Opera Australia's artistic director Lyndon Terracini has announced he is quitting the company with immediate effect.
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Terracini, who has managed Opera Australia for 13 years, joins a growing list of senior staff to leave the organisation in recent months.
His contract was expected to run until the end of this year.
The 72-year-old said he was quitting to "get on with the next phase of my life, to pursue new adventures and enable the transition of my successor".
Opera Australia said it was mutually agreed it was the right time for the former singer to leave.
"Opera Australia is grateful to Lyndon for his significant contributions during his tenure and for his artistic vision," chief executive Fiona Allan said in a statement on Thursday.
Terracini's abrupt departure follows a series of high-profile changes at the organisation, including the departure of Opera Australia's chairman, technical director and marketing boss.
Opera Australia's former chief executive left the company last year.
In August, Terracini told AAP he was already fielding other job offers ahead of his contract winding up.
"I've had some pretty important offers from Europe that I'm considering and there are some things in Australia too that I'm interested in pursuing," he said.
During his tenure at the national company, he introduced the highly successful Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour, modernised the company's productions with digital sets and commissioned a series of new Australian works.
But earlier this year, Terracini was hit with allegations he made inappropriate comments during a production of Phantom of the Opera, which he denies.
"I've never made insulting or inappropriate remarks to singers in any coaching session that I've ever had, and I've probably done hundreds and hundreds," he said.
A survey also showed OA employees were concerned about bullying within the organisation, but Terracini insisted companies were best measured by onstage performances, with sensitivities to be expected emerging from a pandemic.
Melbourne Opera's artistic director Greg Hocking said Terracini has done a magnificent job, but the staff exodus is worrying, as is a lack of OA performances in Melbourne in 2023.
"All of the Melbourne opera community are very worried about if we'll ever see the national company in the city again," he told AAP.
No full operas will be staged in Melbourne next year, while Sydney will host seven full performances over a period of five months.
Terracini took on the job during the GFC in 2009, pitching popular operas in an approach that saw ticket sales more than double, until the COVID-19 pandemic forced OA to cancel most of its 2021 season.
The organisation slumped to a $23 million loss and had to shed 56 staff, but in 2022 Terracini has staged yet another turnaround, with OA's most successful year at the box office by a long way.
Australian Associated Press
