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A headshot of Richard Mills

Richard Mills AM

CONDUCTOR

Richard Mills, AM is one of Australia’s most prolific and internationally recognised composers, pursuing a diverse career as a composer, conductor and artistic director, with an extensive discography of orchestral works including his own compositions. 

Currently Artistic Director of Victorian Opera, and a Senior Fellow, Faculty of Music, University of Melbourne, Richard has previously held the positions of Artistic Director of both the Adelaide Chamber Orchestra and of West Australian Opera, Director of the Australian Music Project for the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Musica Viva’s Composer of the Year. His three-volume CD of the film music of Franz Waxman with the QSO was awarded a Preis der Deutschen Schallplatten Kritik in 1992.  

This year Richard conducts Elektra, Butterfly Lovers (Mills) and La Cenerentola for Victorian Opera, as well as Voss for State Opera.  

Recent highlights have included the world premiere of his Christmas oratorio Nativity with Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, The Pearlfishers and Parrwang Lifts the Sky for Victorian Opera, a program of Beethoven and Brett Dean for ASO/Adelaide Festival and Summer of the Seventeenth Doll for State Opera South Australia.  

Richard’s commissioned works include concertos, symphonic works, ballet and chamber music, song cycles and the operas Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, Batavia, and Love of the Nightingale 

Performances with state opera south australia