EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CANDIDATE INFORMATION PACK MAY 2021 HISTORY Since 1951, Wexford Festival Opera, based in a small Viking town in South East Ireland, has introduced audiences to unjustly neglected works, many of which have since found a place in the canon. It is acknowledged as one of the world’s leading and best loved annual opera festivals, establishing an internationally recognised reputation for high- quality productions which attract thousands of opera-lovers to Wexford from all over the world. Since its foundation, the Festival has given audiences the opportunity to hear major artists at the start of their careers. Wexford Festival Opera has been blessed with a succession of talented and passionate artistic directors and chief executives who have balanced tradition with bold innovation, the most recent being Rosetta Cucchi, appointed as Artistic Director in 2019. Now in its 70th year the festival is better placed than ever before to champion neglected operatic gems. It has a new home, the National Opera House, a world- class venue and Ireland’s first custom-built, multi-purpose opera house, which allows the Festival to stage even more ambitious and spectacular productions. It has a professional company of over 200 artists at its disposal. For three weeks each autumn, the town and its people immerse themselves in a hive of operatic, musical and artistic activity, with three principal productions, recitals, small scale operas, lectures, tours, and a packed fringe festival, with the very best of Irish food and hospitality thrown in for good measure. Visitors to Wexford Festival experience a unique and intimate event. This is made possible by the support of nearly 300 local volunteers, who provide a warm and genuine welcome and help to give the Festival a distinctive personality which has distinguished Wexford from other festivals. The reputation of Wexford continues to grow. It receives favourable critical acclaim each year from the international press and productions are broadcast and screened throughout the world on a variety of platforms. In 2017, Wexford Festival Opera was voted Best International Opera Festival in the World at the International Opera Awards. Due to the impact of Covid-19, the Festival was unable to proceed in its usual form in 2020. However, a ‘Festival in the Air’ was presented instead, with Rossini’s Petite Messe Solenelle along with a number of operatic concerts performed live but without an audience in the National Opera House and streamed across the world, A new opera, What Happened to Lucrece was commissioned from artist in residence Andrew Synott. The inaugural Wexford Academy for Young Artists, Wexford Factory was also initiated and achieved acclaim for an innovative serialisation of Falstaff across six consecutive nights. Since then a series of 15-minute ‘pop-up’ performances, Sunday Up, designed, produced, performed and recorded in different locations around the world by members of the Factory, was presented on digital platforms. The 2021 Festival will return to its traditional format, inviting live audiences to its performances, and will also include an element of online work. Future artistic plans involve developing a year-round programme of community work to complement the annual autumn festival. Like arts organisations the world over, Wexford Festival Opera faces many challenges, financial, organisational and more recently COVID related. However, the indomitable spirit of Wexford prevails and the determination which has seen Wexford through the first seventy years will take us into the next phase of development. STRATEGIC PRIORITIES The following strategic priorities highlight the necessary activities required to support the mission of WFO • Consolidate the existing three-week festival model • Continue to build a model of artistic and organisational excellence • Establish long term financial stability • Explore audience development opportunities at local, national and international level • Develop and implement education and outreach initiatives • Place the festival and its ancillary activities at the heart of Ireland’s cultural life OUR MISSION Wexford Festival Opera exists to breathe new life into overlooked gems in the operatic repertoire. In doing so we continue to grow and develop Ireland’s premier opera event to attract increasing local, national and international audiences who share in the unique and rewarding experience of the Festival, presented to the highest international standards. Company Information Wexford Festival Opera has a turnover of €4m. The company’s income is divided relatively equally between its Arts Council of Ireland grant, box office income and fundraising. There is a permanent WFO staff of 16 with Finance and HR functions shared with the National Opera House. There are currently 10 Board members with Dr Mary Kelly as Chairwoman. A National Development Council of 10 members supports the fundraising efforts of the organisation’s development team and a separate UK Trust gives fundraising advice and provides a tax efficient vehicle for UK contributions. Artistic Director - Rosetta Cucchi Rosetta Cucchi began her career as a concert pianist, moving into opera directing relatively early. She has directed productions for many of the world’s leading opera houses, including regularly for the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, and has held Artistic Director positions for the Lugo Opera Festival and the Arturo Toscanini Foundation (FAT) in Parma. Rosetta’s association with Wexford Festival Opera began in 1995 where she initially acted as a répétiteur. Her WFO directorial debut came in 2004 with Braunfels’ Prinzessin Brambilla and she has since directed Alfano’s Risurrezione in 2017, which was revived in the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in 2019, and Rossini’s Adina and La Cucina by Andrew Synnott in 2019, a co-production with the Rossini Opera Festival. Rosetta’s latest production was an innovative opera movie production of Adrienne Lecouvreur filmed at the Opera Comunale di Bologna in 2021. Rosetta was appointed Associate to the Wexford Festival Opera Artistic Director in 2005 and Artistic Director in 2019. The Future We want to build and enhance Wexford’s welcoming reputation and its renown for producing rare operatic gems by attracting new audiences and by making Wexford Festival and its productions accessible in ways they never were before. We are determined to share the magic of Wexford with a much broader audience by opening the doors to new and diverse audiences through collaborations with other opera companies, by touring our work, and by exploiting the possibilities created by modern communication such as live streaming. We will seek to attract gifted artists of the highest calibre with special emphasis on emerging talent from Ireland and around the world linked to the growth of our Wexford Factory programme for young singers. With a unique vision, outstanding production values and a clearly defined mission, Wexford Festival Opera is a remarkable success story that, with the right leadership, looks set to continue for many years to come. WEXFORD County Wexford is located on the most south easterly tip of Ireland and is an area of outstanding natural beauty. Wexford enjoys easy access to Ireland’s capital, Dublin, which can be reached by car in around 90 minutes. Good rail links connect it to the rest of the country and with Rosslare Europort just 15 minutes from Wexford Town and four airports within 1-2 hours’ drive away, Wexford enjoys excellent transport links to the rest of Ireland and to the world. County Wexford is home to dynamic and diverse communities. It is a hive of cultural activity that attracts many cultural tourists. Music Generation Ireland’s National Music Education Programme has been successfully established in the county while Wexford Festival Opera provides a world-class celebration of opera. Wexford has a rich heritage including built, cultural and environmental amenities, many internationally renowned. A vibrant visual arts scene is fostered by two third level institutes - Gorey School of Art and Wexford Campus School of Art and Design (IT Carlow). It is the birthplace of several contemporary literary giants such as Banville, Toibín and Colfer, while also being a hub for storytelling, music and drama. THE ROLE The Executive Director and the Artistic Director are jointly responsible for the success of Wexford Festival Opera. They will work collegiately in tandem to provide clear and consistent leadership for the organisation, promoting and maintaining an organisational culture which values the highest standards both in executing the artistic vision and in management practice. Together they will share responsibility for developing and delivering the Strategic Plan and ensuring the Festival fulfils its artistic aims, whilst remaining financially stable and responsive to its audiences. This will require some rebuilding and restructuring of the organisation to support its artistic ambitions, and the Executive Director will need to have the vision and energy to lead in this area. The Executive Director and Artistic Director both report directly to the Chair and Board of To find out more about Wexford Festival Opera, please visit:www.wexfordopera.com To find out more about Wexford, please visit: www.visitwexford.ie Directors and work in partnership to deliver the company’s mission. The Executive Director is directly responsible for the Head of Marketing, Head of Development, Financial Controller and Box Office and Sales function. Key Responsibilities