CORK Opera House’s importance to the cultural and artistic life of the city was highlighted by President Mary McAleese last night as she attended a gala night of entertainment to mark the completion of a €2.15 million refurbishment of the venue.
A special programme of entertainment included Cork City Ballet presenting Monica Loughman dancing The Dying Swanalong with Russian soloists who performed excerpts from The Nutcracker.
Karen Underwood sang selections from her one-woman show, The Nina in Me, baritone Nyle Wolfe and soprano Cara O'Sullivan delighted the audience with their vocal talents, while a large ensemble performed a medley from Brian Flynn's musical, Michael Collins.
The much-loved city centre theatre, which was completed in 1965 to replace the old Cork Opera House destroyed by fire in 1955, has undergone a major investment with both internal and external works being carried out over the past two years.
Improvements were made to acoustics and lighting, a new air handling system was installed and crucial repairs were carried out to the roof in 2008. The second phase saw the installation of 960 new seats and was completed last month.
The President paid full tribute to those behind the refurbishment and management of the opera house, which, she said “has been implicated in the cultural life and artistic vibrancy of the city” since its foundation.
“It has enriched the lives of so many people through a combination of entertainment and education and it has had a loyal following in Cork audiences through many a generation,” the President said.
“It has been a terrific showcase of the very best of local and international talent and now the Opera House itself is a showcase of the craftsmanship and care of this generation which took its refurbishment in hand and did such a spectacularly good job.”
Cork Opera House executive Gerry Barnes thanked the President for her kind tribute, while he also thanked both the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism and Cork City Council for their generous grant support for the refurbishment.