Wexford was alive with music and fireworks for the opening night of the 54th Wexford Festival Opera last night, as news of a donation of €2 million brings plans for a new €28 million theatre a step closer.
Some 20,000 people attended the grand opening of the festival on Wexford quayside and, despite the rain, enjoyed a spectacular 15-minute firework display to a soundtrack of popular opera, from Flight of the Bumble Bee to Romeo and Juliet.
Before the fireworks, festival chairman Paul Hennessy announced that the Wexford Festival Foundation has received a donation of €1 million from Sir Anthony O'Reilly, president of the festival, and a matching gift of €1 million from Independent News and Media towards the development fund for a €28 million state-of-the-art theatre in Wexford town to replace the Theatre Royal.
The new theatre will be home to the festival and provide a year-round venue for other cultural and artistic events. Construction of the 750-seat theatre is due to begin next year with completion expected by 2008.
Also at the opening ceremony were Minster for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin and Mayor of Wexford Tommy Carr.
Mr Carr described the 18-day festival as a "feast of music and arts, which has delighted our own people and tens of thousands of other people. It is good to have a place for art. Not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted."
Mr Martin said the festival was "the world's greatest and most delightful festival", which has carved out a niche in the international arts scene and is "a world leader in the production of rare opera".
Tributes were paid to the festival's chief executive and vice-chairman of the Arts Council, Jerome Hynes, who died suddenly last month. Mr Martin described Mr Hynes as the man who transformed the festival and had spearheaded the campaign to get it a new home. "The realisation of this ambition will be the ultimate tribute to Jerome and the enduring success of this festival will be his legacy."
The 572-seat Theatre Royal was full later for the opening performance of Gaetano Donizetti's Maria de Rohan.
The festival will include three operas and three short opera works. Surrounding events including recitals featuring festival artists, a performance from the Prague Chamber Choir and a symphonic concert. Pre-opera talks and late-night comedy and music events also form part of the programme.
This year the Musicians Union of Ireland has decided, as a mark of respect to Mr Hynes, not to protest outside the theatre about the failure of the festival to use Irish musicians. The festival's use of the Kracow Philharmonic Orchestra rather than Irish musicians, and the dearth of Irish singers on stage, have been long-running issues.
Wexford Festival Opera continues until November 1st. Carlisle Floyd's Susannah and Gabriel Fauré's Pénélope are also featured this year.