The new participants of the Wexford Factory have been announced. The brainchild of Wexford Festival Opera’s (WFO) Artistic Director, Rosetta Cucchi, the Wexford Factory is a professional academy for young Irish / Irish-based singers, which will commence prior to the beginning of rehearsals for this year’s Festival.
PwC will continue their sponsorship of Wexford Factory, with a newly announced two–year partnership which will cover the 2022 / 2023 term. This new sponsorship strengthens the partnership between PwC and Wexford Factory, showcasing their support of the Arts & Culture sector and their commitment to supporting projects which make a valuable impact to our society.
Nurturing artists and showcasing the talents of young singers has long been a cornerstone of Wexford Festival Opera. Many of today’s world leading Opera artists performed in Wexford early on in their careers. The dedication, sacrifice and hard work which are needed to succeed in a career such as opera are also those that are needed to succeed in business. PwC has supported the Wexford Festival Opera since 2015 and has been steadfast in their support of emerging future leaders in the worlds of art, sport and business. WFO is delighted to have PwC as valued partners on this exciting venture.
The 2022 / 2023 Factory participants will now embark on a 2-year journey with Wexford Festival Opera which will see them take part in a professional development academy this September, as well as perform in the 2022 Festival and have the chance to take part in an international exchange. The Factory was designed to mentor young singers through masterclasses led by internationally recognised artists and professionals. Guest tutors will include Sonia Ganassi, Alfonso Antoniozzi and Ernesto Placio.
The 2022 / 2023 Wexford Factory artists unveiled
The 2022 / 2023 participants have been announced as 16 singers: Deirdre Arratoon, Michael Bell, Seán Boylan, Eoin Foran, Ami Hewitt, Emily Hogarty, Corina Ignat, William Kyle, Peter Lidbetter, Sarah Luttrell, Giorgi Manoshvili, Hannah O’Brien, Megan O’Neill, Leah Redmond, Richard Shaffrey, Nikolai Zemlianskikh. Find out a little more about them below.
Speaking of the Factory and PwC partnership WFO Executive Director Randall Shannon said ‘PwC has been a valued supporter of Wexford Festival Opera for many years. Their values perfectly reflect our own objectives: to support emerging artists and provide platforms to further their careers. The Wexford Factory reflects an exciting time within the Festival’s development and having the support of PwC is vital to its sustainability and expansion.’
Speaking at the launch, Jean Delaney, Partner, PwC, said: “Supporting diverse young talent to reach their potential is a priority at PwC. Our support of this important professional development academy at the Wexford Factory is a perfect fit with our brand. We wish all of the artists great success in their future careers.”
Speaking of her reasons for developing the Wexford Factory, WFO Artistic Director, Rosetta Cucchi, said “The best memories of my life are associated with the academies I attended in my youth. That is where I learned the true meaning of professionalism and how I could continue to challenge myself as an artist. This is the reason I decided to establish the Wexford Factory. It is the duty of every highly regarded international festival such as Wexford to give a new generation of artists the opportunity to grow; giving them wings to fly in their careers.”
ABOVE: Emily Hogarty and Megan O’Neill, Wexford Factory Artists. Photograph: Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland