Celebrating West Australian Opera
For 60 years, West Australian Opera has shared extraordinary stories, artists and music with audiences across Western Australia.
From its beginnings in 1967 to a company that now reaches audiences in theatres, schools and communities across the state, WAO’s story is one of ambition, creativity, collaboration and a belief in the power of opera to bring people together.
1967
The Beginning
A company is born
West Australian Opera Company was founded in 1967, following its first meeting on 8 April attended by a group of musicians, artists and supporters including composer James Penberthy, Giuseppe and Josee Bertinazzo, Verdon Williams and leading Western Australian singers.
At the company’s first Annual General Meeting in July 1967, Professor Frank Callaway, Head of Music at UWA, was elected President, with James Penberthy appointed Director and Verdon Williams Musical Director.
Dame Joan Sutherland became the company’s first Patron.
The company made its stage debut in June 1968 with Bizet’s Carmen. Ten performances sold out across Perth, the South West and Geraldton, establishing an immediate appetite for opera in Western Australia.
The first seasons continued with Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, followed by Faust and La Bohème in 1969.
A new state opera company had arrived.
1970s
Building a Company
Establishing a home for opera
The 1970s saw West Australian Opera develop from a newly formed company into an established force on the Australian operatic stage.
In 1970, Georg Tintner, resident conductor at Sadler Wells Opera Company in the UK, was appointed Musical Director.
A major milestone came in 1972 with the opening of the company’s first administrative home, the Opera Centre in Mount Lawley. The centre provided offices, rehearsal space, a technical workshop and wardrobe facilities, creating a permanent base from which the company could grow.
In 1973, Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring was presented as part of the Festival of Perth. The production was an artistic success and was subsequently hired by opera companies in New South Wales and South Australia, putting the young company firmly on the national stage.
The decade continued with productions including Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Bizet’s Carmen, Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld, The Mikado and The Rape of Lucretia.
In 1977, the company celebrated its 10th anniversary, while 1978 saw The Beggar’s Opera tour regionally with a full orchestra.
WAO was no longer simply establishing itself, it was becoming part of Australia’s operatic landscape.
1980s
Growing the Artform
Opera for Western Australia
The 1980s brought ambitious seasons and a growing commitment to presenting major operatic works.
Under Musical Director Gerald Krug, the company presented a repertoire spanning Mozart, Puccini, Verdi and other operatic masters, including The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, La Bohème, La Traviata, Lucia di Lammermoor and Carmen.
The company also expanded its concert repertoire with works including Aida and The Flying Dutchman.
In 1981, the Australia Council Music Board withdrew funding from the state opera companies in favour of a national company, creating a challenging new funding environment.
Support from the community became increasingly important. In 1985, Margaret McManus established The Society of WA Opera Lovers to support opera and encourage aspiring artists.
A landmark fundraising concert followed in 1986 at Perth Concert Hall, conducted by Richard Bonynge and starring Dame Joan Sutherland. The event was supported by the company’s first major sponsorship, a $20,000 contribution from the R&I Bank.
In 1988, WAO celebrated its 20th anniversary with productions including Madama Butterfly, Mignon, La Traviata, The Mikado and Tosca.
The company’s future was increasingly built through the support of audiences, artists, government and community.
1990s
Beyond the Theatre
Bringing opera to the community
The 1990s marked an important shift in how Western Australians experienced opera.
In 1991, under General Manager Terry Craig, Opera in the Park was launched with Offenbach’s Die Fledermaus at the Supreme Court Gardens, supported by ANZ Bank.
The event quickly became a much-loved part of Perth’s cultural calendar and a defining part of WAO’s relationship with audiences beyond the theatre.
The company celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1992 with Madama Butterfly at Langley Park, alongside theatre productions of Don Pasquale and Carmen.
Artistic ambition continued under Artistic Directors including Lindy Hume and Richard Mills. The repertoire expanded to include works such as Handel’s Alcina, Porgy and Bess, Pimpinone, Noah’s Flood and The Threepenny Opera.
In 1999, the Nugent Report, a Federal Government review of Australia’s Major Performing Arts companies, helped secure the future of the company through tripartite federal and state funding.
Opera was becoming bigger than the theatre and increasingly part of the life of the wider community.
2000s
New Work, New Voices
Looking forward while honouring tradition
The new millennium brought an increasingly diverse repertoire and a strong commitment to Australian creativity.
The company presented major works including Handel’s Orlando, Samson and Delilah, Candide, Tristan und Isolde and Aida, alongside collaborations with the Perth International Arts Festival.
In 2004, Richard Mills’ Batavia formed part of a significant season alongside Carmina Burana, Cinderella, Faust and Norma.
The company’s 40th anniversary in 2007 was marked by the world premiere of Mills’ The Love of the Nightingale, commissioned by Wesfarmers Arts another important milestone in WAO’s commitment to new Australian work.
The decade also saw the beginning of a new chapter for Opera in the Park. From 2010, Lotterywest support enabled regional simulcasts, allowing audiences in Bunbury and Geraldton to experience the event. The initiative would grow to reach communities across regional Western Australia.
The company was embracing new work, new audiences and new ways of experiencing opera.
2010s
Reaching Across the State
Opera for everyone
The 2010s saw WAO deepen its commitment to audiences across Western Australia.
Regional Opera in the Park simulcasts expanded to communities including Albany, Broome, Carnarvon, Esperance, Kalgoorlie, Margaret River, Merredin, Moora, Onslow and Port Hedland.
The company continued to balance the great works of the operatic canon with new Australian stories and contemporary collaborations.
Richard Mills was succeeded as Artistic Director by Maestro Joseph Colanari in 2013, followed by Brad Cohen in 2015.
The decade featured major works including Peter Grimes, Elektra, Aida and The Flowering Tree, alongside new Australian works and collaborations.
Across its first 50 years, West Australian Opera had grown into a company with a proud reputation for artistic excellence, community engagement and a commitment to making opera accessible across the state.
Opera belonged not only on the stage, but wherever Western Australians could come together to experience it.
2020 – 2027
A New Chapter
Opera finds new ways to connect
Chris van Tuinen was appointed Artistic Director of West Australian Opera. In 2020, like many performing arts organisations around the world, West Australian Opera was forced to rethink how it connected with audiences during COVID-19.
With theatres closed and live performance interrupted, WAO moved into new digital territory. When the stage went dark, WAO found new ways to keep singing
The company created the Ghost Light digital series, introduced online singing classes and streamed a captured performance of Menotti’s The Telephone, finding new ways to keep music, artists and audiences connected.
In 2021, a landmark new work took the stage at His Majesty’s Theatre: the first opera in Noongar. Koolbardi wer Wardong was a Wesfarmers Arts Commission by Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse, inspired by the Nyitting creation story and representing an important new chapter in the company’s commitment to telling Western Australian stories. In 2023, WAO staged a landmark production of Carmen at the WACA Ground, with over 8,000 people in attendance plus thousands more joining via livestream.
In 2024, Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse’s second Noongar opera premiered in Perth as part of the Perth Festival. Wundig wer Wilura told the story of two young lovers and subsequently travelled to regional audiences in Albany and Bunbury.
The company also expanded its work for younger audiences through the Opera for Young People, with productions including Our Little Inventor and The Nightingale.
Education and participation continued to grow. In 2025, WAO SINGS, a pilot singing program for schools, commenced with support from the Feilman Foundation and the City of Swan.
Across the state, WAO continued to create opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to experience, participate in and connect with opera.
The next generation of audiences, artists and storytellers is already taking the stage.
In 2027, West Australian Opera celebrates 60 years of storytelling.
Six decades after the company’s first performance of Carmen, WAO returns to the great works of the operatic canon with a landmark anniversary season featuring Carmen, Don Giovanni and Turandot.
What’s to come
The 2027 season marks the first time Turandot has been presented as a fully staged production by West Australian Opera, a fitting moment to close the company’s 60th anniversary program.
From a small group of artists and supporters who gathered in Perth in 1967, West Australian Opera has grown into Western Australia’s state opera company: a company that performs at home in His Majesty’s Theatre, reaches audiences across the state and continues to create space for new voices and new stories.
For 60 years, WAO has shared stories, created memories and invited Western Australians to experience the vibrancy of opera.
60 years of storytelling. And the story continues.
