New Executive Team

State Opera SA Chair, John Irving, has announced the appointment of two new executives to lead the company into the future: 
Executive Director Ms Yarmila Alfonzetti and Artistic Director Stuart Maunder AM.

Ms Yarmila Alfonzetti will join the company on 1 March as Executive Director.  Ms Alfonzetti has most recently spent three years as the Chief Executive Officer of Sydney Youth Orchestras, and immediately prior to that was for seven years Head of Classical Music at the Sydney Opera House. Her significant achievements in the classical music arena will bring a fresh approach to opera and music theatre here in South Australia and lead to new and exciting paths, directions and collaborations for State Opera SA.

Ms Alfonzetti said,  ‘I am positively overwhelmed with excitement by this wonderful opportunity to join State Opera SA; a company whose work has a proud history and one which arts aficionados regularly reference in discussions about opera, invention and achievement in the performing arts. This company has a great legacy upon which we can build an exciting future’.

Joining the company as Artistic Director is Stuart Maunder AM who brings a substantial wealth of experience to the role.  Stuart has been directing opera and musicals for the last 30  years, including many productions for State Opera SA. He has also enjoyed a long association with  Opera Australia in various roles most recently as Executive Producer. His significant achievements in the field of opera were recognised in 2012 when he was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM). Mr Maunder takes up the position after four years as General Director of New Zealand Opera.

Mr Maunder commented,  ‘This is a great challenge for me – joining a company embarking on a new chapter, whose boldness in programming I have long admired and in a city I have always loved.  I look forward immensely to working with the SOSA team to scale new artistic heights and develop audiences across the state.  Opera in Australia needs a vibrant, forward thinking company to celebrate the unique possibilities on offer, and SOSA is just that company’.