Speculation over Carmen connection behind the departures of Artistic Director and Chorus master

West Australian Opera is once again in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. The company was recently heavily criticised for proposing a two year embargo on staging Bizet’s Carmen due to its depictions of smoking in an ill-judged attempt to curry favour with their new corporate sponsor, Healthway. Now it has been announced that the company’s Artistic Director Joseph Colaneri and Chorus Master Joseph Nolan will both no longer be working with the company after the current production of Verdi’s Il Trovatore closes on November 8.

WAO’s board has been quick to assert that the departures of American maestro Colaneri and his colleague, celebrated organist Nolan were mutually agreed months ago as the end of the current season marks the completion of Colaneri’s three year contract and Nolan’s one year contract with the company. However with the embarrassment of the Carmen ban still fresh in the minds of many opera fans in Australia, the departure of two senior artistic members of the company have left many speculating that the internal fall-out from this recent PR disaster may have played a part.

It is unusual for an...