Peter Hemmings

Who was Peter Hemmings?

Peter Hemmings OBE was an English opera administrator, impresario and singer.

As a singer, he was an accomplished chorister in his youth and had a fine bass voice. He began his administrative career as President of the Cambridge University Opera Group. That company's success lead to the founding of the New Opera Company in 1957 with Hemmings as general manager. In 1966, he became the chief administrator of Scottish Opera, a position he held for almost 20 years. In 1977, he was appointed general manager of the Australian Opera, but clashed with the music director, Richard Bonynge. In that difficult time his most significant contribution to opera in Australia was the commissioning of the opera Voss from Richard Meale. Later, he managed the London Symphony Orchestra for four years, then accepted a position as the general manager of the Los Angeles Opera in 1984. He remained the company's general manager until he returned to the UK in 2000 to take up a position on the Board of the Royal Opera. He was survived by his wife Jane née Kearnes, two daughters, two sons and one stepdaughter.