A new Irish National Opera Friday Opera Explorer series will begin today (Friday April 30) at 5:00 p.m. ET.

Each week the series will focus on a different country and singers such as Claudia Boyle, Naomi Louisa O’C onnell, Gavan Ring and Gyula Nagy will perform a range of classic arias from Bellini to Beethoven and from Berlioz to Richard Strauss.

The Explorer Series will also feature interviews with Irish composers including Gerald Barry, Jennifer Walshe, Finola Merivale, Amanda Feery and Emma. OH alloran, who worked with INO or are currently engaged in the next INO projects.

The series begins this afternoon with a focus on Italy and works by Bellini and Donizetti.

The opportunity to create Friday Opera Explorer arose following INO Puccini concert performance Bohemian in March. “We wanted to offer new opera experiences to our audience,” says artistic director Fergus Sheil, “but normal performances and concerts remained prohibited. So we stayed at the Bord Gáis Energy Theater to make recordings in the spacious ambience of the foyer, then we settled into the completely different and intimately Georgian ambience of the Goethe-Institut on Merrion Square in Dublin to film other videos. . And lockdowns being what they are, we found ourselves adding another session right in the heart of opera in Ireland, in the offices of the Irish National Opera.

The series takes place over five weeks. See the full program below. The Friday Opera Explorer will be available on INO of Youtube channel and Facebook page .

To learn more, visit https://www.irishnationalopera.ie/

Friday Opera Explorer

Friday April 30 from 5 p.m.
Italy
Arias of Bellini I puritani , The sonnambula and Norma , and Donizetti Lucia di Lammermoor.
Sung by Claudia boyle , Naomi Louisa O’C onnell , Gyula Nagy , John molloy .
Interview of the composer with Gerald Barry .

Friday May 7 from 5 p.m.
Germany
Beethoven’s Arias Fidelio , and Wagner Das rheingold and Tannhäuser.
Sung by Sinéad Campbell Wallace , Brenton Ryan , Ben McAteer , Gyula Nagy , John molloy .
Interview of the composer with Emma O’Halloran .

Friday May 14 from 5 p.m.
France
Arias by Berlioz The damnation of Faust , De Gounod Faust and Romeo and Juliet , and Massenet Cinderella and Werther.
Sung by Sarah shine , Gemma Ní Bhriain , Naomi Louisa O’C onnell , Gavan’s Ring , John Molloy.
Interview of the composer with Finola Merivale .

Friday May 21 from 5 p.m.
Russia
Arias of Rimsky-Korsakov The Snow Maiden , Borodin Prince igor and Tchaikovsky Iolanta and Eugene Onegin .
Sung by Claudia boyle , Sarah shine , Gavan’s Ring , Brenton Ryan , Ben McAteer , Gyula Nagy .
Interview of the composer with Jennifer walshe .

Friday May 21 from 5 p.m.
Germany
Arias by Richard Strauss Der Rosenkavalier , Elektra and Ariane auf Naxos .
Sung by Sinéad Campbell Wallace , Sarah shine , Naomi Louisa O’C onnell , Gemma Ní Bhriain , Gavan’s Ring , Brenton Ryan .
Interview of the composer with Amanda feery .

www.irishnationalopera.ie .