When young people meet opera for the first time in County Waterford

In county Waterford, young people are being handed unprecedented access to Opera

Building on more than a decade of music education across counties Waterford and Cork, Blackwater Valley Opera Festival and Music Generation Waterford, have been inviting primary schools to take part in events catered specifically to young people.

Since 2012, the festival's education programme has reached approximately 7,000 young people across County Waterford. 

This year the festival is returning to schools with two workshops designed to introduce primary school pupils to opera and vocal music through participation.

The programme brings professional artists into classrooms, offering pupils and teachers direct engagement with music-making, storytelling, and vocal expression.

Students explore how stories are shaped through music, building confidence while developing listening skills and musical awareness.

Their 'Discover Opera and Discover Singing' programmes. combine in-school workshops led by professional musician-educators, with opportunities for pupils to experience live singing and opera in Lismore during festival week.

The deadline for schools to submit an expression of interest for the Discover Opera and Discover Singing programmes is Friday, February 27. 

To request a registration form, schools are asked to contact the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival team at education@blackwatervalleyopera.ie 

Meanwhile, schools can also participate this year in the festival's 'Don Giovanni' dress rehearsal. 

Taking place on Monday, May 25, the rehearsal will give students insight into how a full-scale opera is brought together on stage, from orchestra and singers to staging and lighting.

'Don Giovanni', by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, combines humour and drama with elements of the supernatural. 

With an approximate running time of four hours, including an interval, the opera explores themes of power, consequence, and moral responsibility. 

As the work contains references to sexual behaviour, coercion, and moral transgression, it is recommended for audiences aged 12 and over, and discretion is advised.

Demand for the annual 'Dress Rehearsal for Schools' continues to grow, and the deadline to submit an expression of interest is Friday, February 27.

Places are limited. 

Schools that are applying must be fully committed to all aspects of the programme and can apply by email to education@blackwatervalleyopera.ie.

Blackwater Valley Opera Festival takes place from May 26 to June 1, hosting 24 events at 13 venues across the Blackwater Valley. 

The flagship opera 'Don Giovanni' will take place in the surrounds of Lismore Castle, with the Irish Baroque Orchestra, conductor Peter Whelan, and director Tom Creed.