NZ Opera appoints new general director

This is a supplied media release.

New Zealand Opera has announced the appointment of Thomas de Mallet Burgess as general director.

Mr de Mallet Burgess joins NZ Opera after five years with Perth-based company Lost & Found, whose mission is to present unusual operas in found spaces that speak to the resonance of the work. Alongside his role as artistic director and founder at Lost & Found, he has also managed one of Western Australia’s largest cultural programmes at the city of Joondalup.

He has established an international reputation for directing award-wining opera and leading ground-breaking research in opera performer training. Mr de Mallet Burgess' substantial credits as an opera director encompass a variety of approaches from traditional to more innovative and collaborative works and include critically acclaimed productions for national companies such as The Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Canadian Opera Company, Opera Ireland and one of the world’s most important festivals, Wexford Festival Opera.

Speaking about the appointment, John Harvey, NZ Opera’s chairman, says, “Thomas is a hugely respected and highly skilled opera professional and we are delighted to have appointed someone of his calibre to the role. He has significant experience across the art form, authoring research and training publications, directing major productions, founding and running Lost & Found, and the development of cross-cultural productions and programmes in celebration of indigenous culture. This wealth of experience will ensure that New Zealand Opera is in very good hands.”

Mr de Mallet Burgess says he is delighted to be appointed general director of New Zealand Opera. “I am excited by the challenge of leading a national opera company and providing the artistic vision necessary to broaden the reach and relevancy of the art form and grow a new diverse audience through a balance of innovative and traditional approaches. NZ Opera has a high reputation in the international world of opera and I am committed to enhancing that position by leading from New Zealand.”

He will take up the position of general director on July 16 and will work alongside the board to finalise the company’s existing plans for 2019. He succeeds Stuart Maunder, who was recently appointed artistic director of State Opera South Australia.