INO Unveils Ambitious 2025–2028 Strategy: Our Time is Now, A Vision for Opera in Ireland
Titled Our Time is Now, A Vision for Opera in Ireland, the strategy builds on seven remarkable years in which INO has redefined what opera can mean in modern Ireland. Since its founding in 2018, the company has brought opera of exceptional quality to stages across the country, made its mark internationally and has championed the extraordinary talent emerging from Ireland’s rich artistic landscape.
Artistic Director Fergus Sheil commented: "This is a highly ambitious strategy. It is built on the tremendous success of Irish National Opera since its foundation in 2018. It involves more productions, a greater range of operas, more performances in more places. We want to present opera in every county in Ireland every year. We plan to invest heavily in artists, making opera a viable career for a wide range of professionals, we will expand our investment in professional development, and we will continue to open the doors of opera to all.
By the time of our 10th anniversary in 2028, opera in Ireland will be dramatically different from a decade earlier. Our success and our vision for the future is built on the outstanding talents of opera professionals and underpinned by Arts Council support and a growing family of donors. We are engaged in a herculean artistic project, we have harnessed energy and support from a massive cross-section of society. The journey so far has been rewarding and the future promises even more."
Executive Director Diego Fasciati added: "We are experiencing an opera renaissance in Ireland at the moment. The artistic talent in this country is extraordinary - we have a wealth of gifted singers, musicians, composers, writers and designers. It is a rich natural resource, and it should be cultivated, harnessed and deployed.
The greatest challenge we face is the lack of infrastructure. The production of opera requires a rehearsal venue that can accommodate a large number of people (principal singers, chorus, technical personnel and creative team) and that is suited for orchestral rehearsals, meaning it needs to be of certain size, shape and acoustic quality. We are currently exploring the option of acquiring a building for this purpose. Such a resource will serve not only INO but be a significant civic resource that benefits that wider cultural community.
In line with increased state support, we will increase our earned and fundraised income. This year we will raise over half a million Euro from individuals, foundations and corporates. This is a good result for a company at our stage of development. We continually devise new ways of attracting supporters, and our goal is to double the amount of fundraised income over the next few years."
You can read the full 2025-2028 Strategy document here.