Take a St. Patrick’s Day journey to 18th-century Dublin

While St. Patrick’s Day usually calls to mind traditional Irish tunes, the Irish Baroque Orchestra is charting a different course. Join Ireland's time-traveling orchestra on a journey to 18th-century Dublin, where Italian opera stars, European composers, and musical spectacle once captivated the city.

Offering a fresh and historically rich way to mark the holiday, “The Trials of Tenducci” comes to the Center for the Arts on Tuesday, March 17, at 7:30 p.m.

Led by artistic director Peter Whelan, the performance explores the extraordinary story of Giusto Tenducci, a celebrated Italian castrato who took Dublin by storm in 1765. “The Trials of Tenducci” features works by Mozart, Gluck, J.C. Bach, JC Fisher, Giordani, and Arne, composers whose music once echoed through Ireland’s theaters and salons during a period of remarkable cultural exchange.

The orchestra is joined by rising star countertenor Hugh Cutting, whose expressive artistry gives voice to this captivating repertoire and its larger-than-life central figure. Its 2026 U.S. tour includes only two stops: Blacksburg and New York City. 

About the artists

The Irish Baroque Orchestra

The Olivier Award-winning Irish Baroque Orchestra is Ireland’s flagship period music ensemble and delivers world-class performances across Ireland and abroad. The orchestra is led by Whelan, an acclaimed artist with an extensive and award-winning discography as a solo bassoonist and a particular passion for exploring and championing neglected music from the Baroque and Classical eras. Under his artistic direction, scholarship and musical excellence converge in a unique way, creating an original offering unlike any other on the Irish classical music scene. Through this integration of research and practice, the very idea of an orchestra is reimagined, creating an unusual and enriching experience for today’s audiences.

In February 2022 the orchestra made its debut at the Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House, London with Vivaldi’s “Bajazet,” a co-production from Irish National Opera and the Royal Opera House. The excellence of this work was recognized with an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera. A critically acclaimed return to the Linbury Theatre took place in 2024, with Vivaldi’s “L’Olimpiade.”

Hugh Cutting, countertenor

Cutting is recognized for the richness and focus of his tone, combining rounded vocal warmth with effortless control across his upper range. He brings both brilliance and expressive depth to Baroque repertoire. A blend of technical refinement and dramatic presence makes him particularly well suited to the virtuosic and emotionally charged music at the heart of “The Trials of Tenducci.” 

A former choral scholar at St. John’s College, Cambridge, British countertenor Cutting is a graduate of the Royal College of Music, where he was a member of the International Opera Studio and awarded the Tagore Gold Medal, presented by King Charles III. In 2021 he became both the first countertenor to win the Kathleen Ferrier Award and the first to be named a BBC New Generation Artist for 2022-24.

In the 2024-25 season, Cutting made several major international opera debuts: La Scala, Milan as Corindo in Cesti’s “Orontea,” in the United States singing the title role in Gluck’s “Orfeo ed Euridice” with Dallas Opera, and in Australia as Tolomeo in “Giulio Cesare” with Pinchgut Opera. He will also appear at the Garsington Festival as Unulfo in Handel’s “Rodelinda.”

Concerts last season included Bach's “Christmas Oratorio” with the NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover and Bernard Labadie, “Messiah” with the Tonkunstler Orchestra and Ivor Bolton, “St. Matthew Passion” with the Rotterdam Philharmonic and Jonathan Cohen, and Bach's solo Cantatas with Les Violons du Roy and Bernard Labadie in Quebec City and Montreal. In the 2025-26 season, Cutting curates a residency at London’s Wigmore Hall.

This performance is supported in part by gifts from Erv Blythe and Susan M. Hansen. Additional funding is provided by the G. Davis Saunders Jr. Fund for Excellence. The performance is also supported by Culture Ireland and Global Dream Travel.

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What about the castrato?

Who were the castrati, and why did Giusto Tenducci captivate 18th-century audiences? A recent Center for the Arts blog post explores the history and intrigue behind the story brought to life in “The Trials of Tenducci.”

Related events

Before the performance, explore unique insights and historical context with Irish Baroque Orchestra director Peter Whelan during a “Meet the Maestro” talk on Tuesday, March 17, at 6:30 p.m. in the Cube. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

While at Virginia Tech, Irish Baroque Orchestra musicians will explore the styles, people, and sound of the Baroque era with students in a music history class.

Tickets

Tickets are $25-$65 for general audience and $10 for students and youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Center for the Arts box office, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.

Venue and parking information

The performance will be held in the center’s Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall. Convenient parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street and in downtown Blacksburg. Find more parking details online.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Jonathan Boulter at least 10 days prior to the event at 540-231-5300 or email jboulter@vt.edu during regular business hours.