Opera Australia in fresh turmoil after boss quits

Opera Australia (OA) chief executive Fiona Allan has fallen on her sword barely three years after assuming the role, plunging the nation’s biggest arts company into yet another crisis.

In a statement OA said Allan, who joined the company in November 2021, was leaving “to pursue new opportunities”. She had been noticeably absent for the past few weeks during the crucial season launch period.

Her departure comes less than six months after the abrupt exit of artistic director Jo Davies, the first female artistic director in the history of the company. Davies lasted just 18 months and left after repeated clashes with Allan.

Chief executive Fiona Allan has abruptly quit Opera Australia.Credit: Pamela Raith

Allan and Davies had been touted as the new faces of Opera Australia, following the 2022 departure after 12 years of larger-than-life artistic director Lyndon Terracini.

At the time, Allan said Davies’ appointment would herald a “new era of renewal for the company”. Now, with both women gone, Opera Australia is left floundering as it faces challenges on multiple fronts, not least the lingering after-effects of the pandemic.

In 2024, the company posted a $7.8 million operating deficit, which it blamed in part on cost-of-living pressures. That followed a loss of $4.9 million the previous year.

Late last year, corporate adviser Gabrielle Trainor was appointed to conduct a comprehensive review into governance at OA.

Opera Australia artistic director Jo Davies left the company after repeated clashes with Allan.Credit: Daniel Boud

Trainor is expected to complete her report in March, but the company has not yet committed to releasing its findings publicly.

Trainor’s appointment came after a leaked internal report in 2022 found one in three employees believed bullying and harassment was a problem at OA.

Elsewhere, the company has faced repeated criticism over its limited programming in Melbourne, with many Victorian opera fans claiming they are being treated as poor cousins. The problems in Melbourne have been exacerbated by the temporary closure of the State Theatre, which is expected to reopen in 2027 after being refurbished.

Ironically, this fresh round of off-stage intrigue comes just as the company is finding its post-COVID footing artistically with a well-received 2024 season. Last year’s offerings included a triumphant staging of Brett Dean’s Hamlet and a much-lauded new production of Verdi’s La Traviata.

The current season includes the return of a number of old favourites as well as a production of Guys & Dolls in the annual Opera on the Harbour series that is expected to be a major money-spinner.

Board chair Rod Sims denied Allan’s departure was symptomatic of a wider malaise at the top of OA, calling it a “pretty straightforward story”.

“She took leave over January and a bit over Christmas, and that just gave her time to reflect,” he said. “And I think when you sense it’s time to move on, you do. People who bring in a lot of change, they’re generally not there for a long time because it’s an exacting thing to do.”

Chief Operating Officer Simon Militano has been appointed acting chief executive as the board once again begins the search for a new chief executive.