Soprano Laura Aherne has been awarded the 2024 Danone Young Outstanding Female Artist award. The award, now in its fourth year, is part of the company’s long-term partnership with the Wexford Festival Opera, which commenced in 2010.
Danone introduced the Young Outstanding Female Artist award in 2021 to further strengthen the company’s long-standing sponsorship of the Wexford Festival Opera. The award includes a bursary for the chosen individual and is given to a young female artist performing at the Wexford Festival Opera to support their career endeavours.
Laura is an Irish Soprano from Kill, Co. Kildare and a graduate of the Royal College of Music, London. She is a member of the 2024/25 group of Wexford Factory, the Festival’s academy for young Irish and Irish based artists. At this year’s Festival she will appear in the Wexford Factory Concert, in the role of Nedda in the Factory Opera Pagliacci, and in the Festival’s Community Opera, The Elixir of Love.
Danone’s partnership also includes the support of a main stage production each year. This year’s production, The Critic, by Irish composer, Charles Villiers Stanford, features libretto by Richard Sheridan and is directed by Conor Hanratty. The comic opera, which has a mix of theatre, also stars the recipient of the 2023 Danone Young Outstanding Female Artist Award, Hannah O’Brien, in the role of Confidant – First Niece.
Executive Director of Wexford Festival Opera, Randall Shannon, said: ''We are delighted to announce Laura Aherne as the Danone Young Outstanding Female Artist Award recipient this year. Laura is a part of the current Wexford Factory, our academy for young Irish and Irish based singers, and is already shining through as a voice to watch over the coming years. This bursary will be a great support to Laura in the early stages of her career. We are also looking forward to welcoming past recipients Jade Phoenix and Hannah O’Brien back to the Festival this year.”
Danone employs over 350 people at its factory just outside Wexford Town, many of whom actively support and volunteer with the Festival each year. Speaking about the sponsorship, Plant Manager at Danone Wexford, Deirdre Hannon said: “We would like to congratulate Laura as the talented recipient of the Danone Young Outstanding Female Artist Award. We wish her every success in her performances at this year’s Festival and her future career. This year marks 15 years of Danone’s sponsorship of the Wexford Festival Opera, a partnership that we are incredibly proud of. This award bolsters Danone’s commitment to promote equality and support female leadership in all areas of its business. We look forward to continuing our proud tradition of championing people and their talents through our partnership with the Wexford Festival Opera.”
Speaking of the award, Laura said "I am so incredibly grateful to be the recipient of the 2024 Danone Award. Danone and Wexford Festival Opera have given me an incredible platform and opportunity to develop as an artist and singer, and this bursary will help so much in furthering my career. The opportunity to work here in Wexford with such remarkable mentors, artists, and colleagues is an honour and a pleasure only made possible by support from sponsors like Danone.”
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Wexford Festival Opera would like to acknowledge and thank The Arts Council, Wexford County Council, Fáilte Ireland/Ireland’s Ancient East and the Festival’s Friends, Sponsors, and Donors for their invaluable and continued support.
About Wexford Festival Opera 2024
WFO 2024 runs until 2 November. Artistic director Rosetta Cucchi’s 2024 programme is built around the intriguing theme of ‘Theatre within Theatre,’ offering a glimpse into the world behind the curtain. Showcasing 70 events over 16 days the programme includes three main stage operas - Le maschere by Pietro Mascagni, The Critic by Charles Villiers Stanford and Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali by Gaetano Donizetti. The programme also includes two Pocket Operas - including a newly commissioned opera by Colm Tóibín and Gaetano Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love an immersive community opera, 13 lunchtime recitals, a choral recital with New Dublin Voices, the annual gala concert of festival favourites and an evening with the RTE Concert Orchestra. Talks include another ‘Impossible Interview’ and the annual Dr. Tom Walsh Lecture.
About Laura Aherne
Laura is an Irish Soprano from Kill, Co. Kildare and a graduate of the Royal College of Music, London, where she studied with Professor Janis Kelly and Bryan Evans and was the recipient of the Joseph Clover Scholarship. In May she was awarded the Canto al Serchio Award at the Birr Festival of Music. Her recent engagements include the Irish Melodies Recital at the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival, and performances in the work premieres of two new operas; Maria in Jasmine Morris’ Church on the Blood, and The Lost Girl in Connie Harris’ The Drifterman.
Laura made her professional opera debut in 2022 with Opera Collective Ireland as Tweedledee and Brat 1 in Will Todd’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. She also performed in their production of Handel’s Semele, in collaboration with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and Sestina Music, directed by Tony Award winning director Patrick Mason and conducted by Christian Curnyn. Other opera roles include Philadell in Purcell’s ‘King Arthur’ (Royal Irish Academy of Music), Fiordiligi (RCM Opera Scenes), Agatha in Smetana’s ‘The Two Widows’ (RCM Opera Scenes), Susanna in Wolf-Ferrari’s ‘Susanna’s Secret’ (RCM Opera Scenes), and Rozmene in Handel’s ‘Imeneo’ (RCM Opera Scenes).
Her concert performances include the British premiere of the Ina Boyle Song Book in St. Marylebone Anglican Church, and regular performances of the Irish National Anthem at McGovern Park in London. In 2023, Laura was awarded the Brackaville Bursary for Vocal Students by Irish Heritage after auditions at the Wigmore Hall. With Irish Heritage she has performed in recitals at the Royal Overseas League, Leighton House, and at the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival.
Laura completed her undergraduate degree in the Royal Irish Academy of Music with Professor Mary Brennan and Dr. Dearbhla Collins, where she graduated with first class honours. In 2025, Laura will be joining Irish National Opera in their 2025 season for their productions of The Flying Dutchman and L’elisir d’amore. She is delighted to be a Wexford Factory Artist.
About Danone Ireland
Danone is a leading health-focused food and beverage company dedicated to bringing health through food to as many people as possible. With manufacturing supply points in Macroom, Co. Cork and Rocklands, Wexford, Danone employs more than 700 people in Ireland. Danone’s portfolio of market-leading food and drink products supports the health of millions of consumers and patients throughout all stages of their lives, and includes leading brands such as Actimel, Activia, Alpro, evian and Volvic. Danone is also a leading provider of specialised and early-life nutrition products and services through its Nutricia, Aptamil and Cow&Gate brands. In the UK and Ireland, more than five million people are eating or drinking one of Danone’s products every day. In 2022, Danone became one of the largest B Corps in the UK & Ireland. For more information, please visit www.danone.ie