Classical Notes

Dick O’Riordan: Festival chats zoom into the operatic heart of Wexford

As the Wexford Festival Opera approaches, the online Zoom Memories series provides a great window into the magic of opera and the fantastically passionate people who make it happen

Ermonela Jaho: over the last couple of years, the soprano has served as an international ambassador-at-large for Wexford Festival Opera

There’s a wonderful moment near the end of a Wexford Festival Opera Zoom conversation in which the dramatic soprano Ermonela Jaho is almost reduced to tears – genuine ones. It comes when former artistic director Luigi Ferrari recalls a small but magical occasion from her past engagements with the company.

Jaho has been hailed by the Economist magazine as “the most acclaimed soprano in the world”. Ferrari heard her singing magnificently during an opera at ...