Sydney Eisteddfod
Encyclopedia
The Sydney Eisteddfod is an independent community based non-profit organisation limited by guarantee a registered charity in Sydney
, New South Wales
, Australia
, and listed on the federal Register of Cultural Organisations eligible to receive tax-deductible donations. Directors and advisors are honorary. Sydney Eisteddfod annually present the McDonald's Sydney Eisteddfod, with the help of arts and education professionals. In 2011 the Festival grew to over 400 events for singers, dancers, actors, musicians, choirs, bands and orchestras, along with creative categories for composers, writers and poets.
The Sydney Eisteddfod formerly known as the City of Sydney Eisteddfod opened in 1933. held from 9 to 26 August 1933 in the Sydney Town Hall, The Assembly Halls, The Railway Institute Halls and Paling's concert Hall. The illustrated souvenir programme cost one shilling
The Sydney Eisteddfod acts as a reference source for public enquiries about other competitions and opportunities, arts organisations and support groups, performances presented by commercial and non-profit presenters; encourages opportunities for public performance by developing artists; promoting recitals, concerts and performances; nurtures interest in the performing and creative arts, and cultivates future audiences.
Piroozi Desai-Keane OAM - CEO Sydney Eiesteddfod. Born a Zoroastrian. Educated though the University of Cambridge
via the Cathedral High School in Lahore, Pakistan and later through the University of the Punjab
, Lahore, majoring in languages (French and German) and philosophy.
From 1976-1981 worked as Program Director at the Goethe-Institut
(German Cultural Centre, Lahore).
Arrived in Australia in 1981 and joined Sydney Eisteddfod in 1982.
Became an Australian citizen in 1984 and a Justice of the Peace
in 1986. Married Christopher Keane in 1994.
After serving as secretary, administrator and general manager Piroozi Desai-Keane was appointed chief executive of the Sydney Eisteddfod in 2008 taking over from Geoffrey Jones who became paralysed after suffering a stroke.
In June 2009 she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list, in recognition of her services to the community.
Sydney Eisteddfod won the City of Sydney Business Award, Cultural and Creative Services section in 2011.
Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir
AC CVO, Governor of New South Wales
Vice-Patrons
Artistic patrons
Ambassadors:
in 1932, leading opinion-makers pointed out that the city needed to cultivate a more sophisticated image. At the time Sydney had no Opera House
or symphony orchestra and one of its three live theatres was already marked for demolition, members of the Citizens o Sydney Organising Committee consulted leaders of the local musical community and devised plans for a great eisteddfod to enhance Sydney
's reputation as a centre for arts.
The NSW State Conservatorium and President of the NSW Music Week Committee drew up a proposal to hold a large-scale event to bring together the best musical and elocutionary talent of the various States. On 22 December, this was adopted at a meeting at the Sydney Town Hall under the chairmanship of the Lord Mayor Samuel Walder MLC.
In the 1933 New Year honours, Walder received a knighthood. He relinquished his mayoral duties, but continued his career in State politics, retained his place on the Citizens of Sydney Organising Committee and continued to support the Eisteddfod.
The First City of Sydney Eisteddfod offered a programme of 84 vocal, choral, speech and musical events and drew 5,410 entries. It opened to great success on 19 August 1933 with artist including Joan Hammond
, Ernest Llewellyn
and Joy Nichols.
Apart from a four-year recess during the Pacific War
the competition has continued ever since. The Citizens Committee disbanded in 1950, but the Eisteddfod continued with the same mix of political, civic, educational and industry leadership. The City of Sydney Cultural Council was incorporated in 1975 to embrace a wider range of activities.
McDonald's
Australia commenced its association with Sydney Eisteddfod (formerly known as Sydney cultural Council) in 1988 with naming rights sponsorship.
McDonald's Australia have also supported the McDonald's Operatic Aria since 1989 and the McDonald's Ballet Scholarship since 1998 providing the necessary nutrient
for encouraging and developing artistic talent across Australia.
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and listed on the federal Register of Cultural Organisations eligible to receive tax-deductible donations. Directors and advisors are honorary. Sydney Eisteddfod annually present the McDonald's Sydney Eisteddfod, with the help of arts and education professionals. In 2011 the Festival grew to over 400 events for singers, dancers, actors, musicians, choirs, bands and orchestras, along with creative categories for composers, writers and poets.
The Sydney Eisteddfod formerly known as the City of Sydney Eisteddfod opened in 1933. held from 9 to 26 August 1933 in the Sydney Town Hall, The Assembly Halls, The Railway Institute Halls and Paling's concert Hall. The illustrated souvenir programme cost one shilling
The Sydney Eisteddfod acts as a reference source for public enquiries about other competitions and opportunities, arts organisations and support groups, performances presented by commercial and non-profit presenters; encourages opportunities for public performance by developing artists; promoting recitals, concerts and performances; nurtures interest in the performing and creative arts, and cultivates future audiences.
Piroozi Desai-Keane OAM - CEO Sydney Eiesteddfod. Born a Zoroastrian. Educated though the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
via the Cathedral High School in Lahore, Pakistan and later through the University of the Punjab
University of the Punjab
University of the Punjab , colloquially known as Punjab University, is located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The University of the Punjab is the oldest and biggest University of Pakistan. The University of the Punjab was formally established with the convening of the first meeting of its...
, Lahore, majoring in languages (French and German) and philosophy.
From 1976-1981 worked as Program Director at the Goethe-Institut
Goethe-Institut
The Goethe-Institut is a non-profit German cultural institution operational worldwide, promoting the study of the German language abroad and encouraging international cultural exchange and relations. The Goethe-Institut also fosters knowledge about Germany by providing information on German...
(German Cultural Centre, Lahore).
Arrived in Australia in 1981 and joined Sydney Eisteddfod in 1982.
Became an Australian citizen in 1984 and a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
in 1986. Married Christopher Keane in 1994.
After serving as secretary, administrator and general manager Piroozi Desai-Keane was appointed chief executive of the Sydney Eisteddfod in 2008 taking over from Geoffrey Jones who became paralysed after suffering a stroke.
In June 2009 she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list, in recognition of her services to the community.
Sydney Eisteddfod won the City of Sydney Business Award, Cultural and Creative Services section in 2011.
Current Information
Patron:Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir
Marie Bashir
Marie Roslyn Bashir AC, CVO is the present Governor of New South Wales since 2001 and also the Chancellor of the University of Sydney since 2007. Born in Narrandera, New South Wales, Bashir graduated from the University of Sydney in 1956 and held various medical positions, with a particular...
AC CVO, Governor of New South Wales
Vice-Patrons
- Sir Nicholas ShehadieNicholas ShehadieSir Nicholas Michael Shehadie, AC, OBE KStJ is the former Lord Mayor of Sydney and a former national representative rugby union captain, who made thirty career Test appearances...
OBE - Doug Sutherland AM
Artistic patrons
- Maestro Richard BonyngeRichard BonyngeRichard Alan Bonynge, AO, CBE is an Australian conductor and pianist.Bonynge was born in Sydney and educated at Sydney Boys High School before studying piano at the Royal College of Music in London. He gave up his music scholarship, continuing his private piano studies, and became a coach for...
AO CBE - Dame Joan SutherlandJoan SutherlandDame Joan Alston Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano noted for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s....
- Maina GielgudMaina GielgudMaina Gielgud is a former British ballet dancer and a veteran ballet administrator. She was artistic director of the Australian Ballet from 1983 to 1996 and is that company's longest serving director to date. She had a twenty year career as a dancer in Europe and the United Kingdom. Gielgud...
AO
Ambassadors:
- Miss Amelia Farugia
- Mr. Geoffrey T Jones OAM
- Mr. Simon Kenway
- Dr. Nicholas Milton
- Mr. Steven McRae principal dancer with the Royal Ballet
- Mr. Stuart Skelton
- Mr. Simon TedeschiSimon TedeschiSimon Tedeschi is a Boston-based classical pianist from Australia.-Life and career:Simon Tedeschi was born in Sydney to Mark Tedeschi QC, the New South Wales Crown Prosecutor and a prominent photographer and Vivienne Tedeschi, who is the daughter of a Polish Holocaust survivor, Lucy Gershwin,...
- Ms. Fiona Ziegler
- Ms. Leone Ziegler
History
Following the opening of Sydney Harbour BridgeSydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic...
in 1932, leading opinion-makers pointed out that the city needed to cultivate a more sophisticated image. At the time Sydney had no Opera House
Opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...
or symphony orchestra and one of its three live theatres was already marked for demolition, members of the Citizens o Sydney Organising Committee consulted leaders of the local musical community and devised plans for a great eisteddfod to enhance Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
's reputation as a centre for arts.
The NSW State Conservatorium and President of the NSW Music Week Committee drew up a proposal to hold a large-scale event to bring together the best musical and elocutionary talent of the various States. On 22 December, this was adopted at a meeting at the Sydney Town Hall under the chairmanship of the Lord Mayor Samuel Walder MLC.
In the 1933 New Year honours, Walder received a knighthood. He relinquished his mayoral duties, but continued his career in State politics, retained his place on the Citizens of Sydney Organising Committee and continued to support the Eisteddfod.
The First City of Sydney Eisteddfod offered a programme of 84 vocal, choral, speech and musical events and drew 5,410 entries. It opened to great success on 19 August 1933 with artist including Joan Hammond
Joan Hammond
Dame Joan Hilda Hood Hammond, DBE, CMG was an Australian operatic soprano, singing coach and champion golfer.- Early life :...
, Ernest Llewellyn
Ernest Llewellyn
Ernest Victor Llewellyn CBE was an Australian violinist, concertmaster, violist, conductor and musical administrator. He was the founding director of the Canberra School of Music and he is commemorated in the concert venue there, Llewellyn Hall.-Early career:Ernest Llewellyn was born in Kurri...
and Joy Nichols.
Apart from a four-year recess during the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
the competition has continued ever since. The Citizens Committee disbanded in 1950, but the Eisteddfod continued with the same mix of political, civic, educational and industry leadership. The City of Sydney Cultural Council was incorporated in 1975 to embrace a wider range of activities.
McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
Australia commenced its association with Sydney Eisteddfod (formerly known as Sydney cultural Council) in 1988 with naming rights sponsorship.
McDonald's Australia have also supported the McDonald's Operatic Aria since 1989 and the McDonald's Ballet Scholarship since 1998 providing the necessary nutrient
Nutrient
A nutrient is a chemical that an organism needs to live and grow or a substance used in an organism's metabolism which must be taken in from its environment. They are used to build and repair tissues, regulate body processes and are converted to and used as energy...
for encouraging and developing artistic talent across Australia.