Richard Mills is to step down as Artistic Director of Victorian Opera at the end of the 2023 season, after a decade in the role.

The acclaimed composer and conductor joined VO in 2013, having worked as Artistic Director of West Australian Opera from 1997 to 2012.

Richard Mills is to leave Victoria Opera at the end of the 2023 season. Photo © Charlie Kinross

During his tenure, VO was invited to join Australia’s state opera companies represented by the National Performing Arts Partnership (NPAP) Framework, which replaced the Australian Major Performing Arts (AMAP) Organisation Framework in 2019. Victorian Opera joined NPAP that year – an acknowledgement of its high artistic standards and contribution to Australia’s operatic culture.

As Artistic Director of VO, Mills commissioned 21 new Australian operas including The Riders, Lorelei and Deborah Cheetham’s First Nations opera Parrwang Lifts the Sky, presented in collaboration with Short Black Opera.

His other achievements include forming the Victorian Opera Youth Chorus Ensemble (VOYCE) in 2014, which offers weekly training for classically focussed young singers aged 13 to 19. He also worked to develop the skills of orchestral musicians through collaborations...