Northern Ireland Opera Announces Cast & Creatives for Eugene Onégin, Grand Opera House Belfast

Marking Northern Ireland Opera’s fourth full scale operatic production during Menzies’ tenure, Eugene Onégin will be performed in the magnificent setting of Belfast’s Grand Opera House from 14 – 21 September 2024. The company welcomes internationally renowned conductor Dominic Limburg onhis first engagement in Belfast(DEUTSCHE OPER BERLIN; BEETHOVEN ORCHESTRA, BONN; STAATSTOPER, HANNOVER). He will lead the Orchestra of Northern Ireland Opera, a new ensemble of local instrumentalists brought together for the first time in an exciting fresh development for the company.

Performing in the Principal female roles of Tatyana, Madame Larina, Olga and Filipevna areMary McCabe(Soprano), Carolyn Dobbin(Mezzo Soprano), Sarah Richmond (Mezzo Soprano) and Jenny Bourke(Mezzo Soprano) respectively. Notably, this production will be Bourke’s and Richmond’s main stage debuts with Northern Ireland Opera while McCabe makes her operatic Principal mainstage debut in the role of Tatyana following a long relationship with the company covering Violetta in La Traviata 2022 and her acclaimed performance in the one-woman opera La Voix Humaine, Poulenc.

Baritone Yuriy Yurchuk, who performed in the company’s production of La Boheme in 2021 and in 2022 with La Traviata - the Grand Opera House’s fastest selling-opera ever - returns in this titular role. Yurchuk is fast becoming widely associated with this opera having performed it on several occasions including most recently at the New National Theatre in Tokyo earlier this year and at the Royal Danish Opera Denmark and La Monnaie, Brussels in 2023.

Tenor Norman Reinhardt (Magic Flute, ENO) is cast as Onégin’s friend turned rival Vladimir Lensky and Aaron O’Hare (Tenor) is cast as Monsieur Triquet and Niall Anderson (Baritone) as Prince Gremin. Northern Ireland Opera’s 35-strong locally based chorus will join this production to present some of the most rousing and well-loved chorus pieces in the operatic canon.

The creative talents reuniting once more to work with the company include Northern Irish Set Designer Niall McKeever (TOSCA, LA TRAVIATA, INTO THE WOODS,TRANSLATIONS) in this fourth collaboration, rounding this exceptional creative team is Costume Designer Gillian Lennox (TOSCA, PINOCCHIO, DR SCROGGY’S WAR, GOOD VIBRATIONS, ALICE: THE MUSICAL, DOUBLE CROSS, ROUGH GIRLS, DARK OF THE MOON, SHIRLEY VALENTINE, Lyric, Belfast); Lighting Designer Kevin Treacy (INTO THE WOODS, LA BOHÈME, LA TRAVIATA);Movement Director Jennifer Rooney(INTO THE WOODS,, OLD FRIENDS AND OTHER DAYS, HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD, THE JUNIPER TREE) and Wigs and Make-up Designer Nuala Campbell (LA BOHÈME, INTO THE WOODS, LA TRAVIATA, OLD FRIENDS AND OTHER DAYS, THE SALON SERIES).

Menzies’ timeless vision for this production will draw on influences from the fallen imperial opulence of the Tzars to the communist era aesthetic and futuristic utilitarian worlds. He says: “It’s such a thrill to be staging this moving and potent masterpiece which looks deeply into the soul of human nature in all its varied ways. I am very proud to be working with a highly talented and sophisticated cast of singers and immense creative forces, all masters in their own disciplines. At NI Opera we take great care nurturing and promoting local artists into main stage debuts, developing our Chorus by performing these great compositions and to be able to attract international talent to come and work with the company. Onégin is set to be a production that you won’t want to miss.”