BARITONE Owen Gilhooly headlines ‘Opera C’Arte’ at the concert hall on Saturday 22, one night of opera extracts sung by a professional ensemble. Gilhooly received high praise from the New York Times and the British press for his recent performances in works by Sibelisu and Rimsky-Korsakov at Buxton Opera Festival, confirming his busy international career. Last week he sang ‘Rigoletto’ in Dublin and there’s much more in the pipes for him. “I am involved in the first production of ‘Tristan and Isolde’ in Ireland in 50 years. That takes place in Bord Ghais Energy Theatre on September 30,” says this calm and energetic star.
“I’ll be touring for ‘Cosi Fan Tutti’ with Opera Theatre Company then in February. I can’t tell you how lucky I feel when there are singers out there struggling to keep going, someone is Up There smiling down at me. I’ve also signed over the next four years to a Ph.D”.
Enough? Owen Gilhooly is director of Mid-West Vocal Academy & Music School in Lisnagry, his own established in 2010:
“It’s going great. We have a 70 strong choir now and are just back from a tour of Poland”.
On to Saturday 22. UCH reports that Opera D’Arte “presents a diverse programme of musical masterpieces including selections from ‘La Traviata’, ‘Carmen’, ‘Cosi Fan Tutte’, ‘La Bohème’, ‘Turandot’ and ‘The Barber of Seville’”.
Owen will be joined by three terrific singers with whom to duet and sing arias, as well as two solo turns by each performer. He shares the stage with Sandra Oman, soprano; Deirdre Masterson, mezzo-soprano; Eugene Ginty, tenor and all four opera singers are directed for ‘Opera D’Arte’ by David Wray, director of Dublin’s ‘Opera in the Open’ series. The artistic director of these two hours of opera is Aisling Sullivan of Arts Paths.
Saturday September 22, 8pm at University Concert Hall, tel. 061-331549 or online at www.uch.ie
