Dido and Aeneas – Thursday Opera - BVOF 2025 - Lismore Waterford

CAST: Paula Murrihy – mezzo-soprano | Dean Murphy – baritone | Kelli-Ann Masterson – soprano. Orchestra: Irish Baroque Orchestra | Conductor: Nicholas McGegan

Paula Murrihy – Dido/Sorceress | Dean Murphy – Aeneas | Kelli-Ann Masterson – Belinda/First Witch | Susie Gibbons – Second Lady/Second Witch | Anastasia Sereda – Spirit | Patrick Hyland – Sailor

Dido and Aeneas is an iconic Baroque opera by Henry Purcell with a libretto by Nahum Tate. It was composed around 1688 and had been performed at Josias Priest’s girls’ school in London by the end of 1689. Based on Book IV of Virgil’s Aeneid, the opera narrates the tragic love story of Dido, Queen of Carthage, and the Trojan hero Aeneas. The tale unfolds with Dido’s passionate love for Aeneas and culminates in her despair and ultimate demise when he forsakes her. A seminal work in Baroque opera, Dido and Aeneas is celebrated as one of Purcell’s most distinguished theatrical achievements. Notably, it is Purcell’s only fully sung opera and represents one of the earliest known examples of English opera, significantly influenced by John Blow’s Venus and Adonis in both structure and impact.

St. Carthage’s Cathedral 9.45pm €40.00 / Limited €20 concession
Running Time – 60 minutes+/-
Limited reduced price concession tickets are available for senior citizens, full-time students, unwaged and disabled visitors. Maximum 2 tickets per customer. T&Cs apply.

You may also like the following events from Blackwater Valley Opera Festival:

• This month, 27th May, 12:00 pm, BVOF 2025 Opening Ceremony - Open Air Recital in Dungarvan
• This month, 27th May, 12:00 pm, Recital Lunch Package - The Saucy Hen, Villierstown (Blackwater Valley Opera Festival) in Waterford
• This month, 27th May, 06:00 pm, A Midsummer Night’s Dream – In Conversation with Dieter Kaegi in Dungarvan

Also check out other Music events in Waterford, Entertainment events in Waterford.