# Castleward Opera
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{{Short description|Northern Ireland opera company}}
'''Castleward Opera ''' was a [Northern Ireland](/source/Northern_Ireland) opera company which staged an annual [opera festival](/source/opera_festival) at [Castle Ward](/source/Castle_Ward), a [National Trust](/source/National_Trust) house near [Strangford](/source/Strangford) in [County Down](/source/County_Down). It was founded in 1985 by Ian Urwin and Jack Smith, with performances taking place in a converted stable on the grounds of the castle. Following the cut to its core funding by the [Arts Council of Northern Ireland](/source/Arts_Council_of_Northern_Ireland), the festival saw its final opera performances in June 2009 and in September 2010 held two gala farewell concerts of highlights from the company's 25-year history.[Spackman (6 September 2010)] In January 2010, a new venture, supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, was proposed—Opera Company NI—which the Arts Council said would "incorporate the best resources from Castleward Opera and Opera Fringe".[Arts Council of Northern Ireland (26 January 2010)]
==Past productions==
*1985 – ''[Così fan tutte](/source/Cos%C3%AC_fan_tutte)''
*1986 – ''[Don Giovanni](/source/Don_Giovanni)'' and ''[The Impresario](/source/Der_Schauspieldirektor)''
*1987 – ''[The Magic Flute](/source/The_Magic_Flute)'' and ''[Dido and Aeneas](/source/Dido_and_Aeneas)''
*1988 – ''[L'elisir d'amore](/source/L'elisir_d'amore)'' and ''[Trial by Jury](/source/Trial_by_Jury)''
*1989 – ''[Pagliacci](/source/Pagliacci)'' and ''[Gianni Schicchi](/source/Gianni_Schicchi)''
*1990 – ''[Don Pasquale](/source/Don_Pasquale)'' and Opera Scenes
*1991 – ''Così fan tutte'' and Opera Scenes
*1992 – ''[La traviata](/source/La_traviata)'' and Gems from the Irish Ring
*1993 – ''[Lucia di Lammermoor](/source/Lucia_di_Lammermoor)'' and ''[La belle Hélène](/source/La_belle_H%C3%A9l%C3%A8ne)''
*1994 – ''[La Cenerentola](/source/La_Cenerentola)'' and ''[Orpheus in the Underworld](/source/Orpheus_in_the_Underworld)''
*1995 – ''[I Capuleti e i Montecchi](/source/I_Capuleti_e_i_Montecchi)'' and ''[L'étoile](/source/L'%C3%A9toile_(opera))''
*1996 – ''[Ariadne auf Naxos](/source/Ariadne_auf_Naxos)'' and ''[La bohème](/source/La_boh%C3%A8me)''
*1997 – ''[Carmen](/source/Carmen)'' and ''La bohème'' (revived for the [Grand Opera House, Belfast](/source/Grand_Opera_House_(Belfast)))
*1998 – ''La traviata'' and ''Carmen'' (revived for the Grand Opera House, Belfast)
*1999 – ''[The Barber of Seville](/source/The_Barber_of_Seville)'', ''[La Sonnambula](/source/La_Sonnambula)'', and ''La traviata'' (revived for the Grand Opera House, Belfast)
*2000 – ''[Madame Butterfly](/source/Madame_Butterfly)'', ''[Martha](/source/Martha_(opera))'', and ''The Barber of Seville'' (revived for the Grand Opera House, Belfast)
*2001 – ''[The Marriage of Figaro](/source/The_Marriage_of_Figaro)'', ''Madame Butterfly'', and ''Martha'' (revived for the Grand Opera House, Belfast)
*2002 – ''Lucia di Lammermoor'', ''La belle Hélène'', and ''The Marriage of Figaro'' (revived for the [Millennium Forum](/source/Millennium_Forum), Londonderry)
*2003 – ''[La rondine](/source/La_rondine)'' and ''[Tosca](/source/Tosca)''
*2004 – ''[Albert Herring](/source/Albert_Herring)'' and ''[Rigoletto](/source/Rigoletto)''
*2005 – ''The Magic Flute'' and ''Carmen''
*2006 – ''La bohème'' and ''[The Bohemian Girl](/source/The_Bohemian_Girl)''
*2007 – ''[Un ballo in maschera](/source/Un_ballo_in_maschera)''
*2008 – ''Così fan tutte''
*2009 – ''[Die Fledermaus](/source/Die_Fledermaus)'' (also performed at [Wexford Festival Opera](/source/Wexford_Festival_Opera))
==See also==
*[List of opera festivals](/source/List_of_opera_festivals)
*[Country house opera](/source/Country_house_opera)
*[Country House Theatres](/source/Country_House_Theatres)
==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}
==Sources==
*[Arts Council of Northern Ireland](/source/Arts_Council_of_Northern_Ireland), [http://www.artscouncil-ni.org/news/2010/new25012010.html "New opera company for Northern Ireland"], 26 January 2010
*Couling, Della, [https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/opera--castleward-opera-northern-ireland-1586367.html "Castleward Opera, Northern Ireland"], ''[The Independent](/source/The_Independent)'', 14 June 1995
*Dervan, Michael, [https://web.archive.org/web/20110721190006/http://www.borderireland.info/info/mdetail.php?mref=1870 "North stages opera revamp"], ''[Irish Times](/source/Irish_Times)'', 8 February 2010
*Spackman, Conor, [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11198932 "The fat lady sings for Castle Ward opera"], [BBC News](/source/BBC_News), 6 September 2010
==External links==
*[http://www.castlewardopera.com/ Official website]
{{authority control}}
Category:Defunct British opera companies
Category:Music organisations based in Northern Ireland
{{opera-company-stub}}
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Castleward Opera](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castleward_Opera) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castleward_Opera?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.