It is not always that popular and critical opinion agree, but the response to The Diary of Anne Frank on its recent tour to Belfast, Leuven and Paris was universally warm, with audiences declaring the production superb and the impact emotionally moving, both in the realisation of the terrible situation in which Anne found herself and in the optimism and hope that continues to come through her words.

Here are two of the longer reviews of this piece, which together comment on all aspects of the opera, from the composition through to performance.

Opera Journal on FilmJournal.net - "beautiful and powerful... long may it continue to run"

Terry Blaine on Opera Britannia -"pretty much everything you'd hope for in festival programming"

You may wish to view our film interview with composer Grigory Frid.

Enquiries about receiving this production to your venue or festival may be directed to Kirsty Harris, CEO.

 

On November 4th, there is a rare opportunity to hear Ann Murray perform in her native country. To make it easier for those from outside Dublin to attend this unique event, we have secured a rate with our partners O'Callaghan Hotels.

The Davenport and Alexander Hotels are conveniently located near the Lincoln Gate of Trinity College Dublin, just minutes from Pearse Street rail & DART station, off Merrion Square. O'Callaghan Hotels are offering Opera Theatre Company supporters a room rate of €129 at these hotels, subject to availability. Simply ring (01) 607 3900 and quote "Opera Theatre" when booking.

Great Irish Voices headlines two names familiar to opera lovers internationally: mezzo-soprano Ann Murray and soprano Virginia Kerr, chair of OTC. This evening of arias, duets and ensembles will also feature many special guests and OTC's Young Artists. This fundraising event is jointly organised by OTC and Dublin Simon Community, with many thanks to The Church of Ireland chaplaincy at Trinity College Dublin for hosting us.

 

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Opera Theatre Company is auditioning Boys (Trebles) for its forthcoming production of The Magic Flute.

The boys sing soprano, second soprano and alto.

Auditions will be held in Dublin on the 8th August.

If interested, guardians/parents should send an email to info@opera.ie including a maximum one A4 page listing music education (instrumental is also relevant) and performance experience if any.

We are very proud of our Artistic Director, Annilese Miskimmon. Her production of L'amico Fritz for Holland Park Opera is receiving rave reviews.

Designed by Nicky Shaw, who is an OTC stalwart, most recently designing the critically acclaimed Diary of Anne Frank for us (due to tour internationally later this year - watch this space for information), the action has been moved to the 1950s, creating a Doris Day style rom com.

Rupert Christiansen, reviewing for The Telegraph, agrees with this move, giving a 4 star review that also praises the singers and the "silky grace" of the orchestra conducted by Stuart Stratford:

Equally glowing are reviews in The Guardian by Tim Ashley, quoted in the headline above, and The Independent by Edward Seckerson.

Congratulations to all involved in the production for the popular and critical acclaim it has received. There's still time to catch this production, which runs til June 25th.

OTC Artistic Director Annilese Miskimmon will be on BBC Radio 3 In Tune at 4.45pm today.

Annilese and conductor Stuart Stratford will be talking to Sean Rafferty about L'amico Fritz for Holland Park Opera. Anna Leese (Suzel) and Eric Magiore (Fritz) will also be in studio.

You can follow this programme, or comment on it yourself, on the BBC Radio 3 Twitter feed.

Opera lovers in the UK will be able to catch this programme at their own convenience on BBC iPlayer (not available in RoI).