Opera NI to feature five new opera shorts by Northern Irish composers
Opera Shorts is a project by NI Opera to showcase contemporary opera, as part of the London 2012 Festival. The project teamed five Northern Irish composers with five leading playwrights to commission short operas that display the best elements of contemporary opera: drama, emotion and exciting new music.
The five short operas will be premiered at the MAC in Belfast on 28-30 June, followed by a performance at London's Southbank Centre on 13 July . The composers involved are Conor Mitchell, Christopher Norby, Ed Bennett, Deirdre McKay and Brian Irvine. The five operas run the gamut of dramatic subjects, from a juxtaposition of a dying soldier and an Olympic win, a family's struggle with suicide, stories of petty drug-dealers and SAS veterans, and some lighter relief with a bickering family and a lotto win.
The full programme for NI Opera Shorts is:
Conor Mitchell and Mark Ravenhill – Our Day (a New Music 20x12 commission)
Christopher Norby and Frank McGuiness – The girl who knew she could fly
Ed Bennett and Stacey Gregg – Jackie's Taxi
Deirdre McKay and Richard Dormer – Driven
Brian Irvine and Owen McCafferty – May contain flash photography
Further information: