THERE WILL be four vacancies at the upcoming Opera Festival Trust Annual General Meeting as The Echo can reveal that three of its long-standing members will be stepping down, in addition to a fourth whose seat had not been filled.

Former Chairman Peter Scallan is one of those stepping away from the group, along with Billy Sweetman, who offered his expertise to the financial sector of the group, and Matt O’Connor, who was to the forefront on the building of Wexford Opera House. Cyril Murphy is the fourth member who had left the board in 2013 and was not replaced.

Speaking to The Echo about his tenure on the board, Peter Scallan said he had been on the board for ten years and was up for rotation off of it in 2014.

“I asked myself if I could give the same as what I had given for the last ten years and the answer was ‘no’. The board needs new people. When I came on board we had a decrepit Theatre Royal and now we have a state-of-the-art Opera House.

“What was needed ten years ago was very different; we needed people who could bring the group through a huge transformation.”

He pointed out that Mr. O’Connor and Mr. Sweetman were pivotal to that transformation, focusing on the building aspect and financial aspects respectively.

And he laughed off a suggestion that three long-term directors leaving at the one time would be problematic for the board: “Each director comes up for rotation every four years, that’s normal. Sometimes they’ll all come together. But we have very good people ready to step into the fore.

“The board is about renewal and having a group that’s fit for purpose at different times.”

He added that he would continue to volunteer for the Festival.