One purl of a season at Opera House
The exciting line-up features a range of music, opera, comedy, musical theatre, jazz, drama and dance.
Some of the highlights include Opera from the Ukraine, Ballet from Russia and music from Iceland.
In a celebration of Shakespeare, and the legacy of Father O Flynn, Cork Opera House will also be working with local theatre Corcadorca to present William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale.
The theme of the new programme is Home Is Where The House Is.
The Christmas pantomime, meanwhile, a long standing tradition in the Cork Opera House will this year see a performance of the much loved tale of Cinderella. The show will begin December 13 and run through the season.
Live music is also on the bill with performances from The Blanks, Icelandic enchanters Amiina, Classical Twist with the virtuoso violinist Vladimir Jablokov and orchestra and The Harlem Gospel Choir.
Cork City Ballet will showcase a full-length production of Giselle while touring opera productions will bring the widely renowned La Traviata and Madama Butterfly to the stage.
Comedy also features highly on the programme with stand-up shows from Katherine Lynch, D’Unbelievables, Jimmy Carr, Des Bishop, Neil Delamere and Brendan Grace.
Opera House chief executive, Mary Hickson, says the schedule features a range of acts that will suit all tastes.
“Home Is Where the House Is will be a celebration of home grown work together with events that Cork audiences hold dear.
“The local work we’re presenting this season is of an international standard with Cork City Ballet, Dido and Aeneas, Sunbeam Girls 2 and many more taking to the main stage,” said Ms Hickson.
* www.corkoperahouse.ie
A HOST of internationally-acclaimed guitarists have been lined up to pluck their strings at a forthcoming festival in a West Cork town.
The Clonakilty International Guitar Festival, which runs from September 15-18, will feature such legends as Britain’s Roy Harper and Gary Lucas, the Grammy-nominated virtuoso of the acoustic and electric guitar who hails from New York.
As in previous years, the festival will feature family friendly music throughout the town using every venue and space at the organisers’ imaginations’ disposal from the local butchers to the parish hall.
Guitar workshops, exhibitions, seminars and massive jam sessions have also been organised for the weekend.
Among the other big names lined up are the Cosmopolitan Quartet, described as close as it gets to a guitar super group. They’re comprised of acclaimed jazz guitarist Hugh Buckley, classical guitarist John Feeley, folk guitarist and composer Dave Flynn, and Congolese guitarist and singer Niwel Tsumbu.
* www.clonguitarfest.com