Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a World Heritage-listed ‘masterpiece of human creative genius’ that belongs to all Australians.
Bennelong Point
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia
The Sydney Opera House is the symbol of modern Australia. It is one of the world’s busiest performing arts centres, the nation’s premier tourism destination and a World Heritage-listed architectural masterpiece of the 20th century that belongs to all Australians. A global beacon for creativity, the Sydney Opera House’s broad and diverse programming attracts audiences in person and online, with more than 15 million people attending performances and tours over the past decade.
During Vivid Sydney, the Sydney Opera House takes centre stage. The iconic sails become one of the festival’s brightest canvasses lighting up each night with a captivating signature work. For 2023, Vivid Sydney and the Sydney Opera House will transform the sails with an immense work, Life Enlivened (2023) by Australian artist John Olsen, whose mural Salute to Five Bells (1971-73) was commissioned for the Opera House Concert Hall by building architect Jørn Utzon. Through images selected by curator Dr. Deborah Hart and animated by creative technologists Curiious, Life Enlived celebrates the propulsive power of Olsen’s painterly brush to envision the natural world anew.
Under the sails, Vivid LIVE is the annual centrepiece of the Sydney Opera House’s year-round contemporary music program – a whole-of-House takeover and the only time of year that the world-famous venue is completely reimagined by live contemporary music, celebrating iconic and pioneering artists that defy expectations and break new ground. As part of Vivid Sydney, Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House will present original Australian premieres, one-off projects and unmissable performances from Australian artists, alongside select global acts, emerging voices and Sydney’s vibrant local communities who amplify the nation’s culture.
To find out more about the Sydney Opera House and book tickets for Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House events, please visit sydneyoperahouse.com/vivid-live.
Light Events
Lighting of the Sails: Life Enlivened (2023) by John Olsen and Curiious | Vivid LIVE
Australian artist John Olsen’s vibrant paintings of life and energy within the natural world illuminates the Sydney Opera House’s sails in 2023 as...
Music Events
Thundercat | Vivid LIVE
The masterful low-end grooves of Los Angeles native Stephen Bruner – better known as Thundercat – have galvanised some of the funkiest hits of the...
JACOTÉNE | Vivid LIVE
She's just 17 years old, but already Melbourne-based artist JACOTÉNE is wowing critics and audiences with her powerful take on classic soul sounds. After...
Maina Doe | Vivid LIVE
Maina Doe is the sound of Sydney’s booming young RnB scene, a gifted multi-hyphenate fusing futuristic hip-hop, pop, jazz and neo-soul to create the...
The Necks | Vivid LIVE
The Necks are Sydney Opera House legends. In their decade-plus playing the venue, the band The New York Times famously dubbed "the greatest trio on Earth...
Jen Cloher | Vivid LIVE
It's been six years since Jen Cloher released their acclaimed self-titled album, but at last the wait is over. With their fifth and latest record, I Am...
Squarepusher | Vivid LIVE
One of the true icons of modern electronic music, few artists have pushed the genre as hard as Squarepusher, the pioneering British composer, producer...
Becca Hatch | Vivid LIVE
Western Sydney has exploded with talented young hip-hop, RnB and dance-pop artists over the past few years, and they don't come any more exciting than...
Studio Party: Picnic Party | Vivid LIVE
From their low-key beginnings in inner-city clubs and warehouse spaces, the parties staged by Sydney dance-music collective Picnic have earned a reputation...
Studio Party: Mad Racket - PLAID live A/V Set | Vivid LIVE
No Vivid LIVE experience is complete without a trip to Mad Racket’s legendary Studio Party, the long-running night curated by Sydney's beloved inner...
Cat Power Sings Dylan - The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert | Vivid LIVE
Across nearly 30 years of writing, recording and touring, Atlanta-born singer-songwriter Chan Marshall – aka Cat Power – has imbued folk, punk, blues...