Victoria State Opera
The Victoria State Opera (VSO), based in Melbourne, Australia, was founded in Melbourne in 1962. The company, founded by Leonard Spira, was a move into grand opera by the then amateur Gilbert and Sullivan-oriented Victorian Light Opera Co. The name changed to the Victorian Opera Company in 1964 in a move to enable the company to perform a broader repertoire. Early years Victoria Opera 1962–1976. An attempt to professionalise the company as the Victorian Opera Co was made by Alfred Ruskin, foundation chairman and Peter Burch, general manager (1970–1974), who in 1971 appointed Dame Joan Hammond  to the board. In 1972 she brought Richard Divall to Melbourne. Richard Divall was to remain with the company as Music Director until 1996. In 1976 Dame Joan Hammond accepted a position at the Victorian College of the Arts and was replaced as chairman by John Day (1976–1982). Richard Divall instantly made his mark on the company, raising it to a new level of professionalism with a landmark production Of Monteverdi's Coronation of Poppea directed by Rod Anderson and starring Marilyn Richardson. Through these early years the company made a major contribution to the popularization of Opera through its  highly successful schools touring productions of specially commissioned works employing and giving work and experience to younger singers from the company. Another highlight of these years was a production of Donizetti's "Maria Stuarda" in July 1976, directed by Robin Lovejoy with a cast including Nance Grant and June Bronhill conducted by Richard Divall. This was to be the last opera produced under the Victoria Opera Company banner. Victoria State Opera 1976–1995. In 1976 the new chairman John Day added the word 'State' to its title to become Victoria State Opera. He is quoted in "The Age" on 29 July  1976, saying that the new title had "more prestige" and "a more official cachet." He stated further that, "The State Opera would not seek to emulate the lavishness of Australian Opera Company productions." It would concentrate on attracting younger audiences with modern and experimental productions combining opera with music and drama. The subsidy from the Victorian State Government in 1975 was AUD165,000. In 1976 the VSO sought an increase to AUD$280,000 with an unchanged Federal Government subsidy of AUD56,000. The first production under the new banner was Gluck's "Orfeo and Eurydice", starring Margaret Field, which opened at the National  Theatre, St Kilda on 30 July 1976. Significant appointments in these early years include: In 1977 Robin Lovejoy was appointed Artistic Advisor to the Victoria State Opera. VSO productions he directed include: In 1982 Sir Rupert Hamer, the former premier of Victoria, became Chairman of the Victoria State Opera and was to remain in this position until 1995. It was a fitting appointment as Sir Rupert had been a vigorous supporter of the building of the Arts Centre Melbourne complex. From 1984 the company performed in the newly built State Theatre, part of the Arts Centre Melbourne, where it presented  at least four to five operas a year over two seasons, which eventually rivalled those of the Australian Opera given in the same space. At its height, the VSO had over 13,000 season subscribers. In 1985 Brian Stacey was appointed as Head of Music. Other notable production highlights include appearances by Suzanne Steele, most notably in the lead role of "La belle Hélène" and as Eurydice in "Orpheus in the Underworld". There were also "Don Giovanni", "Tannhäuser", "The Pearl Fishers" (which toured to Sydney), "The Tales of Hoffmann", "Faust", "Aida", "Il trovatore", "The Barber of Seville", "The Magic Flute", "Andrea  Chénier", "Turandot", "Madama Butterfly" (the traditional production by Andrew Sinclair or the Ken Russell production in 1986, as part of the Spoleto Festival) and a production of "Lohengrin" produced by August Everding. As the VSO designed their productions for the State Theatre, a 2077-seat theatre with one of the largest stages in the world, they were able to make full use of the facilities i.e. revolving stage, hydraulic stages and were able to create imaginative and exciting effects in their productions. Their first opera in the State Theatre was the new John Copley production of Verdi's "Don Carlos