RIAM puts us behind bars for first opera of the new year

A sculpture on the Hobart Waterfront by Rowan Gillespie honouring the convict women and their children transported to Van Diemen’s land

When the jingle bells cease ringing, the hallelujahs stop soaring and the Holy Nights just gently fade away, opera lovers can reboot and plan a visit to a prison.

The first opera of the new year will be behind bars – Kilmainham Gaol, to be specific — and courtesy of the Royal Irish Academy of Music, which is always quick off its marks at this time of year.

It has chosen the iconic ...