(Credit: Charlie Kinross)

Richard Mills AM has announced he will step down as the Artistic Director of Victorian Opera at the conclusion of the state opera company’s 2023 season.

The distinguished composer and conductor has overseen a period of significant growth for Victorian Opera and continued the company’s commitment to commissioning new Australian opera.

He has won the Helpmann Award for his operas “Batavia” and “Love of the Nightingale,” and orchestrated the ABC’s iconic news theme. Mills began his tenure with Victorian Opera in 2013 and has since commissioned 21 new Australian operas including “The Riders and Lorelei.” During his tenure, Victorian Opera was invited to join fellow state opera companies in the National Performing Arts Partnership Program after being recognized for its unique contributions to Australia’s operatic landscape and its high artistic standards.

The Victorian Opera will now commence an extensive search for a new Artistic Director to join the company in 2023 and program its 2024 season.

In a statement, Mills said, “I will finish my time at Victorian Opera at the end of 2023. The search begins now for a new Artistic Director. Ten years at the helm is a good span of time for an Artistic Directorship, after that, there is a risk of self-repetition. It is time therefore for fresher energy for our State Company to ensure continuing and growing artistic vibrancy.”