Cecilia Bartoli, the internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano, has been forced to cancel her sold-out Dublin concert due to illness. The performance, planned for the National Concert Hall tonight, would have been Ms Bartoli's first concert in Ireland.
After taking ill suddenly at Rome airport, a spokeswoman for the singer announced the cancellation of her performance yesterday.
"Everything was on track. Cecilia had been rehearsing in Verona on Sunday for the performance in Dublin tonight. But at the airport in Rome she felt too ill to board the flight," said Ms Jacqui Mahon, a spokeswoman for the National Concert Hall.
The concert was sold out within the subscription period as people were eager to see the artist, whose last CD won her a Grammy and has sold over half a million copies.
"There will be a lot of disappointed people. We have been able to contact almost all of our patrons and we're hopeful that everyone will hear about the cancellation," added Ms Mahon.
All ticket-holders are advised to keep their tickets for the rescheduled performance and the National Concert Hall will contact all patrons individually once a new date has been confirmed.
"It's too early to know when the performance will take place. Cecilia's diary is booked out quite a bit in advance and our own schedule is very busy for the next 12 months. But we will try to be as flexible as we can," Ms Mahon said.