Oldcastle Chamber throws weight behind opera

As the countdown continues to this year"s Lough Crew Garden Opera continues, the very popular annual event was officially launched last Thursday at the Lough Crew estate near Oldcastle. The launch was jointly hosted by Oldcastle Chamber of Commerce, which is putting its full weight behind the event and Lough Crew Gardens. The historic gardens will once again play host a major opera production this year on 30th and 31st May. This is the tenth year of the opera and a new opera company has been established for this year"s performance, a production of La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini. The new company stars some of the country"s finest operatic talent. Under the artistic directorship of former Celtic Tenor, Niall Morris, the newly-formed Loughcrew Opera will present a traditional staging of one of the world"s most loved operas. The cast includes José Pazos (Rudolfo), Michele Sheridan (Mimi), Claudia Boyle (Musetta), Simon Morgan (Marcello), Nyle Wolf (Schaunard) and John Molloy (Coline). Set in Paris in the 1800s, La Bohème tells the timeless, romantic story of a group of students living together in a garret in Paris. The opera features some of the most beautiful and romantic music of all time, including the famous aria "Che Gelida Manina". The event is supported by RTÉ Lyric FM, Fáilte Ireland and has received sponsorship from Tipperary Water Tickets cost €85 to €105 and are available by calling (049) 854 1356 or log into www.loughcrew.com