In 1973 the company made its first overseas visit and the Voluntary Chorus was disbanded. 166 musicians, singers and backstage crew flew from Cardiff to Switzerland to give three performances of Billy Budd. Two days earlier the set – all eight tons of it – had left by road. Terence Sharpe sang the role of Billy in two performances in Lausanne; Thomas Allen, who was singing Papageno at Glyndebourne, flew in to give the single performance in Zurich. It was Musical Director James Lockhart’s final appearance as music director and he went out in a blaze of glory on an emotion-charged evening.

Lockart was succeeded by his 30 year old assistant, Richard Armstrong.