Four opera singers from across the island of Ireland will be taking part in an exciting live opera competition in front of a live audience and jury panel in Glenarm this summer during Northern Ireland Opera’s 15^th Glenarm Festival of Voice.

The evening will be hosted by NI Opera’s Patron, broadcaster Sean Rafferty and the audience will hear the finalists perform stunning arias, Irish art songs and ensemble pieces.  An opera jury panel will select the winner of the Deborah Voigt Opera Prize and the Song Prize and the audience will vote for the winner of the Kathryn Harries Audience Prize. Now in its 15^th year, this annual event is a celebration of some of the finest young opera voices on the island of Ireland.

The five finalists selected for 2025 are: Éadaoin Hassett (soprano), Aimee Kearney (soprano), Clare Quinn(soprano) and Jacq Herbots (tenor) with the Peter Rankin Piano Intern is Orlaith Sharkey.

The team who will coach the finalists includes opera specialist coaches Dr Ingrid Surgenor MBE and Professor Mark Wildman. They will work with the opera singers on their competition repertoire across the weekend in the build-up to the Competition Finale on Sunday 24^th August at 6.30pm in Glenarm’s Church of the Immaculate Conception.

Ciaran Scullion, Head of Music and Opera, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented: “Congratulations to all the performers who have made it through to the final stage of the 15th Glenarm Festival of Voice Competition. Opportunities like this can be a truly pivotal moment to learn and develop as a performer, alongside seasoned professionals, and we wish all four finalists the very best for the competition.”

The 15^TH Glenarm Festival of Voice also features three recitals with NI Opera’s festival partners, BBC Radio 3, which will be recorded in front of a live audience. This year’s recitalists are Northern Irish mezzo-soprano Carolyn Dobbin (8pm, 22nd August), baritone James Atkinson (8pm, 23rd August) and tenor Santiago Sanchez (1.30pm, 24^thAugust) and will take place in St Patrick’s Church, Glenarm. The pianist for all three recitals is Simon Lepper who has curated the repertoire on a theme this year of ‘Landscapes’. Audiences can apply for free tickets to attend the recitals via the BBC Shows and Tours website: the ticket draw is open between 18 and 28 July.

Mezzo Soprano Carolyn Dobbin will be performing an afternoon concert in the Coach House at Glenarm Castle with pianist Tristan Russcher on Saturday 23^rd August from 3-4pm, exploring songs from the Ulster Scots tradition including repertoire by Dorothy Parke, Havelock Nelson, Charles Wood and Hamilton Harty. Tickets are £10 and can be booked via the NI Opera website.

Founder of The Glenarm Festival of Voice, Glenarm Festival of Voice Jury Chair and Vice Chair of Northern Ireland Opera. Dame Fionnuala Jay-O’Boyle DBE DStJ DDL comments: ‘The Festival of Voice in the beautiful coastal village of Glenarm is always very special. This year is no exception and it is wonderful that this year, for the first time, several young singers from the NI Opera Chorus Development programme will also benefit from voice coaching at the highest level.’

Ticket links and full information for all events can be found here: https://niopera.com/performances/the-15th-glenarm-festival-of-voice/

NI Opera are grateful for the support of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Mid and East Antrim Council, Glenarm Castle and the friends, donors and supporters of NI Opera.