Australian Major Performing Arts Group - ampag.com.au · fresh life and vitality into baroque and...

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AUSTRALIAN MAJOR PERFORMING ARTS GROUP www.ampag.com.au

Australian Major Performing Arts Group

AMPAG MEMBERS’ COMPANY PROFILES

www.ampag.com.au

May 2017

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NATIONAL

AUSTRALIAN BRANDENBURG ORCHESTRA

The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, led by Artistic Director Paul

Dyer, celebrates the music of the sixteenth, seventeenth and

eighteenth centuries with excellence, flair and joy. Comprising

leading specialists from all over Australia, the Brandenburg performs

using original edition scores and instruments of the period, breathing

fresh life and vitality into baroque and classical masterpieces.

Since it began in 1989 the Brandenburg has presented scores of sold

out concerts to enthusiastic audiences all over Australia, undertaken

international tours, made 20 recordings (including 5 ARIA Award

winners for Best Classical Album in Australia), achieved consistently

excellent reviews, received the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Group

Award in 2015 and the Helpmann Award for Best Chamber Concert

in 2016.

AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

At the ACO’s core is a string orchestra of leading musicians of

Australia, supported by a cohort of outstanding international guests

and a growing company of artists at the start of their careers. The

ACO’s versatility and adaptability enable it to perform repertoire from

six centuries, playing instruments from the baroque period through to

electronics, and to collaborate with an extraordinary range of artists

from many disciplines.

The ACO is Australia’s only national orchestra, presenting a

subscription series in eight major cities around the country and

reaching regional audiences in every state and territory. It

consistently receives rave reviews internationally and frequent return

invitations to perform on all of the great stages of the musical world

including Vienna’s Musikverein, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw,

London’s Southbank Centre and New York’s Carnegie Hall.

BANGARRA DANCE THEATRE

Bangarra is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation and

one of Australia’s leading performing arts companies, widely

acclaimed nationally and around the world for its powerful dancing,

distinctive theatrical voice and unique soundscapes, music and

design.

Led by Artistic Director Stephen Page, it is now in its 28th year (having

begun in 1989), but its dance technique is forged from over 40,000

years of culture, embodied with contemporary movement. The

company’s dancers are professionally trained, dynamic artists who

represent the pinnacle of Australian dance. Each has a proud

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background, from various

locations across the country.

Australian Brandenburg Orchestra Image by Justin Ridler.

Australian Brandenburg Orchestra Image by Justin Ridler.

Bangarra Dance Ensemble - Nyapanyapa, OUR land

people stories – Image by Vishal Pandey

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BELL SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY

Bell Shakespeare is Australia’s national theatre company specialising

in Shakespeare and the classics. Founded in 1990 by John Bell, one of

Australia’s most acclaimed theatre creators and directors, Bell

Shakespeare has grown to become a national company of

significance with a history rich with legends of the stage.

IIt established a creative development arm, Mind’s Eye, which ensures

artistic vibrancy, complementing its theatre, education and

community programs characterised by unrivalled national reach and

impact. Underscoring its achievements is a loyal and passionate

audience that has transformed the company which began in a circus

tent into a national icon.

Led by Artistic Director, Peter Evans, Bell Shakespeare uses universal

insights of Shakespeare and other classic writers to bring inspiration

and truth to people living in an uncertain world, enabling us to

imagine and to transform, to picture a different world, to know that it

can be one of our own making and to connect beauty and art with

imagination at all ages.

CIRCUS OZ

Circus Oz is a legendary, world-famous, globe-roving icon. Formed in

1978, the company is Australia's anarchic pioneer of contemporary

circus. From 42nd Street, New York to remote Aboriginal communities

in Arnhem Land, the company has taken its critically acclaimed self-

crafted performances to 27 countries across five continents.

With new Artistic Director Rob Tannion taking the helm in 2016, the

company sidesaults into exciting new creative territory with his visually

dynamic directorial style and choreographic eye entwined within

theme-based, narratively driven shows. The multi-talented ensemble

shares the limelight in an exuberant celebration that swings

precariously between the sublime and the ridiculous.

MUSICA VIVA

Musica Viva is the largest presenter of chamber music in the world, a

truly national company with offices in every Australian state and

territory, directly reaching approximately 360,000 people every year.

Musica Viva’s story began in 1945 as a chamber music organisation

focused on just one ensemble. Over the years it has evolved to

embrace ensemble music of all styles and genres, presenting leading

Australian and international artists to concert audiences and school

students across the country.

Today, its activities embrace digital technologies to reach an even

wider audience, and are at the forefront of artist development—

inspiring musicians and audiences alike in a shared passion for

ensemble music of quality, diversity, challenge and joy.

Bell Shakespeare - Othello

Circus Oz – Model Citizens.

Musica Viva

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OPERA AUSTRALIA

As the largest performing arts company in Australia, Opera Australia is

a leader in developing and presenting new and existing operatic and

musical works. It fosters a vibrant and sustainable cultural sector,

commissioning new work at the forefront of artistic practice

independently and in collaboration with other cultural innovators.

Opera Australia encourages the development of young and

emerging artists; fosters meaningful connections through community

engagement programs with culturally and linguistically diverse

communities; pioneers disability access programs; recognises the

value and significance of Australia's Indigenous culture; and strives for

equitable access to high calibre arts experiences for all Australians

regardless of where they may live, in our capital cities, regional

centres and remote communities nationally. Each year, Opera

Australia reaches more than half a million people, including students

across New South Wales and Victoria. It is also committed to

increasing the means for people to experience opera, through

recordings and broadcast, online, on-screen and in real-time (live

simulcast).

THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET

The Australian Ballet exists to inspire, delight and challenge audiences

through the power of its performances. It is one of the world’s premier

ballet companies and has delivered extraordinary performances for

over 50 years. A commitment to artistic excellence, a spirited style

and a willingness to take risks have defined the company from its

earliest days.

The company regularly represents Australia on the world stage and

has performed to critical acclaim in 87 cities worldwide including New

York, Shanghai, Tokyo, London and Paris.

The Australian Ballet presents more than 250 shows and 1,700

education and audience engagement events each year. In addition

to 80 exceptional dancers, The Australian Ballet employs master

craftspeople and leaders in injury prevention, dance education,

marketing and philanthropy as well as an orchestra of 62 musicians

(Orchestra Victoria). Moving effortlessly between the great classical

ballets and new commissions, the company has a uniquely Australian

style, powered by artistry and athleticism.

NEW SOUTH WALES

BELVOIR In 1984 more than 600 ardent theatre-lovers together with arts,

entertainment and media professionals formed a syndicate to buy the

former Nimrod Theatre building which was to become 'the city's most

exciting and beloved theatre' (Sydney Morning Herald), known today

as Belvoir. Thirty years later, under the artistic leadership of Eamon

Flack, Belvoir engages Australia's most prominent and promising

playwrights, directors, actors and designers to realise an annual

season of work that is dynamic, challenging and visionary. As well as

performing at home, Belvoir regularly takes to the road, touring both

nationally and internationally. Recent accolades include the 2015

Helpmann Award for Best Play for The Glass Menagerie and Sydney

Theatre Awards for Best Mainstage Production for Ivanov.

Opera Australia La Traviata

Belvoir Building landscape by Helen Corteze

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SYDNEY DANCE COMPANY

Sydney Dance Company is a legendary force in contemporary

dance, touring globally under the artistic direction of Helpmann

Award-winning Rafael Bonachela. It has led the way in creating a

new era in Australian contemporary dance, commissioning some of

the world’s most in- demand choreographers.

The company also runs one of the largest dance schools in Australia

with 70,000 students developing their skills with Sydney Dance

Company each year.

It also reaches over 7000 students and teachers through their nation-

wide education program that offers a strategic curriculum targeting

primary and secondary students through to career-focused study for

pre-professional dancers and university graduates.

SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Founded in 1932 by the Australian Broadcasting Commission, the

Sydney Symphony Orchestra has evolved into one of the world’s finest

orchestras. Resident at the Sydney Opera House, the SSO also tours

NSW and internationally, and is one of the premier orchestras of the

Asia Pacific region. The SSO’s performances encompass masterpieces

from the classical repertoire, music by some of the finest living

composers, festival events, and collaborations with artists and

ensembles from all genres, reflecting the orchestra’s versatility and

diverse appeal.

The SSO’s first Chief Conductor was Sir Eugene Goossens, appointed in

1947. He was followed by Nicolai Malko, Dean Dixon, Moshe Atzmon,

Willem van Otterloo, Louis Frémaux, Sir Charles Mackerras, Zdenek

Mácal, Stuart Challender, Edo de Waart and Gianluigi Gelmetti.

Vladimir Ashkenazy was appointed Principal Conductor in 2009, and

David Robertson took up the post of Chief Conductor in 2014.

SYDNEY THEATRE COMPANY

Sydney Theatre Company is Australia's largest theatre company and

the state theatre company of NSW. Recognised as one of the world’s

most exciting and original theatre companies, STC presents an annual

season of 16 productions seen by over 300,000 people across its

harbourside venues, The Wharf and Roslyn Packer Theatre in Walsh

Bay, and Sydney Opera House, as its resident theatre company.

STC strives to create theatre experiences that reflect Sydney’s

distinctive personality, and has a proud heritage as a creative hub

and incubator for Australian theatre and theatre-makers, developing

and producing eclectic Australian works, interpretations of classics

and great international writing. The theatre careers of many of Australia's internationally renowned

artists have been launched and fostered at STC, including Benedict

Andrews, Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Toni Collette, Judy Davis, Mel

Gibson, Richard Roxburgh, Geoffrey Rush and Hugo Weaving.

Sydney Dance Company image by Peter Grieg

Sydney Theatre Company Macbeth Photo Brett Boardman

Sydney Symphony Orchestra image by Keith Saunders

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QUEENSLAND

OPERA QUEENSLAND

Opera Queensland’s vision is of a boundless landscape of opera

experiences that explore the richness, expanse and diversity of both

the operatic art form and Queensland itself. Its mission is to reflect,

celebrate and enrich life in our communities. OperaQ serves

metropolitan Brisbane and regional/remote Queensland through the

development and presentation of opera projects that embody its

core values of excellence, community and adventure.

Three intersecting spheres of engagement are central to achieving

our goals:

• In a range of theatres and venues across metropolitan Brisbane we

present grand opera of excellence and bold creative adventures.

• We tour extensively throughout regional Queensland, creating unique

and innovative opportunities for regional artists and audiences to

experience opera.

• OperaQ’s Open Stage program creates first-rate education and

community engagement programs for all ages.

QUEENSLAND BALLET

Queensland Ballet is a vibrant, creative company connecting people

and dance. It offers a program of world-class productions of the best

classical ballets and inspired contemporary dance works. The

company engages renowned choreographers and designers from

around the world and nurtures emerging local talent by presenting

exciting new works.

With a culture of creativity and collaboration, complemented by an

active program of engagement with our communities, Queensland

Ballet has become the central hub for dance in the state. Its dancers

are acclaimed for their technical excellence and versatility, and the

company’s annual program offers diversity in style, audience focus

and geographic reach, with up to 100 performances in Brisbane and

tours.

QUEENSLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

As an arts leader and great Australian orchestra, Queensland

Symphony Orchestra is renowned for its high quality performances of

both classical and modern compositions that engage audiences of

diverse musical tastes, interests and ages.

The largest performing arts company in Queensland and the state’s

only professional symphony orchestra, QSO plays a vital role in

Queensland’s cultural community, educating, mentoring aspiring

performers, touring regional centres, broadcasting, and performing

with state, national and international ballet and opera companies.

Each year QSO attracts the world’s best conductors and soloists as

part of its acclaimed concert season, in addition to presenting unique

blockbuster events. QSO is passionate about commissioning

innovative new programs and Australian works and continues to

invest in collaborations, recordings and digital initiatives.

Opera Queensland Barber of Seville 2016

Image by Stephen Henrysmalld

Queensland Ballet Credit – Dancer Laura Hidalgo,

Photo by Harold David

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QUEENSLAND THEATRE

Queensland Theatre is Australia’s third largest theatre company.

Formed in 1970 it has been creating collective experiences that

change lives. It presents an annual season of classics and

contemporary international and Australian work.

It is a Queensland leader in the presentation of Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander theatre, education and youth programs, regional

engagement, touring and the development of new artists and new

stories.

VICTORIA

MALTHOUSE THEATRE

Malthouse Theatre collaborates with local and international artists to

create inventive performances that cut to the core of the human

experience.

Theatre has the power to interrogate, disrupt and to be an agent of

change—and always should. The work Malthouse Theatre produces

explores the world personally, socially and politically.

Based in a dedicated venue, The Coopers Malthouse in Melbourne,

Malthouse is a home for live experiences that entertain and provoke a

dialogue with and within audiences.

MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra was established in 1906 and is

Australia’s oldest orchestra. It currently performs live to more than

250,000 people annually, in concerts ranging from subscription

performances at its home, Hamer Hall at Arts Centre Melbourne, to its

annual free concerts at Melbourne’s largest outdoor venue, the

Sidney Myer Music Bowl. The orchestra also delivers innovative and

engaging education and outreach programs to audiences of all

ages.

Sir Andrew Davis gave his inaugural concerts as the MSO’s Chief

Conductor in 2013, having made his debut with the orchestra in 2009.

Highlights of his tenure have included collaborations with artists such

as Bryn Terfel, Emanuel Ax, Truls Mork and Renee Fleming, and the

orchestra’s European Tour in 2014 which included appearances at the

Edinburgh Festival, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival and Copenhagen’s Tivoli Concert

Hall.

Further current and future highlights with Sir Andrew Davis include a

complete cycle of the Mahler symphonies.

The MSO also works with Associate Conductor Benjamin Northey and

the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chorus, as well as with such

eminent recent guest conductors as Thomas Ades, John Adams, Tan

Dun, Charles Dutoit, Jakub Hrůša, Mark Wigglesworth, Markus Stenz

and Simone Young.

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MELBOURNE THEATRE COMPANY

Melbourne Theatre Company is one of Australia’s flagship performing

arts companies and has been enriching lives through the storytelling

power of the finest theatre imaginable for over 60 years.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Brett Sheehy AO and

Executive Director Virginia Lovett, MTC produces classic and

contemporary Australian and international theatre with style, passion

and excellence to entertain, challenge and engage audiences.

ORCHESTRA VICTORIA

Orchestra Victoria inspires Victorians through great orchestral music. It

is the proud performance partner of Australia’s premier

performing arts companies—The Australian Ballet, Opera Australia,

Victorian Opera and The Production Company.

The orchestra was established in 1969 and now, in its fifth decade, it

continues to deliver performances of artistic excellence. On 1 July

2014 Orchestra Victoria became a wholly owned subsidiary of The

Australian Ballet.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

ADELAIDE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Established in 1936 the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra is South

Australia’s largest performing arts organisation with a reputation which

continues to soar. Across its 80 year history, the ASO has played a

major role in Adelaide’s cultural and economic vibrancy.

Delivering diverse and colourful programming with leading

international and Australian musicians, the ASO presents more than

100 world-class performances to more than 100,000 concertgoers

each season. This extends beyond the concert halls through the

Learning program, directly reaching more than 14,000 children, the

Out of the CBD series, regular broadcasts on ABC Classic FM plus

numerous international tours and Festival performances.

STATE OPERA OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA

State Opera of South Australia is renowned for its rich artistic

experiences, its staging of specialist music theatre art in Australia and

its development of highly skilled home-grown artists. Each year, the

State Opera presents at least three major operatic productions at

various venues across Adelaide as well as many smaller productions in

The Opera Studio and regionally.

The company’s vision is to be renowned nationally and internationally

as the performing arts company that keeps opera relevant and

exciting through a mix of traditional and non-traditional specialist

repertoire, including events that attract cultural tourism to South

Australia.

It presents, produces and conducts diverse operatic performances,

including many Australian premieres, which promote theatrical arts

and excite interest in the art form.

Melbourne Theatre Company Born Yesterday

State Opera of South Australia - Verdi –

Image by Darren Williams

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STATE THEATRE COMPANY SOUTH AUSTRALIA

The State Theatre Company South Australia is the state's flagship

theatre company performing an annual season of classic and

contemporary Australian and international theatre works to

audiences of about 50,000 per year at its main performance home—

the Dunstan Playhouse in the Adelaide Festival Centre.

The company is a major community and cultural resource for all South

Australians and is vital to the artistic life of the state. With a busy slate

of commissions, STCSA is committed to developing new Australian

works. It also plays an important role in the national theatre scene,

touring productions and providing employment and career

development opportunities for South Australian artists and other

theatre-workers.

TASMANIA

TASMANIAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra has been at the forefront of

concert life in Tasmania for more than six decades. Established in 1948

and declared a Tasmanian Icon in 1998, the TSO gives nearly 80

concerts annually including seasons in Hobart and Launceston, and

appearances in Tasmanian regional centres. The TSO also

collaborates with other Tasmanian arts organisations, including highly

successful projects with the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA).

Resident in Hobart’s purpose-built Federation Concert Hall, the TSO

has a full complement of 47 musicians. Marko Letonja is the

orchestra’s Chief Conductor and Artistic Director. For works that

require choral forces, the TSO is joined by the TSO Chorus. With

approximately 80 CDs in its catalogue, including 21 titles in the

Australian Composer Series on ABC Classics and 14 in the Romantic

Piano Concerto Series on the British label Hyperion, the TSO is known

and heard nationally and internationally.

In December 2016 and January 2017, the TSO gave a highly

successful tour of China, performing nine concerts in seven cities,

including Shanghai and Nanjing.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

BLACK SWAN STATE THEATRE COMPANY

Black Swan State Theatre Company is Western Australia’s state

theatre company, committed to creating exceptional theatre that

nurtures Western Australian audiences and artists and promotes WA

artists within the state, nationally and internationally.

Since it began in 1991, Black Swan has earned both critical and

popular acclaim for its world premiere productions and highly

distinctive reinterpretations of international theatre classics—all of

which are infused with the unique culture of Western Australia.

Its strength lies in artist development, encouraging access and

engaging with the community. The company has seen enormous

growth in building audiences, building capacity and establishing a

benchmark for quality productions of scale in Western Australia. Future

areas of core strategic focus include artist development, education

and regional engagement.

State Theatre Company of South Australia -The Ham

Funeral Image by Shane Reid

Black Swan State Theatre Company Nathaniel Dean, Sigrid

Thornton. A Streetcar Named Desire.

Image by Gary Marsh

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WEST AUSTRALIAN BALLET

West Australian Ballet was formed in 1952 by Madame Kira Bousloff,

formerly a Prima Ballerina with the Ballets Russes. The company is

proud of its heritage as Australia’s longest running ballet company.

Artistic Director Aurélien Scannella’s energy and commitment

provides the driving-force for the company’s innovative work and

artistic acclaim. Based in the heritage-listed West Australian Ballet

Centre, the company offers an extensive program of dance

throughout the year including four major seasons in Perth,

international touring, regional touring throughout Western Australia,

choreographic workshops, a state-wide education program and

other community activities. Classical ballet forms the foundation of

the company’s vocabulary, combined with a distinct contemporary

outlook. WAB stages everything from full-length classical ballets and

narrative ballets to contemporary works that encompass a variety of

choreographic styles.

WEST AUSTRALIAN OPERA

The West Australia Opera is committed to the development,

presentation and promotion of opera as an essential part of Australian

cultural life. Established in 1967, the company presents operas drawn

from the mainstream operatic repertoire and increasingly is involved

in commissioning and developing new repertoire, forming new

national and international partnerships. The company offers an

annual subscription season of main stage productions as well as

programs in regional Western Australia and a strong education

program and ancillary activities, including concerts and community

events in Western Australia. It presents three operas in His Majesty’s

Theatre each year as well as an Opera in the Park to about 15 000

people in Supreme Court Gardens. In 2017 West Australian Opera

celebrates its 50th Anniversary.

WEST AUSTRALIAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

West Australian Symphony Orchestra is Western Australia’s largest and

busiest performing arts organisation. With a reputation for excellence,

engagement and innovation, WASO’s resident company of full-time,

professional musicians plays a central role in creating a culturally

vibrant Western Australia. WASO’s mission is to touch souls and enrich

lives through music. Each year the orchestra entertains and inspires

the people of Western Australia through its concert performances,

regional tours, innovative education and community programs, and

its artistic partnerships with West Australian Opera and West Australian

Ballet.

The orchestra is led by Principal Conductor and Artistic Adviser Asher

Fisch. The Israeli-born conductor is widely acclaimed for his command

of the Romantic German repertoire and is a frequent guest at the

world’s great opera houses. Each year the orchestra performs over

175 concerts with some of the world’s most talented conductors and

soloists to an audience or more than 190,000.

West Australian Ballet Quarry Image by Robert Johnson

Principal Conductor Asher Fisch and West Australian

Symphony Orchestra

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Adelaide Symphony Orchestra Orchestra Victoria

Australian Brandenburg

Orchestra

Queensland Ballet

Australian Chamber

Orchestra

Queensland Symphony Orchestra

Bangarra Dance Theatre Queensland Theatre

Bell Shakespeare State Opera South Australia

Belvoir State Theatre Company South

Australia

Black Swan State Theatre

Company

Sydney Dance Company

Circus Oz Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Malthouse Theatre Sydney Theatre Company

Melbourne Symphony

Orchestra

The Australian Ballet

Melbourne Theatre

Company

Tasmanian Symphony

Orchestra

Musica Viva Australia

Western Australian Ballet

Opera Australia

Opera

Queensland

West Australian Opera

West Australian Symphony

Orchestra

Australian Major Performing Arts Group - ampag.com.au · fresh life and vitality into baroque and...

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