FULL details are due to be announced today of the new Humewood Opera Festival, to be held in the courtyard of Humewood Castle in Co. Wicklow, writes Michael Dervan.

3rd, offering three performances of Mozart's La finta semplic (directed by Michael McCaffery, designed by Paul Edwards, with the Irish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Jonathan Webb), and solo recitals by soprano Wilhelmenia Fernandez (the diva of the film Diva) and pianist John O'Conor.

Opera Northern Ireland's September season in Belfast will run from July 14th-21st, with three performances of Beethoven's Fidelio (in a new English translation by Jonathan Burton), and four of Verdi's La traviata. ONI's new artistic director Stephen Barlow conducts Fidelio, Matthew Francis directs, and Suzanne Murphy sings the title role. The Traviata cast is headed by Rebecca Caine and Richard Coxon Stephen Medcalf directs, and the conductor is Martin Andre.

ONI has also announced the resignation of its managing director, Randall Shannon, who has been with the company since 1987. Shannon, who took over initially in a caretaker capacity when the company had a deficit of Pounds 70,000, is not renewing his contract beyond the end of this year. He's leaving behind a company which is quoting a deficit of "around Pounds 50,000", considerably lower than the deficits being carried by either DGOS Opera Ireland or the Wexford Festival.

The Irish soprano Franzita Whelan is one of two performers selected last month for representation by the London based charitable concert agency, Young Concert Artists Trust. Franzita Whelan can be heard in recital later this month at the Buxton Festival, which is also Opera Theatre Company's Handel's Amadigi and a co operation with ONI and the Lyric Theatre, Belfast, of John Gay's Beggar's Opera.