Celebrating Richard Mills

Victorian Opera Richard MillsSome of Australia’s major opera stars and performers will come together for a musical party of a lifetime to celebrate composer-conductor Richard Mills AM at Melbourne Recital Centre’s Elisabeth Murdoch Hall on Friday 13 December 2019.

Victorian Opera, Melbourne Recital Centre, and Orchestra Victoria have partnered for this special one-night-only concert, Celebrating Richard Mills, to honour his musical achievements and tremendous contribution to the Australian music scene.

A graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Richard started his career as a percussionist in orchestras across the United Kingdom and Australia while establishing himself as a composer. Compositions range from his Flute Concerto (1990), commissioned for James Galway, to music for the ballet Snugglepot and Cuddlepie (1988), premiered by The Australian Ballet.

Over 40 years, the prolific musician and artistic leader has made a mighty impact on Australia’s musical landscape: composing and commissioning over 100 pieces of new Australian music, including his acclaimed operas Batavia (2001), Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (1996) and The Love of the Nightingale (2007); and holding tenures as the Artistic Director of Victorian Opera (since 2013), West Australian Opera (1997 – 2012) and Adelaide Chamber Orchestra (1991 – 1997).

Popular with both the concert-going public and the musicians who play it, Richard’s music is regularly performed throughout the world. While Artist-in-Residence at the ABC (1989-90), he re-orchestrated the ABC’s iconic news theme which is still heard nationwide many times daily

Celebrating Richard Mills features Orchestra Victoria and a cavalcade of Australia’s favourite opera singers and performers including Robyn Archer, Carlos E. Bárcenas, Greta Bradman, Phoebe Briggs, Elizabeth Campbell, Aidan Filshie, Warwick Fyfe, Roxane Hislop, Douglas Kelly, Stephen Marsh, Emma Matthews, Simon Meadows, Markiyan Melnychenko, Partridge Quartet, Merlyn Quaife, Kathryn Radcliffe, Rebecca Rashleigh, Timothy Reynolds, Phillipa Safey, Dimity Shepherd, Brenton Spiteri and Raphael Wong.

Mills will conduct his eclectic and whimsical award-winning music, from intimate works to the full colour and power of the orchestra including Excerpts from String Quartet No. 4 (2004), The Love of the Nightingale (2007) Songs after Judith Wright (2008), Three Antiphons of Hildegard of Bingen (2008), Every Day is a Rainbow Day for Me (2009) and extracts from his acclaimed opera, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (1996).

The breadth of Mills’ talent is highlighted with a broad range of his compositions, including a new piece Three Songs for Buddy, composed for his beloved Staffordshire bull terrier X, to be performed by legendary Australian artist Robyn Archer. Don’t miss Australia’s best artists performing the eclectic and whimsical works of this national icon.


Celebrating Richard Mills
Elisabeth Murdoch Hall – Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank Boulevard, Southbank
Performance: Friday 13 December 2019 – 7:30 pm
Bookings: www.melbournerecital.com.au

For more information, visit: www.victorianopera.com.au for details.

Image: Richard Mills – photo courtesy of Victorian Opera