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What's On!

September

'Follies' at The Grand Opera House, Belfast

June to August

Summer Events 2025

July

Cocktails and Cabaret in the Grand Opera House Studio

July 23 and 30

Summer Recitals at First Church Belfast

August

BBC Radio 3 Recitals and the Competition Finale

August

From Old To New: Ulster Scots Song

November

Morning Melodies - 'A Rose By Any Other Name'

Past Productions

Explore our past productions, from 2010 to 2024

Discover Opera

Discover

Discover Opera

Find out all about our recent production of 'Eugene Onégin' at the Grand Opera House, Belfast

Eugene Onégin

NI Opera Studio

The Juniper Tree

'The Juniper Tree' is based on a famous Grimm's fairytale, in which a jealous stepmother murders…

Main Stage

Tosca

Northern Ireland Opera returns in 2023 with Puccini’s ‘Tosca’, after our critically acclaimed and sold-out production…

New Work

Nobody/Somebody

'Nobody/Somebody' is an exciting and powerful new opera created by composer Neil Martin and playwright Fionnuala…

Musical

Into The Woods

BEST PRODUCTION, THE IRISH TIMES IRISH THEATRE AWARDS 2022 In a whirlwind quest to make their…

WHAT'S ON

WHAT'S ON

What's On

Check out our calendar guide to what's coming up in the next few months.

Summer Events 2025

Main Stage

Follies

Northern Ireland Opera’s next major production at the Grand Opera House is ‘Follies’, winner of 7…

June 2025

Meow Meow: Feline Intimate

Northern Ireland Opera welcomes international singing sensation Meow Meow back to Belfast, fresh from her triumph…

August 2025

The 15th Glenarm Festival of Voice

The Glenarm Festival of Voice will take place from 22-24 August 2025. Now in its fifteenth…

Special Event

Cocktails and Cabaret

Introducing a unique event this summer in The Studio at the Grand Opera House... Enjoy a…

WHAT WE DO

What We Do

WHAT WE DO

We are Northern Ireland's award-winning national opera company, an arts charity dedicated to the highest standards of opera performance, development of young talent and community outreach and education. Find out more about our productions since our foundation in 2010 via the link.

What We Do

Artist Development

Chorus Development Programme Our Chorus Development Programme launched in 2022, following open auditions to select local…

Past Productions

Outreach

Northern Ireland Opera bring innovative new productions of the highest artistic quality to the stage, reflecting…

The Glenarm Festival of Voice

The festival features public recitals and events, including three concerts in partnership with and broadcast by…

News

11th June 2025

Introducing five brilliant young talents from Northern Ireland who are joining our cast for ‘Follies’

Brigid Shine, Anna Violet, Reece McGowan, Chris Kane and Petra Wells will be performing as the 1941 versions of Sally, Phyllis, Buddy, Ben and Heidi in Northern Ireland Opera’s thrilling new production…

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Introducing five brilliant young talents from Northern Ireland who are joining our cast for ‘Follies’
5th June 2025

Opera Star Lesley Garrett CBE Debuts With Northern Ireland Opera in a New Production of ‘Follies’

Lesley Garrett CBE, one of the world’s most celebrated classical singers and acclaimed British soprano is announced today as the newest cast member to join Northern Ireland Opera’s historic revival of Stephen…

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Opera Star Lesley Garrett CBE Debuts With Northern Ireland Opera in a New Production of ‘Follies’
3rd June 2025

Meet the BBC Radio 3 Recitalists for the 15th Glenarm Festival of Voice.

We’re delighted to welcome Northern Irish mezzo soprano Carolyn Dobbin and BBC New Generation Artists baritone James Atkinson and tenor Santiago Sanchez to the beautiful County Antrim coastal town of Glenarm this…

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Meet the BBC Radio 3 Recitalists for the 15th Glenarm Festival of Voice.
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More Details

Connect With Us

This July and August the Summer Recital series is back at First Church Belfast for their 31st year. We're very much looking forward to being part of this programme of free Wednesday lunchtime concerts. Each recital runs from 1.15 to 2pm (doors open at 1pm) and all are free to attend - it's a really lovely way to spend a summer lunchtime! If you haven't been to First Church Belfast before, you'll find it on Rosemary Street right in Belfast's city centre - all are welcome. The first Northern Ireland Opera recital takes place on 23 July with soprano Zoë Jackson- Soprano, winner of Deborah Voigt Opera Prize at the 14th Glenarm Festival of Voice performing a recital on a theme of Songs of Love and Loss with pianist Bryan Evans. We return on 30 July with baritone Seamus Brady Baritone, song prize winner at the 14th Glenarm Festival of Voice, in a recital accompanied by pianist Tristan Russcher. First Church Belfast's Summer Recital Series then continues throughout August at the same time each week in association with RIAM. 6 August 1.15pm: Joanne Quigley (violin) and David Quigley (piano) 13 August 1.15pm: Showcase: Competition Winners Of The Royal Irish Academy 20 August 1.15pm: Justine Gormley (piano) 27 August 1.15pm: The Inaugural Young Musicians’ Prom Find out more about all the Summer Recitals here - via the linktree in our bio. Arts Council of Northern Ireland #summerconcerts #summerrecitals #freeconcerts #belfastevents #freebelfastevents #summermusic @ourbelfastmusic #classicalconcert #operasingers #opera #arias #recital #summerrecitals
Announcing the next three fantastic cast members for #Follies at the Grand Opera House, Belfast this September! Pippa Winslow @pippawinslow will be our Stella Deems, Marty Maguire @martymaguire_jm our Dimitri Weismann and Darren Franklin @darrenfranklin645 our Roscoe. We are delighted to welcome these wonderful artists to the cast and can't wait to get started with rehearsals in Belfast in few weeks time - find out all about them via the event page on our website. Set in 1971, the girls of Weismann’s ‘Follies’ are returning with their partners to the decaying theatre on Broadway which holds so many memories for them for one last time before it is demolished. Time may have moved on, but inside the theatre old connections stir, rivalries flare and ghosts of the past are woken. By the time they all leave the theatre for one last time, their world’s will have shifted and nothing will be the same again. With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James Goldman, this legendary work features unforgettable songs including ‘Broadway Baby’, ‘I’m Still Here’, ‘Could I Leave You’, and ‘Losing My Mind’. Find out more about the show and the cast via the event link in the bio and book your tickets soon at Grand Opera House, Belfast. @artscouncilni @cameronmenziesdirector @fourthwallpr @ourbelfastmusic #Sondheim #Follies #StellaDeems #Weismann #DimitriWeismann #Roscoe #musical #musictheatre #musicals #broadwaymusicals #newyork #theseventies #showgirls #showtunes #whatsoninseptember
We're working with @gohbelfast to produce a glittering evening of Cocktails and Cabaret in the Studio on 28 and 29 July! Come and enjoy an evening of music, Jawbox Gin cocktails and a delicious summer buffet with entertainment by eight fantastic vocalists: Jolene O'Hara @jolene_o_hara , Colette Lennon Dougal @colettelennondougal , Mark Dugdale @markdugdale01 , Alice Johnston @alice_j86 , Philippa O'Hara @philippaohara , Chris Kane @_chriskane , Orla Mullan @mullan.orla and Rosie Barry @weebarry1 performing solos and ensemble pieces. They will be accompanied by pianist Stuart Pedlar. Expect to hear classic songs by artists including Joni Mitchell, Dolly Parton, Randy Crawford, Dusty Springfield, Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand. The entertainment for the evening also features much-loved hits from some of the greatest musicals of all time such as Cabaret, Chicago, Grease, Follies, The Notebook and Little Shop of Horrors. Tickets: £110 Doors open: 6pm Running time: 6pm – 11.30pm, last drinks orders 11pm Dress code: Sassy & Sparkly More details via the linktree in the bio or visit goh.co.uk @artscouncilni @cameronmenziesdirector #summertime #summerevents #cocktailsandcabaret #JulyEvents #socialcalendar #summercocktails #belfast #whatsoninbelfast #cabaretevening
Introducing five brilliant young talents from Northern Ireland who are joining our cast for ‘Follies’! Brigid Shine, Anna Violet, Chris Kane, Reece McGowan and Petra Wells will be performing as the 1941 versions of Sally, Phyllis, Buddy, Ben and Heidi in Northern Ireland Opera’s thrilling new production of Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman’s legendary musical. ‘Follies’ takes place in 1971 where the girls of Weismann’s ‘Follies’ are returning with their partners to the decaying theatre on Broadway which holds so many memories for them for one last time before it is demolished. It is thirty years since they were last together, and our young Belfast cast will perform the 1941 versions of the characters as we look back from 1971 in flashbacks and memories of their old connections, rivalries and ghosts of what might have been. Find out all about the cast via the linktree in the bio and book your tickets soon! @artscouncilni @gohbelfast @cameronmenziesdirector @fourthwallpr @brigidsunshine @annaviolett.2 @reecemcgowan @_chriskane @petrawells_soprano #Sondheim #Follies #Cast #NorthernIreland #NorthernIrishTalent #Belfast @SeptemberShows
Lesley Garrett CBE, one of the world’s most celebrated classical singers and acclaimed British soprano is announced today as the newest cast member to join Northern Ireland Opera’s historic revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman’s Follies at @gohbelfast this Autumn. Garrett’s prestigious and varied international career is spread across many genres including leading roles in opera and musical theatre. This year marks her 45th anniversary in the industry, which will see her step into an iconic role to play opera diva Heidi Schiller in this musical masterpiece about a group of former showgirls of the famous Weismann Follies. Upon returning after thirty years with their partners to their beloved decaying Broadway theatre for one final reunion before demolition, old connections stir and rivalries flare. By the time they all leave their world’s will have shifted: will anything be the same again? The opera legend says of her role in this new production of Follies: “‘I’m so excited to be coming back to Belfast and especially to be making my debut with Northern Ireland Opera at the age of 70! Sondheim’s Follies is a masterpiece and I’m delighted to have been given the once in a lifetime opportunity to perform the iconic role of Heidi Schiller. Come and join me on this fabulous adventure!” Find out all about Follies and the cast announced so far via the linktree in the bio - and book your tickets soon! @artscouncilni @cameronmenziesdirector @fourthwallpr @jrooneydance @niallmckeeverdesign @gillian.lennox01 @nualacampbell #Follies #HeidiSchiller #StephenSondheim #JamesGoldman #musical #broadway #broadwaymusical #belfast #septembermusicals #whatsoninseptember #citybreak #culturetrip #operasinger #opera #operastar
We're looking forward to welcoming these four artists to The 15th Glenarm Festival of Voice later this summer. They will be performing the 2025 @bbcradio3 recitals at the festival, which are recorded live in St Patrick's Church between 22 and 24 August and broadcast nationally on BBC Radio 3 later in the autumn. Mezzo soprano @carolyn_dobbin_mezzo baritone @james_atkinson94 tenor @tenorsanchez with pianist @simon_lepper will be performing arias and songs on a theme of 'Landscapes'. Tickets for the BBC Radio 3 recitals are free but must be applied for via a ticket draw at BBC Shows and Tours which opens on July 18 - follow the linktree in the bio for more details about the artists and how to apply for free tickets. You can also now book tickets for other events at the Glenarm Festival of Voice this year including a concert in the Coach House @glenarmcastle and our much-anticipated Competition Finale - find out more via the linktree in the bio. With many thanks to the event partners, funders and sponsors who make this event possible including @artscouncilni @meaboroughcouncil @glenarmcastle @bbcradio3 and the Friends of Northern Ireland Opera. #Glenarm #BBCRadio3Recitals #Concerts #Recitals #FreeConcert #LiveRecording #WhatsOn #Glenarm #AugustBankHolidayEvents
Breaking News! Meow Meow @meowtopia returns to Belfast for one night only with 'Feline Intimate' on 12 June: catch her direct from her triumph at the @sohotheatre! Further details coming on Monday: save the date for this very special performance... Photo Credit: Karl Giant @cameronmenziesdirector #GregArrowsmith @artscouncilni @theharrisonbelfast @thegourmetboys @ourbelfastmusic #MeowMeow #specialevent #belfast #whatsoninjune #felineintimate
🎼 La Voix Humaine by Poulenc 📍 The Everyman Cork 📅 Thursday 5 June 8pm Next week we're taking our touring production of Poulenc's 'La Voix Humaine' to Cork's @theeverymancork. Poulenc’s searing one-woman, one-act opera is based on the play by Jean Cocteau. This poignant and emotionally charged work centres on a woman’s final phone conversation with her former lover, brought to life through Poulenc’s captivating score and a tour-de-force solo performance by @marymccabesoprano with @davidquigleypianist , directed by @cameronmenziesdirector . This legendary opera is a compelling exploration of love, isolation, and the human voice. If you are in Cork next week, don't miss your chance to see this incredible 20th century opera: book your tickets at @theeverymancork and join 'Elle' as she experiences the implosion of her relationship in real time. 'La Voix Humaine' is performed in French with English surtitles. More details and booking links via the linktree in the bio. Photo credit @neilharrisonphotography Directed by @cameronmenziesdirector Wigs and Make-Up Design @nualacampbell Gown @lindabritten #Poulenc #TouringOpera #LaVoixHumaine #Cocteau #Poulenc #FrenchOpera #Cork #WhatsOnInCork #CorkEvents #CorkCity #JuneEvents
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