Sydney Opera House Presents
Contemporary culture beneath the sails
The Opera House’s own presenting arm, Sydney Opera House Presents, was founded more than 15 years ago to complement the work of its resident companies. It delivers a bold and inspiring annual contemporary program that reflects the work and stories of artists from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences.
Led by Fiona Winning, working closely with a skilled in-house team of genre experts and in collaboration with the vibrant Australian and international arts community, Sydney Opera House Presents programs almost 800 performances a year attended by more than 400,000 people. The program presents exceptional contemporary performances and cultural events in the areas of Contemporary Music; Contemporary Performance; Contemporary Art; First Nations; Talks & Ideas; Children, Families & Creative Learning; Classical Music; Artist & Sector Development; as well as the Screen program, enabling Sydney Opera House to reach beyond the site to a global audience.
Each year, Sydney Opera House Presents hosts its annual flagship festivals All About Women, a vibrant day of discussion about gender, justice and equality, Vivid LIVE, a contemporary music takeover of iconic and ambitious artists, and DanceRites, Australia’s national First Nations dance competition and a celebration of the world’s oldest continuous culture.
Contemporary Music
The Opera House’s year-round contemporary music program features a dynamic line-up of emerging and established talents curated by Head of Contemporary Music Ben Marshall. Recent highlights include Solange, The National, Paul Kelly, Lizzo, Iggy Pop, Wu-Tang Clan, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, Khruangbin, Kurt Vile, Sharon Van Etten and Arlo Parks, plus Forecourt performances by Vance Joy and Ngaiire with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
Contemporary Performance
Contemporary Performance presents ambitious world-class music theatre, cabaret, circus, magic, contemporary dance, theatre, comedy, immersive theatre and site-specific work from Australia and the world.
Contemporary Art
With an emphasis on commissioning and exhibiting the artists of today, the Sydney Opera House is situated as a catalyst for visual artists to stage open-ended exhibitions, installations and projects that offer insights into the most pressing cultural, political and social questions of our society.
Children, Families & Creative Learning
The Opera House’s Children, Families and Creative Learning program engages the community online and on site with events and experiences that encourage creativity and nurture life-long learning. It encompasses a program from the best Australian and international theatremakers, educational experiences for primary and secondary students and Creative Leadership in Learning, an innovative three-year program that embeds creativity into schools. The Centre for Creativity expands the breadth of year-round participatory performances, workshops and installations to engage people of all ages.
Classical Music
The passion for opera and orchestral music that inspired the creation of the Opera House continues today with a year-round classical music program featuring some of the world’s greatest talents. Our performance spaces provide inspiring platforms for musical experiences both intimate and grand.
Screen
For more than a decade, the Opera House’s Screen program has engaged tens of millions of people around the world. Central to the program is the delivery of Digital Creative Learning to schools and educators around the country, offering free programs of livestreams, interactive workshops, author talks and original content.
First Nations
The Sydney Opera House’s First Nations program continues the traditions of Bennelong Point, known to its traditional custodians as Tubowgule, a Gadigal meeting place for tens of thousands of years. The year-round program celebrates the richness of First Nations cultures by presenting works that address urgent contemporary issues, revive forgotten stories and revitalise ancient cultural practice.
Talks & Ideas
The Sydney Opera House’s Talks and Ideas program underpins our reputation as a home to ideas, debate and imaginative thinking, offering panel discussions and conversations on pressing issues to large-scale events featuring celebrated writers, thinkers and social commentators.
Fiona Winning - Director, Programming
Fiona is a leader in the performing arts sector with a diverse career in independent and commercial performing arts across contemporary performance, theatre, dance and festivals. She was Sydney Festival Head of Programming from 2012 to 2017, presenting works by inspirational Australian and international artists in venues across the city. Previously, Fiona worked as a dramaturge and producer in contemporary arts, curating the Australian Theatre Forum in 2011 and co-convening the Bundanon Trust’s annual Siteworks event in 2010-11.
From 1999 to 2008, Fiona was Director of Performance Space, a national contemporary arts hub based in Sydney. In this role, she collaborated with artists and communities to conceive and produce events in theatres, galleries and public spaces, as well as developing a range of festival, training and residency programs. She was instrumental in the development of Carriageworks, collaborating with the arts sector, Arts NSW and architects Tonkin Zulaikha Greer. Fiona is also a lecturer and co-designer of NIDA’s landmark Master of Fine Arts (Cultural Leadership) course.
