cello / Antony Ingham, Piano
Ticket Prices Front Row €30. Unallocated Seating €20 excl €3.50 sales commission per order.
Simon Harden Organ and Vocal Recital St Carthage's Church - Monday June 1st - 1.30pm
We are privileged to welcome award-winning organist Simon Harden back to BVOF this summer for his much-anticipated vocal and organ recital at St. Carthage’s Cathedral on Monday 1 June at 13.30.
Born in Dublin, Harden has lived and performed across Europe to great critical acclaim since his musical beginnings at Trinity College Dublin. In addition to a lively performance schedule that takes him across Europe and Japan, Harden is currently a lecturer in Organ at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama in Dublin. Before his return home to Dublin, Harden worked as Organist and ‘Kantor’ in the Anglican church in Frankfurt and the Christuskirche in Bad Vilbel. He has also served as Deputy Organist in Christ Church and St Patrick’s Cathedrals in Dublin, and played for the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. He is also a regular contributor to the international publication ‘Choir and Organ’. Harden will be accompanied by Irish soprano Colette Boushell and tenor Andrew Boushell.
We are pleased to welcome local/community groups and children under 12 free of charge, as part of BVOF’s Outreach Programme. For more information on free tickets and concessions for OAPs, please contact the box office (boxoffice@blackwatervalleyoperafestival.com) in advance.
DATE & TIME: Monday 1 June, 13.30am
VENUE: St Carthage’s Church, Lismore
ARTISTS: Simon Harden, organ / Colette Boushell, soprano / Andrew Boushell, tenor
Ticket Prices Unallocated Seating €10 excl €3.50 sales commission per order.
Simon Harden Organ and Vocal at St Mary's Youghal - Monday June 1st - 4.30pm
As part of the 800th-anniversary celebrations of St Mary’s Collegiate Church, Youghal, BVOF is thrilled to announce our very first musical recital in County Cork, and we can think of no better musician to inaugurate BVOF in County Cork than Simon Harden.
Born in Dublin, Harden has lived and performed across Europe to great critical acclaim since his musical beginnings at Trinity College Dublin. In addition to a lively performance schedule that takes him across Europe and Japan, Harden is currently a lecturer in Organ at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama in Dublin. Before his return home to Dublin, Harden worked as Organist and ‘Kantor’ in the Anglican church in Frankfurt and the Christuskirche in Bad Vilbel. He has also served as Deputy Organist in Christ Church and St Patrick’s Cathedrals in Dublin, and played for the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. He is also a regular contributor to the international publication ‘Choir and Organ’. Harden will be accompanied by Irish soprano Colette Boushell and tenor Andrew Boushell.
This recital marks the bittersweet closing of BVOF’s 2020 summer festival. It is thus fitting that our final event in a week celebrating Irish musical talent takes place in St Mary’s Collegiate Church. St Mary’s is a national monument of Ireland. Completed in 1220, it is Ireland’s oldest church in continuous use since its foundation, as well as featuring the best-preserved medieval town walls in the country. We are both proud and grateful to be bringing beautiful music to this ancient space as part of its 800th-anniversary celebrations.
This recital is made possible with the generous support of Cork County Council
DATE & TIME: Monday 1 June, 4.30pm
VENUE: St Mary’s Collegiate Church, Youghal
ARTISTS: Simon Harden, organ / Colette Boushell, soprano / Andrew Boushell, tenor
Ticket Prices Unallocated Seating €10 excl €3.50 sales commission per order.
