Two of Australia’s leading opera companies will have new artistic directors in place by the start of 2024, which could reshape the Australian operatic landscape. In February, Opera Australia announced that Lyndon Terracini will leave the company at the end of 2023 when his contract concludes, though he will continue to work with OA in an Emeritus role – working on Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour post–2023 in particular. An international search for a new Artistic Director is underway.
Richard Mills. Photo © Charlie Kinross.
Terracini has been OA’s Artistic Director since 2009, arriving in the role after stints as Artistic Director of the Queensland Music Festival in 2000 and Brisbane Festival from 2006 until 2009. However, he has been closely associated with OA throughout his career, after making his professional operatic singing debut with the company in 1976 in a production of Britten’s Albert Herring. He ascended to the top job in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis, and has guided the company through COVID when it suffered tremendous financial losses due to the cancellation of nearly all its programming during 2020 and...
It’s no surprise that a report released in February revealed that Australia is in the bottom third of OECD nations for government spending on arts and culture, and that government spending per capita on these activities has dropped over the past decade (April Limelight).
In its recent budget the arts have once again been cold – shouldered by the Morrison – Joyce government, and when outlining the details of the budget to the National Press Club, Treasurer Frydenberg was upfront in saying that his focus is on winning the election. It’s hard to see that this is facilitated by failing to assist musicians and the entertainment industry recover from the damage done by Covid.
The fact is that Coalition governments have usually been half-hearted supporters of the arts .
If only the National Party knew that Mozart’s music not only increases IQs but is also claimed to increase the milk production of dairy cows. This is culture that matters to the Nationals and they would then be motivated to pressure their Coalition partners. Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce is perfectly placed to lead the campaign for better funding of the arts.