Opera company sings for its supper

“NONE shall sing, none shall sing.” Or as Puccini might put it: “Nessun canta, nessun canta.”

The nation’s operatic community melodically serenaded Arts Minister John O’Donoghue inside his office yesterday in protest at the cuts in its funding.

Taking the stage across the road from the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, members of Opera Ireland literally sang for their supper in an effort to regain their allocation.

The company has been forced to cancel its performances this summer, meaning for the first time in 80 years there will be no main scale opera production by an Irish company in Dublin. The group of 50 singers beat out pop opera numbers like the Drinking Song from Verdi’s La Traviata, and the Flower Duet from Delibe’s Lakme.

Opera Ireland artistic director Dieter Neigi said funding has been halved to €400,000, meaning the cancellation of the opera season featuring Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Puccini’s La Bohéme, Leos Janacek’s Jenufa and André Prévin’s adaptation of Tennesse Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire.

The Department of Arts pointed out Opera Ireland is not directly funded by Mr O’Donoghue but by the Arts Council, whose allocation was reduced by €3.5m this year. Funding for the Arts Council went up 80% between 1997 and 2002 from €26.5m to €47.7m, a spokesman said.

“The Arts Council is completely autonomous in the disbursement of funds,” he said.

But an Opera Ireland protester said the disgraceful cuts embarrassingly makes Ireland the only country in Europe not to have an operating opera company.

In the spirit of an operatic hero, the fight goes on.

As Puccini would put it: “Vinceró! Vinceró!”