The First Festival by Alberto Caruso - World Premiere at Wexford Festival Opera

What to Expect

The First Festival is a brand new opera commissioned for Wexford Festival Opera’s 75th anniversary, with music by Alberto Caruso and a libretto by the Enniscorthy-born novelist Colm Toibin. It opens at the National Opera House on Monday 19 October and is performed in English. The story is set in a local tax office in 1951, the year the festival itself began, and follows the joy that erupts in Wexford as word spreads that an opera festival is starting in the town. International singers and artists arrive, and their arias of love and regret unleash long pent-up passions on a town that will never be the same again.

The piece was written specifically for young voices and is performed by singers from the Wexford Factory, the festival’s artist development programme. That shapes the writing: it is an ensemble opera designed to show off emerging talent while stretching developing technique, rather than a vehicle for a single star. The opening night on 19 October is being run as a 1950s-themed celebration, with audiences encouraged to come in vintage dress.

Good to Know

• Performances: Monday 19 October at 7:30 PM, Saturday 24 October at 11:00 AM, Monday 26 October at 5:00 PM and Thursday 29 October at 11:00 AM.
• Venue: the National Opera House, High Street, Wexford town.
• Tickets €20 to €60.
• Sung in English. World premiere production.
• Opening night has a 1950s dress theme.
• Part of the 75th Wexford Festival Opera, 15 to 31 October 2026.
• Box office: +353 53 912 2144, Monday to Saturday, 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

Getting There

The National Opera House stands on High Street in the centre of Wexford town, a short walk up from the quays. Drive in on the N11 from Dublin and Gorey or the N25 from Rosslare Europort and New Ross. Wexford O’Hanrahan station, on the Dublin Connolly to Rosslare Europort line, is around ten minutes away on foot, and there is paid parking on the quay front and in the town centre car parks.