Northern Ireland Opera appoints Cameron Menzies as artistic director

Australian director Cameron Menzies has been appointed to lead Northern Ireland Opera.

Menzies joins next month and will replace Walter Sutcliffe, who left earlier this year to become director of opera at Theater Halle in Germany.

Menzies has directed opera, theatre, musical theatre and film, and is currently artistic director of The Classics: Opera concert series in Melbourne, and is associate artist for UK-based chamber company Diva Opera.

He directed Sister Act at the Vaults, London and the 50th anniversary Australian tour of Hair, as well as Diva Opera’s European tour of Madama Butterfly, all in 2019.

He said he was "extremely honoured and thrilled" to be joining the company as artistic director.

"I look forward to working with the arts community across Ireland and further abroad.

"Live performance is facing one of its biggest challenges at the moment and I hope to be able to provide as many opportunities as we can with Northern Ireland Opera as we navigate the way ahead,” he said.

Northern Ireland Opera was founded in 2010, and Menzies will become its third artistic director. Its inaugural artistic director, Oliver Mears, is now director of the Royal Opera.