 Richard Divall was to remain with the company as Music Director until 1996.In 1976 Dame Joan Hammond accepted a position at the Victorian College of the Arts and was replaced as chairman by John Day (1976–1982).Richard Divall instantly made his mark on the company, raising it to a new level of professionalism with a landmark production Of Monteverdi’s Coronation of Poppea directed by Rod Anderson and starring Marilyn Richardson.