A conductor and producer of opera, Fergus Sheil has been the Irish National Opera’s artistic director since the company’s foundation in 2018. He was awarded an honorary Doctor in Letters from Trinity College Dublin in December 2023. irishnationalopera.ie
Are you a saver or a spender?
My personal finances are a bit like my professional ones. At Irish National Opera, we spend our entire annual budget on opera productions and end the year with lots of rich, operatic experiences, but no profit in the bank. Life is for living and having great experiences, not for amassing money.
Do you shop around for better value?
Only if I feel that something is unreasonably expensive. More often, I worry if something is too cheap. If a chicken costs €5 or a T-shirt costs €2, something is not right. Production has been compromised or somebody is being exploited. I’m particularly suspicious when food is cheaper than it should be.
What has been your most extravagant purchase and how much did it cost?
My Kawai grand piano, which cost over €16,000 – but I got some help at the time from my father. With four pianos in his house, currently, he is a piano fanatic, and he just doesn’t think a house is a home without a piano. I love my piano. It’s rich and sonorous to play.
[ ‘Kids have a way of making wallets disappear’Opens in new window ]
What purchase have you made that you consider the best value for money?
My conducting baton. I had one that cost about IR£5 and it lasted me until I broke it conducting William Tell in 2022. With it, over decades, I conducted Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, and hundreds of other orchestra and opera performances. I replaced it recently with four batons from a specialist shop in London. They cost about £15 each, so the 1990s baton is still great value.
How did you prefer to shop during the Covid-19 restrictions – online or local?
During Covid, I had lots of time for gardening but at one point no hardware stores were open. Lenehan’s on Capel Street had a one-hour window per day to order online, so I tried for days in the queuing system and was finally rewarded with some paint for my pizza oven, a file for my chainsaw chain and various flower seeds. Otherwise, I bravely went to the supermarket (and off-licence) in person, like a caveman going out to find food and drink for the family.
Do you haggle over prices?
Normally I’d be way too embarrassed, although I did act surprised at a recent price of something, and got an immediate reduction, based on my facial expression. I must try this more.
How has the Covid-19 crisis changed your spending habits?
Post-Covid, we buy eggs. During Covid we thought it would be amazing to have chickens, so we got three that looked great bobbing around the garden and providing eggs. We were not, however, prepared for the havoc the hens caused, demolishing plants and leaving droppings everywhere. I then bought €300 worth of timber and chicken wire to make a pen, which was better, but seemed restrictive. Then we had the joy of feeding them and cleaning the coop. Now they’re gone, we have come to our senses, and we just buy eggs.
Do you invest in shares?
I find it too hard to get interested in the concept of shares. You’d need to spend time doing your homework and research. My focus is on having interesting collaborations and joyous artistic experiences, so the thought of examining market trends seems alien and dull.
Cash or card?
Phone.
What was the last thing you bought and was it good value for money?
I bought a black bow tie late last year. I was getting an honorary doctorate from Trinity College and realised I only had coloured ones. It probably won’t be of great value because I don’t wear bow ties very often, but I liked it, I felt good wearing it, and it will remind me of a special day.
Have you ever successfully saved up for a relatively big purchase?
I’m saving money for a purpose-built opera house in Dublin now. It shouldn’t cost much. I’m sure I’ll get there any week now.
Have you ever lost money?
Not personally, but I’m fascinated by the concept of “losing” or “making” money in the arts. Opera is one of the biggest, most complex, resource-hungry arts activities (next to film), and in a sense all our work is loss-making. If we charged ticket prices for what opera productions cost, they would be about €200-€400 each.
Are you a gambler and, if so, have you ever had a big win?
I’ve bought lottery tickets in my time and once I won €3. When I buy a lottery ticket, I wait a few weeks before checking the numbers because in those weeks you can imagine you may have won. This feeling of possibility, the dream, is what you are actually buying.
Is money important to you?
Not in its own right, only for what it can allow you to do. Time is more precious than money.
How much money do you have on you now?
None.
In conversation with Tony Clayton-Lea
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