Building on Artistic Vision

An in conversation event by Fergus Sheil (Irish National Opera’s Artistic Director) and  Diego Fasciati (Executive Director) for the Music Composition Centre seminar series.

Which comes first, the artistic vision or the economic reality? Which is the chicken and which is the egg? How do you translate big ideas into reality, and how do you navigate the thorny path of securing funding, selling tickets and growing philanthropic income while keeping a firm eye on artistic objectives. Irish National Opera’s Artistic Director Fergus Sheil in conversation with Executive Director Diego Fasciati discuss their journey in building one of Ireland’s largest arts organisations from scratch, winning critical acclaim in Ireland and internationally, while developing a sustainable business structure that offers new and increased opportunities for artists and audience.

Fergus is the founding artistic director of Irish National Opera. He has conducted a wide-ranging repertoire of over 50 different operas live, for recordings, and on film. Highlights include Richard Strauss’s Salome, Der Rosenkavalier and Elektra, Rossini’s William Tell and La Cenerentola, Verdi’s Aida and Rigoletto, Brian Irvine and Netia Jones’s Least Like The Other, Searching for Rosemary Kennedy, half of 20 Shots of Opera, and Beethoven’s Fidelio (Irish National Opera). He has also conducted Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, John Adams’s Nixon in China, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (Wide Open Opera), Mozart’s Don Giovanni and the first modern performance and recording of Robert O’Dwyer’s Irish-language opera, Eithne (Opera Theatre Company). Abroad he has conducted Least Like The Other, Searching for Rosemary Kennedy in the Linbury Theatre at the Royal Opera House, London, and William Tell for Nouvel Opéra Fribourg, and has also conducted for Scottish Opera and Welsh National Opera. At home he has also conducted the National Symphony Orchestra, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the Ulster Orchestra, and the Irish Chamber Orchestra. With the State Choir Latvija he gave the world premiere of Arvo Pärt’s The Deer’s Cry and has also conducted the BBC Singers. He has fulfilled engagements in the USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia, the UK, France, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Malta and Estonia. Before founding INO he led both Wide Open Opera and Opera Theatre Company. Since 2011 he has been responsible for the production of over seventy different operas, which have been seen around Ireland and in London, Edinburgh, New York, Amsterdam and Luxembourg.
 
Diego Fasciati is Executive Director of Irish National Opera since its foundation in 2018. He is an accomplished arts manager, producer, and consultant with over 30 years’ experience working in the cultural sector. Hailing from Switzerland, he has held executive roles at institutions including Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Theatre Company, and The Arts Council of Ireland. He has also served as a linguistic and cultural consultant for clients such as UBS Bank, Credit Suisse, Dublin City Council, and the Temple Bar Company. He holds an M.Phil. in Irish Literature from Trinity College Dublin.

Please let us know if you have any access requirements, such as ISL/English interpreting, so that we can facilitate you in attending this event. Contact: rigakie@tcd.ie