Esker Festival Orchestra and Choir – Cavalleria Rusticana

Esker Festival Orchestra and Choir – Cavalleria Rusticana

About the show

Dublin audiences will have the opportunity to experience one of opera’s most powerful and enduring dramas next week when the Esker Festival Orchestra and Choir presents its first-ever opera, Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana, at Christ Church Cathedral as part of its 13th annual festival.

Running from 18–23 August 2026, the Esker Festival Orchestra and Choir’s most ambitious programme to date brings together some of Ireland’s most promising orchestral musicians, a chorus of 59 singers and an outstanding international cast of opera singers for concert performances of Mascagni’s genre-defining masterpiece.

Conducted by Artistic Director Peter Joyce, the Dublin performance features an exceptional cast led by Vienna State Opera artists Jenni Hietala as Santuzza and Lukas Schmidt as Turiddu. They are joined by Daniel Scofield, who recently received critical acclaim for his debut as Wotan in Die Walküre with Opéra de Monte-Carlo, alongside Irish National Opera Studio members Heather Sammon and Olha Palazhchenko and the Esker Festival Choir.

Set against the passions, jealousy and tensions of a Sicilian village community, Cavalleria Rusticana is renowned for its intense emotional drama and sweeping orchestral writing. The performance marks a significant new chapter for the Esker Festival Orchestra and Choir, which was founded in Galway in 2014 and has developed a reputation for bringing together emerging Irish and international musicians, young professionals and advanced students.

For Artistic Director Peter Joyce, bringing the production to Dublin represents a major milestone for the festival:

“This year is a real festival of firsts for Esker as we perform our first opera, our first performances for all ages and our first Brahms Symphony. This year marks a big departure and is particularly exciting for us as we perform our first ever opera, Mascagni’s genre-defining masterpiece ‘Cavalleria Rusticana’.

“Not only am I excited to present this incredible piece of musical drama to audiences in Galway and Dublin, but also that we have managed to put together a world-class cast of international and Irish singers.”

The Dublin performance forms part of an expanded festival programme that also includes major orchestral works by Brahms, Copland and Ethel Smyth, reflecting this year’s theme, ‘Rustic Delights and Dangers’.

The festival’s orchestral programme in Galway features Brahms’ Symphony No. 2, Copland’s Appalachian Spring and Ethel Smyth’s spirited overture to The Boatswain’s Mate, alongside a special concert by the acclaimed Kandinsky Quartet, Esker Festival’s ensemble-in-residence.

The 2026 festival also sees Esker extend its programme to younger audiences for the first time, with dedicated family performances of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf at the University of Galway’s Emily Anderson Concert Hall. Conducted by Assistant Conductor Véronique Bernar, the performances feature acclaimed Irish violinist and presenter Jenna Raggett.

Founded in Galway by Peter Joyce, the Esker Festival Orchestra and Choir is committed not only to high-quality performance but also to developing the next generation of professional musicians. Its unique member-led approach gives emerging artists opportunities to develop their skills in orchestral and choral performance, composition, collaboration and artistic leadership.

With Cavalleria Rusticana, Esker brings that ethos to one of Dublin’s most historic musical settings, placing the energy and ambition of Ireland’s next generation of orchestral talent alongside internationally acclaimed opera singers.

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