The Limerick Opera Festival


Upcoming Events

Welcome to our events page, where you can discover all the news, updates and information on the upcoming events.

There's a lot in here, so be sure to scroll down.

 Remember to follow us on social media as well.

Planned Events 2024




Limerick Opera Festival
Saturday May 4th - 25th 


Take a look below at our fabulous list of events for our festival this year. We hope to see you all there and look forward to catching up with all our existing Limerick Opera Festival 
friends and patrons. 
We are really hoping to make many more new friends along the way.
So come along and join us to celebrate opera in our beautiful riverside city.
There is something there for everyone!



Saturday May 4th  2024 
On-street Opera
The Opera Trail

Saturday morning is a busy time for shoppers in the city. A big shopping day for families, singletons,
young people and generally a great day to meet for a coffee or lunch in one of the many excellent
cafes or restaurants in the city.
Our On-Street events are a really popular experience where we follow the Opera Trail around the
city with on-street performances of well-known and beloved arias and classical songs. Not only do
the public love our pop-up performances but our professional opera singers love the energy they get
from performing so closely with their audience and have so much fun with the public as they stop
and enjoy this free offering of beautiful music. This truly encapsulates the belief and purpose of our
Festival being Opera for AllPlease join us and enjoy
Ami Hewitt (Soprano)
Seán Tester (Tenor)
Matthew Mannion (Bass/Bass-Baritone)
Accompanist - Irina Dernova

 12.30pm Colbert Station (tbc)
1.30pm The International Rugby Experience
2.30pm Arthurs Quay Shopping Centre
3.30pm Thomas Street 


Weather may sometimes drive us indoors but is no less enjoyable as the event remains impromptu
and a very personal experience for everybody who is lucky enough to be in the area.






Friday May 10th 2024 A Live Screening from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York
Unfortunately this event has to be postponed until further notice.

Saturday May 11th  2024
Hunt Museum Picnic Aria Evening
& Operatic Memorabilia Exhibition
Jean Wallace (Soprano)
Catherine O'Carroll (Mezzo Soprano)
 Pianist - Irina Dernova

This is a new addition to our Festival for next season. We are collaborating with the Hunt Museum who are a well-loved and much visited museum which is centrally located in the city. The museum was established to house a global collection of 2000 works of Art and Antiquity collected by John and
Gertrude Hunt. The Hunt Museum provides opportunities to engage with the public locally and internationally and Limerick Opera Festival are delighted to be collaborating with them in this awesome event.
Enjoy a sumptuous offering of picnic food while you listen to a wonderful a selection of arias and song in the beautiful outdoors at the back of the museum on the banks of the River Shannon.
We also have our very interesting exhibition of Operatic Memorabilia for our guests to linger over.






Operatic Aria Evening 
The Blue Bar
Punches Cross
Thursday May  16th


Our much loved Operatic Aria Evening is back. This much loved event will be just as spectacular as our former fabulous evenings of opera, song and glorious food. We are moving to the amazing new space next door to the Green Yard Cafe restaurant to the new Blue Bar. Here you will be served a mouth watering menu of canapes as you enjoy our operatic duo wandering through the room entertaining you with your favorite arias and duets. 
Eve Stafford (Soprano)
Gina Oberoi Engela (Mezzo Soprano)
Pianist - Irina Dernova

Tickets are now on sale at the following link 

https://eventmaster.ie/event/4bE9f4rFEe

 

Lecture on the  life  of  Catherine Hayes
Thursday May 16th  2024
Laurel Hill School
South Circular Road



Kathryn talking about Catherine

Catherine Hayes, married name Catherine Bushnell (1818 – 1861) was a world-famous Irish soprano of the Victorian era. According to London’s Daily Express ‘Hayes was the ‘Madonna’ of her day. She was the 19th century operatic equivalent of the world’s most famous pop star’.


Our lecture will be delivered by Ms Kathryn Hayes, Lecturer and Course Director of the BA in Journalism and New Media programme, University of Limerick since 2016. Ms Hayes is responsible for the design, delivery and assessment of a number of modules in the BA in Journalism and New
Media program and the MA in Journalism, which focuses on news, reporting and writing skills for multimedia platforms.


The Opera Trail Historical Walk
Saturday May 25th

Start point ~ Merchants Quay Plaza
 Start time ~ 11am

Local historian Sharon Slater will take us on an amazingly interesting and informative walk around Limerick city showing us places of interest with an operatic theme. This walk & talk will be linked to our upcoming publication on the history of Limerick Opera which will be published in conjunction with our festival this year. An event not to be missed from Sharon & LOF!
This is a free event.



River Notes~Opera in Limerick

Our wonderfully interesting book is now available to pre-order at the following link ~ https://eventmaster.ie/event/6B85UEpT5G

This is a coffee table must and is the culmination of much research on behalf of Sharon Slater. Be sure to get your order in as soon as possible.

Saturday May 25th  2024
Catherine Hayes Tribute Concert 
St Mary’s Cathedral
Jean Wallace (Soprano)
Ami Hewitt (Soprano)
 Pianist - Irina Dernova

This will be a reprise of last year’s very successful concert highlighting the arias and classical songs performed by Catherine Hayes during her impressive career as the Hibernian Madonna.
In her lifetime as a Prima Donna, she met such historical figures as Manual Garcia, the famous tenor and singing teacher; Franz Liszt, the virtuosic pianist and Hungarian composer; Queen Victoria and Giuseppe Verdi himself. She sang everything from Moore’s Melodies to Italian songs and arias and was known from Australia to America and everywhere in between.
We will have two operatic performers accompanied by the wonderful timbre of St Mary’s grand piano. This was a tremendous success last year, being extremely well received and enjoyed by all who attended. We are sure that this year’s event will be of even greater success.
Tickets now available at 

https://eventmaster.ie/event/nGy1CplH0v

The Catherine Hayes Young Soloist Project 2025

This new event is being introduced to our ever-expanding Limerick Opera Festival events page.
Applications will be sought from young aspiring singers aged between 16 and 22 years from around
the country to apply for a number of days coaching with an international staff of singing teachers,
repetiteurs, language coaches and directors.
We will include solo/duet/trio and ensemble work culminating in a performance on the final day.
We will accommodate ten or twelve singers taking part and the Gala Concert at the end of the
coaching experience will be held in St Mary’s Cathedral.
Limerick Opera Festival are very excited about launching this new platform to further support and
enhance the flourishing musical talent in Limerick city and county.

© 2023. All rights reserved