A treasure trove of priceless opera

One of the most important events on the cultural calendar of the south-east will be announced today, with a new image to market it around the world.

Wexford Festival Opera, which runs from October 14th to 31st, has long been more than an opera festival. This year's programme comprises almost 70 events, ranging from the main operatic productions to comedy performances by the likes of Barry Murphy and Mark Doherty.

In recent years Jerome Hynes, the festival chief executive, has concentrated on generating a brochure and image to sell each festival.

A Wexford artist, New Rossborn John Foley, of Bite Associates, was brought in to achieve this. Between them, each year the two have created images which adorn not just the official brochure, but other festival material from posters to backstage passes.

The idea has been hugely successful. In two of the past three years the Wexford Festival brochure has won the best brochure award at the International Festivals' Association awards in the United States.

Mr Hynes said this year's image aims to represent the Wexford skyline, the festive atmosphere and the notion that Wexford, in presenting productions of rare opera, "is discovering buried or lost treasure".

"Between now and November this is the image which will represent Wexford and Ireland in theatre foyers, tourist offices, galleries, hotels, offices and homes all over the world," he said. The image will also be the centrepiece of a new website dedicated to the festival, which celebrates its 50th birthday in 2001.

The website, Mr Hynes stresses, is not just a vehicle to sell tickets. Its 90-plus pages include a history of the event with a list of all of the productions of the last 48 years. The site address is www.wexfordopera.com

The design which will promote the Wexford Festival Opera 1999