It presents three main stage productions each year as well as the annual free event, City of Perth's Opera in the Park.
In July 2012 Joseph Colaneri was appointed Artistic Director[1] and succeeded Richard Mills, who had previously held the post since 1997.
In 2007, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the company, Mills composed The Love of the Nightingale and its world premiere was staged by the West Australian Opera.
In October 2014, the company and its general manager, Carolyn Chard, attracted controversy in the media in Australia and abroad[5] for its decision to embargo Carmen from its program for the next two years because of a $400,000 sponsorship over two years by Healthway,[6] a West Australian government body established to reduce smoking and to work towards a smoke-free Western Australia.
[6] In 2015, WAO held the world premiere of Kate Miller-Heidke's opera The Rabbits, after John Marsden's and Shaun Tan's picture book.