Only four days remain of the 40th Galway International Arts Festival, but the highlights for this closing lap include the world premiere of a major opera, the first in the event’s history.
Recently awarded the prestigious Fedora award, The Second Violinist is a new opera by Donnacha Dennehy and Enda Walsh, and stars one of Ireland’s leading actors, Aaron Monaghan, in the title role. It will include a chorus of 16 and an orchestra of 14, together with principals, music staff, creative, production and technical staff. It runs at the Black Box Theatre until Sunday. There is no performance tomorrow (Thursday ).
Other theatre highlights include Dublin By Lamplight, which has wowed audiences and critics alike; the Abbey Theatre’s production of Two Pints by Roddy Doyle, which will be performed in pubs throughout the city; Cover My Tracks starring former Noah and the Whale frontman Charlie Fink; physical theatre show Driftwood, which has been enjoying standing ovations since its opening, as well as Crestfall, Bathroom, How to Catch a Star, Pumpgirl, and Yellow Moon.
This Saturday will see a rehearsed reading of Patricia Burke Brogan’s award-winning play Eclipsed, featuring the original Punchbag cast from the 1992 production.
The remaining music acts in the festival include Altan, James Lavelle, Saint Sister, Icleandic musician JFDR, Badly Drawn Boy, and Áine Cahill; and the sold-out concerts in the Festival Big Top with 2FM’s Jenny Greene & the RTÉ Concert Orchestra (tomorrow ) and The Coronas (Saturday ).
The visual art exhibitions continue until Sunday and admission to these shows is free. On the street keep an eye out for i-Puppets.
The festival’s free Vinyl Hours programme at the Festival Club in the Rowing Club, Woodquay, will see various performers at the festival discuss their favourite albums.
For details of all times, venues, and to book tickets, see http://www.giaf.ie/
