MEET THE ORCHESTRA

Richard Mills AO

Artistic Director and Chief Conductor

Internationally recognised composer Richard Mills, AO, pursues a diverse career as composer, conductor and artistic director, with an extensive discography of orchestral works including his own compositions and the film music of Franz Waxman with the QSO (Preis der Deutschen Schallplatten Kritik,1992). 

Richard’s posts have included Artistic Director of both Victorian Opera and West Australian Opera, Artistic Director of the Adelaide Chamber Orchestra, Director of the Australian Music Project for Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Musica Viva’s Composer of the Year. 

Most recently Richard has conducted the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for an ABC recording as part of their 50 Fanfares project; Voyages for Darwin Symphony; the world premiere of his new opera Galileo, Elektra, Butterfly Lovers (Mills), La Cenerentola and Salome for Victorian Opera; Glimpses and Dialogues from Galileo at Perth Festival; Lucia di Lammermoor, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, a gala concert and Tosca for Opera Queensland; Voss and Summer of the 17th Doll (Mills) for State Opera South Australia; The Sound of History (for Adelaide Festival) and his Christmas oratorio Nativity with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. His opera Butterfly Lovers was also performed in collaboration with Wild Rice Theatre Company at the Victoria Theatre, Singapore. 

Richard’s concert performance of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde with the Australian Youth Orchestra for Queensland Music Festival, won the Helpmann Award for Best Classical Concert in 2005. 

Richard Mills has been Lecturer in Composition and Conducting at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, and director of the Symphony Australia Composer Development Program, run in collaboration with Orchestra Victoria. He is currently a Senior Fellow, Faculty of Music, at the University of Melbourne. He has also been the recipient of an Ian Potter Foundation Fellowship.