Opera Australia appoints first-ever female artistic director

Sydney, Australia, Dec 19 (EFE).- Opera Australia on Monday announced the appointment of Jo Davies as its new artistic director, the first woman to take this position in the company’s 66-year-old history.

Opera Australia CEO Fiona Allan said in a press release that “it is an incredibly exciting time in OA’s history as we emerge from the pandemic and move forward with a new strategy to make Opera Australia more reflective of a 21st century Australia.”

Scotland-born Davies, 52, has had a distinguished professional trajectory of more than two decades, wherein she has worked in famous opera companies including the Royal Opera House, Washington National Opera, and San Francisco Opera.

She has directed plays for the Royal Shakespeare Company and musicals at Le Chatelet in Paris and the Welsh Millennium Centre, among other prestigious artistic institutions, according to Opera Australia’s media release.

Davies will start with her preliminary meetings regarding the 2024 season in the beginning of next year, although she will officially assume office in Nov 2023.

The artistic director position has been vacant since October, when the previous artistic director, Lyndon Terracini, unexpectedly resigned after 13 years of leading Opera Australia. EFE

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