Richard Willacy has established a track record as a director, artistic director, producer and educator; devising, supporting, delivering and leading multi-scale outward facing work in Opera and contemporary Music Theatre, New Writing, Digital, Theatre and Dance.

Richard met founder Graham Vick in 1999 at which point Richard was developing, producing and directing experimental, participatory and site-specific work.

Joining Birmingham Opera Company as a freelance Associate Director for the launch of BOC with the “participatory” site-specific Votzek in 2001 he began a long-term collaboration with Graham, retained by the company from 2005 and appointed Associate Artistic Director in 2008 in a specially created role.

Putting his full energy and force into the Birmingham experiment as Associate Artistic Director 2008-2014, Executive Producer of Stockhausen’s Mittwoch aus Licht 2012 for London 2012 and Executive Director 2014-2021, in which period he maintained much of the associate artist director role, he has been a key player in pioneering and nurturing some of the most exciting work in Opera in the 21st Century. 

He has led the company as General Director since 2021.