What ex-Opera Australia boss Lyndon Terracini did next

Two years after quitting as artistic director of Opera Australia, Lyndon Terracini has unveiled ambitious plans for a three-day opera festival in a tiny town in NSW’s Central West.

Known mostly for its wine, food and laid-back vibe, Millthorpe will take its place on the world classical music map when it welcomes a host of operatic talent next Easter.

To be called Handa Opera at Millthorpe, the festival is backed by money from reclusive Japanese billionaire Haruhisa Handa and others, including Opera Australia chairman David Mortimer and theatre producer John Frost.

Natalie Aroyan in Opera Australia’s 2023 production of Adriana Lecouvreur at the Sydney Opera House.Credit: Guy Davies

Artists set to appear on the program of concerts and recitals include Armenian-Australian soprano Natalie Aroyan, Italian baritone Giorgio Caoduro and soprano Noemi Nadelmann, Terracini’s wife.

The seeds of the idea were sown in 1976 when Terracini was asked to sing at the international festival in the Italian town of Montepulciano.

“It was really inspiring,” he says. “Also, I believe artists should create work in the place that they live in, so they’re connected to that culture. And the people who live there too are much more connected rather than if it’s just someone coming in to do a one-night stand and then going to the next town.”

Lyndon Terracini quit Opera Australia after 13 years.

When Terracini quit Opera Australia in October 2022 after a 13-year tenure, he brought his resignation forward rather than see out his contract. Earlier, he became embroiled in a dispute with a leading cast member in The Phantom of the Opera production on Sydney Harbour.

He has owned a property in the region for four years.

“I love the area,” he said. “It’s a very European climate - you actually have four seasons.”

He said locals had embraced his idea - cautiously at first.

“My first stop is always the pub,” he said. “It gets pretty noisy and so you end up shouting that you’re starting an opera festival and they sort of look at you blankly and wonder whether they’ve heard correctly. But the response has been, ‘Well, I don’t like opera. I’ve never seen it, but I don’t like it’, and then ‘Look, I’ll come. I’ll do you a favour because you’re in the pub’.”

Millthorpe is about to become known on the international opera circuit.Credit:

Terracini is throwing open the doors on rehearsals free of charge and is particularly keen for local schoolchildren to get their first taste of opera.

The program will include a gala concert of “greatest hits”, accompanied by Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra, a recital of music by Rossini from Caoduro, and a concert of work by Cole Porter and George Gershwin sung by Nadelmann.

The venue will be Millthorpe Hall, which seats about 200 people.

“It’s got a great acoustic wooden floors and pressed metal ceilings,” said Terracini. “The orchestra and the singers will sound terrific in there.”

As to the future, Terracini has plans to grow the event.

“The intention is that in 2026, we’ll grow the festival and ideally, we’ll do a full opera, maybe in concert, or it might be staged. ... But already I’ve got some international partners that are interested.”

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