← All events
music · Saturday 17 October 2026 · 3:00 PM 
Much Ado About Nothing by Charles Villiers Stanford at Wexford Festival Opera
At National Opera House · High Street, Wexford, Co. Wexford, Y35 FEP3
At National Opera House · High Street, Wexford, Co. Wexford, Y35 FEP3
Charles Villiers Stanford’s Much Ado About Nothing gets six performances at the National Opera House between 17 and 30 October, staged as a pocket opera in Wexford Festival Opera’s 75th anniversary season. Julian Sturgis wrote the libretto, and the festival describes it as a faithful adaptation of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, with Stanford capturing the emotional complexity of the characters and their shifting relationships. It is performed in English.
The work has real Wexford history behind it. Stanford’s opera premiered on 30 May 1901 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and Wexford staged it once before, in October 1964. This new production marks the 75th anniversary and follows the festival’s critically received 2024 presentation of Stanford’s The Critic, continuing a run of attention to the Dublin-born composer’s stage work. Pocket opera performances are scheduled in the late morning and mid-afternoon around the mainstage operas, so they fit neatly into a festival day. All six dates were listed as sold out at the time of writing.
The National Opera House is on High Street in the centre of Wexford town, minutes from the quay front. Drive in on the N11 from Dublin and Gorey or the N25 from New Ross and Rosslare Europort. Wexford O’Hanrahan railway station, on the Dublin Connolly to Rosslare Europort line, is about ten minutes’ walk. Paid parking is available on the quays and in the town centre car parks, and the 11:00 AM slots are usually the easiest for finding a space.
Heading to National Opera House in Wexford? Wexford has plenty more to see. Read the Wexford area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.