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Operas and Concerts [New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music Concert Organiser] [Sydney Conservatorium of Music] (Series 646)

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The University of Sydney News Vol 16 No 26

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6th Feb 2024 11:26AMDame Joan worked in the typing pool office located on the ground floor in the north-east corner of the Madsen Building. There was a funny story about her circulating among the staff of the Radiophysics Division when I spent 6 months in 1999/2000 at their new home in Marsfield. Apparently when Dame Joan was yet unknown as a singer she offered to sing at the Division's Christmas party but the organiser did not accept her offer. He was never allowed to forget when she became an international star.

5th Feb 2024 11:35AMDame Joan's connection with the University is even more direct. Her first job was in Madsen Building, typing up reports for the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Radiophysics Laboratory. She left because she was losing her shorthand and because it was too far to duck into town at lunchtime for singing lessons. Not sure she should have been that worried about the shorthand. From her autobiography, A Prima Donna's Progress (1997).

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© The University of Sydney. This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Please credit the University of Sydney Archives as the source, using the following statement, "Courtesy of the University of Sydney Archives, [Identifier]". Please acknowledge the creator/contributor where applicable.

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Conservatorium Opera Programs, 1945-1962

Details

IdentifierREF-00089083Date1945 to 1962Decade1940s1950s1960sDescription

Only the June 1951 program has been digitised.

The Book of Judith

Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, who today requires no introduction, made her stage debut in June 1951 in Eugene Goossens', Judith, an "opera in one act". On 9, 12, 18 and 22 June, Dame Sutherland played Judith, "a Jewish woman". [Ref 1].

Dame Sutherland's association with the University, however, can be traced back to the late 1880s, as her great-grandfather and grandfather, of Alston and Company, worked on the stonework of the Anderson Stuart Building as well as other sandstone buildings at the University. She mentioned this historic link when she was bestowed with an honorary degree on 12 September 1984. [Ref 2].

This item is part of the University Archives' 70 Years, 70 Stories series, created to celebrate our 70th birthday on 3 May 2024. To discover more stories, explore the 70 Years, 70 Stories collection.

References

Ref 1: Conservatorium Opera Programs, 1945-1962 (1945 to 1962), p. 4 (1951), [REF-00089083]. University of Sydney Archives.

Ref 2: The University of Sydney News Vol 16 No 26 (18/09/1984), pp. 217-218, [REF-00039570]. University of Sydney Archives.

Context

SeriesOperas and Concerts [New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music Concert Organiser] [Sydney Conservatorium of Music] (Series 646)CollectionSydney Conservatorium of Music Programs70 Years, 70 StoriesItem - RelatedThe University of Sydney News Vol 16 No 26

Format

Digital RecordYesPrimary FormatProgramDigitised FormatPDFFormat DescriptionPrimary Format: programs bound into one hardcover book

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AccessOpenPublic Access StatusOpen - OnlineOpen - Visit ArchivesCopyright StatusProtected by Copyright

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Alternate IdentifierEDRMS: DOC2023/7161898 (June 1951 program)Metadata StatusComplete

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