I am excited about my first
Melbourne Festival as President,
and conscious of the outstanding
contribution of my predecessor
Carrillo Gantner AO: both in his four
years as President, and also in his
long service to the artistic life of our
city.
For almost 30 years now, Melbourne
Festival has been integral to
entertaining, stimulating and at
times provoking a wide audience in
diverse art forms; this year is no
exception. There is an extraordinary
range of events to delight those who
are deeply connected to the arts, as
well as those who are new and
curious. Whether your passion lies
in music, dance, theatre or circus
arts, there is plenty to engage you
and your family.
The Festival would not be possible
without the generous support of
our largest partner, the Victorian
Government, as well as the City
of Melbourne and our sponsors,
patrons and supporters. I am
pleased to take this opportunity to
express our gratitude to them all.
HON LINDA DESSAU AM
PRESIDENT
Every October the Melbourne
Festival brings a special buzz to our
city. With a strong commitment to
delivering free and low cost events,
it truly is a festival for all.
This year, I encourage you to ‘Make
a day of it in Melbourne’ – catch a
Melbourne Art Tram, have some
lunch before a matinee or a free
Artist in Conversation talk, stroll
through an exhibition before
heading to Quartets at Sunset or
another evening performance.
I wish the 2014 Melbourne Festival
every success and look forward to
seeing it flourish and unfold
throughout our city.
HON ROBERT DOYLE
LORD MAYOR &
MELBOURNE FESTIVAL PATRON
This year’s Melbourne Festival
covers an enormous range. There
are shows aimed at disrupting our
thinking with visual arts as
performance, theatre as choral
experience, and classical music
getting together with the coolest
of techno DJs. We offer the purity
of tradition as well as the boldness
of the contemporary.
We also bring you a special focus
on the fast-changing world of circus
– an art form in motion, in which
Melbourne excels.
Importantly, the legacy of
commissioned works that we
have helped bring to the stage
will ensure that it’s not all over
in 17 days.
All this adds up to a Festival
program that has been curated
specifically for Melbourne, which
responds to our audiences and to
our artists and which contributes
something unique to the cultural
life of this wonderful city.
Welcome to the 2014 Melbourne
Festival.
JOSEPHINE RIDGE
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
melbournefestival.com.au
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