A promenade opera at twilight
Before the first song, the garden remembered everything….
Orpheus is a plant hunter who charms the trees with his song.
Eurydice, a mycologist whose voice carries deep into the earth.
Charon, a liminal figure, keeper of thresholds, compost, and change.
In this fresh reimagining of the Orpheus myth, music, ecology, and ancient storytelling entwine in the living landscape of Ireland’s National Botanic Gardens. Audiences follow Glasnevin’s garden-path of love and loss, curiosity and consequence, guided by musicians, children’s choirs and some unexpected creatures.
From sunlit lawns to shadowed bowers, leafy backdrops to underworld crossings, and fleeting images cast across the garden, they encounter a world where fungi speak, decay becomes renewal, and the myth grows anew.
Let the music tug your heart strings while mythic threads awaken what lies even deeper.
With humour, tenderness, and wonder, Orpheus in the Garden invites us to ask what lies beneath … and how love, like compost, can nourish more than we know.
About the project
The project brings together children from two primary schools in Finglas and Ballymun, Dublin to collaborate with professional artists and musicians to explore the biodiversity crisis. Led by renowned composer Dee Isaacs, the project will engage students in a series of educational and creative workshops, culminating in an original theatrical music show that blends art and science.
It will conclude with a series of magical performances open to the public, featuring the students performing alongside a cast of professional singers, actors and musicians in the stunning surroundings of Ireland’s National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin in May 2026.
Composer and Musical Director Dee Isaacs
Libretto by Elspeth Murray
Directed by James Riordan
Cast
Orpheus:   Andrew Gavin (tenor)
Eurydice: Sarah Shine (soprano)
Charon: Gabriel Adewusi (actor)
Violin: Rachel Masterson
Violin:  Jane Hackett
Cello: CaitrĂona Finnegan
Cello & piano: Dee Isaacs
Clarinet: Deirdre O’Leary
Trumpet: Niall O’Sullivan
The professional performers will be joined by a chorus of school children from two local primary schools, Mother of Divine Grace (Finglas) and Virgin Mary Boys (Ballymun).
Orpheus in the Garden is presented in partnership with the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin City Council, and the Office of Public Works (OPW) with support from Movement for Good, The Ireland Funds, The Heritage Council, Grant Thornton and PTSB.