The chairman of Wexford Festival Opera, Mr Paul Hennessy, yesterday responded to criticism by the Musicians' Union of Ireland about the festival's "failure to engage Irish-based musicians for its performances".
It would be "grossly irresponsible" to agree to the terms offered by RTÉ for the use of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, said Mr Hennessy, who also claimed that RTÉ's terms could place the festival's future in doubt.
The union has said it will protest outside the Theatre Royal on the festival's opening night next Thursday, and has called on the festival, the Minister for Arts, the local authority councils in Wexford and Wexford Chamber of Commerce "to facilitate the engagement of Irish-based musicians" at future festivals.
Mr Hennessy "took exception" to the charge that hiring the Cracow Philharmonic Orchestra this year "was in essence a form of cheap labour". The RTÉ NSO last played in Wexford in 2000, and was replaced by the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Belarus from 2001 to 2003. Irish involvement in the musical and theatrical side of the festival is low.
The festival claims "we have not been able to reach agreement with RTÉ for the provision of the orchestra on terms which apply internationally". The specific issues involved, says Mr Hennessy, "are related to the cost being proposed by RTÉ relative to what's being proposed internationally." When asked where the international comparisons were made, Mr Hennessy said: "They were made from European orchestras." But he declined to identify the countries involved.
An RTÉ spokesperson said the national broadcaster had never sought to recover the staff salary costs incurred in providing the NSO for the festival's use. The costs at issue are primarily travel, subsistence and other expenses which RTÉ would incur in servicing the festival's needs for 18 days of performances and associated rehearsals.
