House Stories

Up Next is a podcast from the front line of the Sydney Opera House, hosted by Courtney Ammenhauser. Join us backstage with the artists and performers shaping the next 50 years of arts, music and culture in Australia. Subscribe to the podcast at https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/digital/podcasts/up-next.html.

Up Next - A podcast from the front line of the Sydney Opera House

Season 11 (2023) of the podcast series, featuring new talks and conversations from the Sydney Opera House with the world’s greatest minds and culture creators. For more Sydney Opera House podcasts, visit sydneyoperahouse.com/listen or your favourite podcast platform.

Ideas at the House S11 - Talks from the Sydney Opera House

Behind every big idea, there's a long story. Produced by Sydney Opera House as part of the Talks & Ideas program, Edwina Throsby interviews some of the world's most interesting thinkers and culture creators.

It's a Long Story

Arty Farty - A Podcast for Kids

Isabel Allende's books centre female experience in all its joy and hardship. And at 78, the legendary Chilean has seen first-hand what feminism has accomplished in her lifetime. In this talk at All About Women in 2021, Allende muses on decades of writing and reflects on her marriages, sex, ageing, and the evolution of feminism. - You can watch this talk along with the others recorded at the All About Women festival, on , the new streaming service from the Sydney Opera House.  for free now and start watching. Follow the Sydney Opera House on: ,  and

Isabel Allende - The Soul of a Woman | Ideas at the House Podcast S09 E21

In this candid conversation, sex worker, activist and author, Tilly Lawless opens up about her often complex feelings towards sex work, her early childhood in coastal NSW, and negotiating her queer identity in a largely straight business model. - Watch this talk and others with best-selling author, podcaster and businesswoman FlexMami, Sydney-based sex-worker and feminist activist Tilly Lawless, and popular Australian presenter and author Yumi Stynes, on stream. The new streaming service from the Sydney Opera House. Register for free now and start watching.

Tilly Lawless | Ideas at the House Podcast S09 E27

Entrepreneur, author, TV host, DJ, model, social media superstar: is there anything that Lillian Ahenkan can’t do? In this lively, inspiring conversation, Edwina Throsby speaks with Ahenkan – better known as FlexMami – about her path to modern stardom, delving into her unique life philosophy, indomitable business smarts, and relationship to online celebrity. From her unlikely childhood as the daughter of single Ghanaian parent in Sydney’s mostly white Eastern Suburbs to her fearless, self-motivated rise through fashion, PR and the club scene on her way to building a social media fanbase, Ahenkan reveals the secrets behind her remarkable journey – and her thoughts on the future of social media’s influencer phenomenon. - Watch this talk and others with best-selling author, podcaster and businesswoman FlexMami, Sydney-based sex-worker and feminist activist Tilly Lawless, and popular Australian presenter and author Yumi Stynes, on stream. The new streaming service from the Sydney Opera House.

Lillian Ahenkan (aka Flex Mami) | Ideas at the House Podcast S09 E28

Standing against Islamophobia in Australia. Michael Mohammed Ahmad, Randa Abdel-Fattah &amp; Ghassan Hage moderated by Sara Saleh The 2001 September 11 terrorist attacks on New York City gave rise to bigotry, hate speech, and violence against Arab and Muslim communities around the world. Twenty years after the event, how much have things changed for Arab-Australians and Muslim-Australians? -

“No Lebs”: Anti-Arab racism since 9/11 | Ideas At The House Podcast S10 E05

Unrequited romance. Deep friendship. Motherhood. Break-ups. Self-love. Writer, broadcaster and one of Australia's most provocative feminists Clementine Ford explores the manifold ways love makes its home in our hearts. In sermon and song she shows how romantic love might be the least important for us, inviting us to come together and open ourselves up to everything love has to give. Recorded live at the Sydney Opera House for All About Women 2022.

Clementine Ford: Love Sermon | Ideas At The House Podcast S10 E10

As a young person roaming the bush, award-winning Wiradjuri poet, filmmaker and artist Jazz Money couldn’t have imagined a career performing and making poetry for the Opera House. In this episode of Up Next, Jazz and Courtney chat about the experience growing up as the weird kid in regional Australia, how to make poetry more accessible and everyday poetics.

For more Sydney Opera House podcasts, visit sydneyoperahouse.com/listen or your favourite podcast platform.

Weaving a tapestry with Jazz Money | Up Next Podcast S01 E09

Over the years, Ziggy Ramo has basically made a second home out of the Opera House. Now he's back again to chat about his new album, Sugar Coated Lies, his recent turn as an actor and co-composer in the Australian drama Black Snow, and why he's switching out rapping for folk music.

For more Sydney Opera House podcasts, visit sydneyoperahouse.com/listen or your favourite podcast platform.

Ziggy Ramo The Storyteller | Up Next Podcast S01 E08

With a gift for lush, melodic vocals wrapped around irresistibly slinky hooks, emerging singer-songwriter Ashli delivers sparkling, R&B-flavoured pop. Her debut album "Only One" was released last year and in June she'll be performing at the Opera House for Vivid Live. In this episode, Ashli chats with Courtney about: how a pop song is made, her love-hate relationship with social media, how church music and Taylor Swift inspire her, and so much more.

For more Sydney Opera House podcasts, visit sydneyoperahouse.com/listen or your favourite podcast platform.

Sacrifice, social media and side hustles with Ashli | Up Next Podcast S01 E10

As a dancer and choreographer, Harrison Hall pushes the boundary of what those artforms mean. Think drones filming dancers in motion capture body suits. Think live performance transposed into video game avatars for people watching on the other side of the world. Think dancers that don't all look like ballerinas.

For more Sydney Opera House podcasts, visit sydneyoperahouse.com/listen or your favourite podcast platform.

Dancing in Digital Dimensions: Next gen choreography with Harrison Hall | Up Next Podcast S01 E11

What if the things we keep hidden say more about us than those we put on display?

Jarvis Cocker, founder and front man of legendary English band Pulp finally found the time to rummage around his attic crawl space and write a book on the rediscovered hoarded objects and mementos that tell a lifetime of incredible stories. 

In this show and tell with Myf Warhurst as part of Antidote 2022, Cocker explores questions of creativity, music, and the deep significance of everyday objects that most people throw away. 

This talk was recorded live at the Sydney Opera House in September 2022.

Ideas at the House

Good Pop Bad Pop - Jarvis Cocker | Ideas at the House Podcast S11 E05

Should government step in to protect us from Big Social Media?

Conspiracy theories and false news are spread by social media, with real and dangerous consequences for society. Is it time for governments to consider dealing with algorithm bubbles?

At Antidote 2022, journalist Karen Middleton was joined by former PM Malcolm Turnbull AC and Ed Coper, author of Facts and Other Lies, to discuss how false information affects governments delivering services and ask whether social media networks are out of control and posing a threat to democracy.

This event was recorded live at the Sydney Opera House in September 2022.

Unfriend The Algorithm - Ed Coper & Malcolm Turnbull AC | Ideas at the House Podcast S11 E06

Would you quit your job to serve others?

These two high-achievers sacrificed successful careers in journalism to take up the rigorous study necessary to become medical doctors. What drives such a sacrifice, and how does it feel to be called to serve?

Lisa Pryor, previously a lawyer and a columnist is now a psychiatry registrar, listening and responding to human stories in a different way. Amy Coopes was a journalist dispatched to meet victims of violent crimes, left the newsroom to pursue medicine in rural areas. At Antidote 2022, they spoke to Norman Swan, who famously switched from medicine to journalism, about what compelled them to abandon successful careers in order to embark on the ultra-demanding profession of medicine and how it gave their lives a bigger sense of purpose.

This event was recorded live at the Sydney Opera House in September 2022.

A Higher Calling | Ideas at the House Podcast S11 E10

Can someone else's story change your life? 

Dai Le, Nardi Simpson, Dinesh Palipana, Antoinette Lattouf and host, Steph Tisdell, took the stage at Antidote 2022 to draw back the curtain on their worlds and reveal what happened to them. We hear stories that are tragic, hilarious, engaging, and life changing, and learn how they shaped who they have become.

This event was recorded live at the Sydney Opera House in September 2022.

It Happened To Me | Ideas at the House Podcast S11 E14

With growing momentum to enact the Uluru Statement from the Heart, and The Voice to Parliament on the agenda, is a meaningful change for First Nations people finally happening in Australia?

In a First Nations led discussion at Antidote 2022, host Jason Glanville was joined by Nareen Young and Nardi Simpson, to discuss what needs to change in our politics, our society and our culture. And what needs to change in the heart of Australians as individuals, as community and as a nation, to realise goals and walk together as one.

This event was recorded live at the Sydney Opera House in September 2022.

Where Do We Go From Here | Ideas at the House Podcast S11 E15

We kick off a new five-part season with a debate from our 50th Birthday Festival, discussing whether or not the Sydney Opera House would be built today. It's an iconic building that inspires imagination and sparks conversations, but do we still have what it takes to bring such a bold vision to fruition?

Arguing for the motion are: Osman Faruqi, Rebecca Huntley, and Benjamin Law and arguing against are: Wendy Harmer, Helen Pitt, and Yumi Stynes.

Hosted by Julia Zemiro, this event was recorded live at the Sydney Opera House in October 2023.

50th Debate: The Opera House Would Not Be Built Today | Ideas at the House Podcast S11 E39

In a year when everyone is talking about artificial intelligence, we need to talk about the human kind. What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be conscious of your existence, your thoughts, your dreams? As machines develop, what might be left that is uniquely human? Our pursuit of pleasure and its rewards? Our ability to love? 

AI expert Toby Walsh and evolutionary biologist Rob Brooks joined journalist Rae Johnston to tackle the fundamental questions we should be asking amid the advent of super intelligent machines.

This is the second episode of a five-part season which showcases recent events from the Sydney Opera House, and was recorded live in October 2023.

AI: The Human Interface | Ideas at the House Podcast S11 E40

Capturing global attention through recipes so popular they became viral hashtags (#TheCookies, #ThePasta, #TheDip), Alison Roman wowed Sydney audiences in May 2023 in her quest for us all to ditch “domestic goddess” perfection and embrace a no-fuss, no-nonsense approach to cooking at home.

Roman spoke to fellow cook and Australian television presenter Adam Liaw about all the things that took her from early life as a pastry chef in California to the stage of the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall.

An Evening with Alison Roman | Ideas at the House Podcast S11 E41

For All About Women 2023, the Sydney Opera House partnered with Western Sydney-based literacy movement Sweatshop on an emerging writers mentorship program for women and non-binary First Nations, culturally and linguistically diverse writers.

The recipients worked on short fiction pieces, responding to Tarana Burke’s #MeToo movement and those left behind as it evolved, under the guidance of Sweatshop judges and mentors Winnie Dunn and Sarah Ayoub.

Hear from 2023 winners Margretta Sowah and Uppma Virdi and highly commended writer Helen Nguyen, including readings of their stories.

This is the fifth and final episode of a five-part season which showcases recent events from the Sydney Opera House, and was recorded in studio June 2023.

All About Women of Colour Mentorship | Ideas at the House Podcast S11 E42

What is it truly like to make a career from playing video games like Minecraft? At 16yrs old, Eystreembecame the youngest Australian gamer to surpass 1 Million subscribers on YouTube. Now at just 19yrs old and with over 7.5M subscribers, Jordan runs his own business and looks after a production team of over ten people who continue to push boundaries with his content. We talk to him about Minecraft, careers in gaming, the importance of education and more.

S05 02 Full STEAM Ahead - EYStreem

Cristy Burne and Denis Knight are co-authors to the book series Wednesday Weeks, a series that blends fantasy and science. A young sorcerer's apprentice changes when her grandpa is captured by a goblin king! She is forced to embrace her magical heritage and use her love for science to save her grandpa! In this conversation, Cristy and Denis encourage kids to write stories, to not give up on doing things they love even when they fail. They also explore the crossover between fantasy and science.

S05 03 Full STEAM Ahead - Cristy Burne & Denis Knight

Karlie Noon is a Gamilaroi astronomer and science communicator. For the last ten years she has been working in promoting Indigenous astronomical knowledge systems and advocating for women in STEM. During this insightful conversation, Karlie shares her story and explains some of the principles of Indigenous Astronomy.

S05 04 Full STEAM Ahead - Karlie Noon

Sami Bayly is a young natural history illustrator and has released 5 books including 3 illustrated encyclopaedias. In this conversation, we talk to her about her encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals, her career so far and how she got into drawing. She also discusses the environment - the impact of climate change on animals and what we can do to protect our planet.

S05 05 Full STEAM Ahead Sami Bayly

Ryan McNaught also known as “The Brickman” has a world of experience with LEGO! What is his favourite colour to build in? How many lego blocks does he have at home? Where does he get his ideas? In this fun conversation, we talk about The Brickman's career, what inspires him, his creative process and about building the Lego Opera House.

S05 06 Full STEAM Ahead Ryan McNaught (Brickman)

Join Adam, Ellie and David for an exciting talk about this new work, looking at their inspirations for developing this book, their creative process and their journeys as storytellers. 

"Welcome to Our Country" is a collaboration between Adnyamathanha and Narungga man Adam Goodes, political advisor and former journalist Ellie Laing, and Barkindji illustrator David Hardy.

The first book in the series, Somebody’s Land introduces readers to the term ‘terra nullius’, a Latin term meaning ‘nobody’s land’ – applied to the colonisation of Australia by white settlers. The book invites children and their families to imagine themselves in Australia’s past, to feel the richness of our First Nations’ history, and to acknowledge that our country was never terra nullius.

S04 01 Book Club - Adam Goodes Ellie Laing & David Hardy

A captivating evening of conversation with Pasi Sahlberg and Hon. Jason Clare MP, Minister for Education, exploring the opportunity and hope to create a fairer and brighter future for Australian youth.

This event took Place at the Sydney Opera House on 12 December 2023.

Pasi Sahlberg on Unlocking The Potential Of Australian Schools | Ideas at the House Podcast S11 E43

It was the ultimate roast session at All About Women, but this time, the target wasn't a person—it was feminism itself! From suffrage struggles to the #MeToo movement, no aspect of feminist history or ideology was safe from the scathing wit of our roasters. A sizzling interrogation of gender and power, this special event was filled with laughs, irreverence, and insights that might make you look at things differently.

Host Steph Tisdell marshalled six of the wittiest voices in comedy and writing -Michelle Law, Jane Caro, Jan Fran, Zoe Coombs Marr and Nakkiah Lui- to take aim at feminism, from its earliest roots to its modern-day iterations.

This event was recorded at the All About Women Festival at the Sydney Opera House on March 10, 2024.

Feminist Roast | Ideas at the House Podcast S12 E09

Deciding whether to have kids is more complex than ever. This thoughtful conversation unpacks the deeply personal choice of parenthood alongside its broader political, financial, and environmental implications. With birth rates falling and uncertainty rising, more women are choosing not to have children. Plug in and hear candid conversations about climate anxiety, economic pressures, and social expectations—and why opting out of parenthood is becoming an increasingly common decision.

This panel features Liz Allen, Laura Henshaw, Gina Rushton and was moderated by Avani Dias.

This event was recorded live at Sydney Opera House on 9 March 2025.

The Baby Boycott - All About Women 2025 | Ideas at the House S13 E03

Journalist and survivor Lucia Osborne-Crowley goes beyond the headlines in this gripping podcast, sharing the untold stories of the women victimised by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Drawing from her acclaimed book The Lasting Harm, she reveals the emotional toll of the trial, the strength of survivor testimony, and the systemic failures that continue to persist, even after countless convictions. A powerful exploration of justice, trauma, and the courage it takes to speak out — and keep surviving.

This event was moderated by Grace Tame and recorded live at Sydney Opera House on 9 March 2025.

The Lasting Harm - All About Women 2025 | Ideas at the House S13 E07

Acclaimed science journalist and author Lucy Jones (UK), explores the emerging concept of matrescence and how motherhood causes more physiological and psychological changes than we have been led to believe. 

Part memoir and part journalism, her latest book – named ‘Book of the Year’ by The New Yorker, the New Statesman and the Daily Mail – is an urgent examination of motherhood and mental health. Join Jones in conversation with reproductive rights journalist and author of The Most Important Job in the World, Gina Rushton as they radically reveal the science of motherhood.

This event was recorded live at Sydney Opera House on 9 March 2025. 

Matrescense - All About Women 2025 | Ideas at the House S13 E08

Embracing her misfit nature early on, Gina Chick found grounding in the rhythms of the natural world. With an innate ability to bring barefoot wisdom into her daily life, Gina has dedicated her time to help others be guided by their internal authority.

Her extraordinary journey includes surviving cancer, losing her only child to the same illness, and spending 67 days alone in the Tasmanian wilderness and ultimately becoming the first winner of Alone Australia. Gina shares her story in her memoir, We Are The Stars.

With humour and unshakable spirit, she invites you into an intimate journey of possibility through story and song.

This event was recorded live at Sydney Opera House on 9 March 2025.

Wild at Heart - All About Women 2025 | Ideas at the House S13 E09

After spending their early years together in conflict zones as foreign correspondents, Geraldine Brooks and her husband Tony Horwitz settled down for a quiet life. This came to an abrupt end on Memorial Day 2019 with the sudden death of Brooks' beloved husband. Without space to grieve, her loss became a yawning gulf. 

Her profoundly moving memoir, Memorial Days, is a portrait of a larger-than-life man and a timeless love between intertwined souls that captures the joy, agony and mystery of life. In this touching talk, Brooks is joined by Jennifer Byrne to discuss how to honour a person, endure their absence in ways both new and old, and rebuild a life after loss.

This event was recorded live at Sydney Opera House on 9 March 2025. 

Memorial Days - All About Women 2025 | Ideas at the House S13 E11

Despite decades of legislative reform and workplace protections in other industries, there is a persistent shadowy underbelly in Australian music. Misogyny and blatant racism continues to run rampant, with female artists facing bullying, harassment and abuse in their places of work, environments that are often made more dangerous by alcohol and drugs. 

For those who speak out about their shocking experience, the cost on their professional and personal lives is high. Speaking from lived experience, Australian artists BARKAA and Jaguar Jonze reflect on how the industry enables toxic behaviour and challenge the lack of accountability from those at the top.

This event was recorded live at Sydney Opera House on 9 March 2025. 

An Industry Off Key - All About Women 2025 | Ideas at the House S13 E10

From the Matilda’s Effect to the AFL commitment to close the gender pay gap, cross-code support for female athletes is at an all-time high. With record attendance, huge broadcast viewership and glass ceilings shattering, elite players are finally being taken seriously. None of this happened overnight. How far off is something that looks like parity?

Join Kirby Bentley, Bec Goddard, Ann Odong, Lydia Williams and Tracey Holmes from on and off the pitch to hear first-hand experiences of the peaks and pitfalls that have come with the growing emphasis on women’s sport, and learn about the role intersectionality needs to play.

This event was recorded live at Sydney Opera House on 9 March 2025. 

Game Changers - All About Women 2025 | Ideas at the House S13 E12

Rachel Kushner’s latest novel Creation Lake, a French noir eco-espionage thriller, was an instant New York Times bestseller, shortlisted for the Booker, and hailed as a blend of John le Carré’s intrigue with the wit of Kill Bill and the style of Killing Eve.

It’s the latest in a career that has dazzled her fans - whether she is taking on the art and radicalism in 1970s New York (The Flamethrowers), the horrors of the US carceral system (The Mars Room) or American expatriates caught up in the Cuban revolution (Telex from Cuba).

Find out how this author creates stories and characters that always feel so brilliantly and bracingly alive.

This event was recorded live at Sydney Opera House on 9 March 2025.

Rachel Kushner - All About Women 2025 | Ideas at the House S13 E13

An inspirational force for positive action, Nyamal woman and renowned psychologist Dr Tracy Westerman is making waves in the treatment of Indigenous women’s trauma. As the first Aboriginal person in Australia to complete a PhD in Clinical Psychology, Dr Westerman has opened the floodgates, inspiring others to follow her into a professional field truly in need of community-based Indigenous psychologists.

Drawing from her decades working with clients, Dr Westerman explores the deep racial trauma affecting Aboriginal women across generations. In this powerful talk, she reveals how hope and optimism fuel the resilience of the world’s oldest living culture.

This event was recorded live at Sydney Opera House on 9 March 2025.

The Tracy Westerman Effect - All About Women 2025 | Ideas at the House S13 E14

The overturning of Roe v. Wade by the US Supreme Court sent shock waves around the world. And while abortion rights seemed to be settled in Australia, there have been attempts - on both sides of politics - to undermine them here. Abortion restrictions were proposed in at least two Australian states, while debate continues about whether publicly funded hospitals can refuse to perform the procedure. 

In this podcast, Jane Caro, Summer May Finlay and Charlotte Mortlock canvass the current state of debate in Australia and examine how seriously to take these recent threats. Could it really happen here?  

This event was recorded live at Sydney Opera House on 9 March 2025. 


Your Body, Whose Choice - All About Women 2025 | Ideas at the House S13 E15

The overturning of Roe v. Wade by the US Supreme Court sent shock waves around the world. And while abortion rights seemed to be settled in Australia, there have been attempts - on both sides of politics - to undermine them here. Abortion restrictions were proposed in at least two Australian states, while debate continues about whether publicly funded hospitals can refuse to perform the procedure. 

In this podcast, Jane Caro, Summer May Finlay and Charlotte Mortlock canvass the current state of debate in Australia and examine how seriously to take these recent threats. Could it really happen here?  

This event was hosted by Gina Rushton and recorded live at Sydney Opera House on 9 March 2025 


Subscribe now: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/its-a-long-story/id1174737972

What galvanised African American activist Alicia Garza to co-found #BlackLivesMatter? How did Henry Rollins make the jump from shift manager at Häagen-Dazs to lead singer of US punk rock band Black Flag? How does NSW Australian of the Year Deng Thiak Adut’s former life as a Sudanese refugee and child soldier inform his practice of the law? Find the answer to these questions and more in a new Sydney Opera House podcast It's A Long Story. A podcast that explores the the stories behind the big ideas of some of our most influential and acclaimed guests.

Introducing It's A Long Story — Teaser

Subscribe now: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/its-a-long-story/id1174737972
Henry Rollins discusses his tumultuous childhood growing up in Washington DC, and how he transitioned from scooping ice cream at Haagen Dazs to fronting punk rock band Black Flag. A turning point came for Henry Rollins about a decade ago, marked by a departure from music into activism and spoken word performance,  "For me, music was a time and a place. I never really enjoyed being in a band", says Henry Rollins. "It was in me, and it needed to come out. Like a 25-year exorcism. One day I woke up and I didn't have any more lyrics."

About It's A Long Story
Hamish Macdonald uncovers the stories behind the ideas of some of the world’s leading academics, culture creators and thinkers. It’s A Long Story is produced at the Sydney Opera House as part of the Talks and Ideas program. The first season was recorded during the Festival of Dangerous Ideas 2016 and features a number of renowned guests including, Henry Rollins, Alicia Garza and Lev Grossman.

Henry Rollins — It's A Long Story

Shaken by a court's decision to acquit George Zimmerman over the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, Alicia Garza wrote, "Black people, I love you. I love us. Our lives matter." From there, the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter was born and then a social movement. It is a world away from the life she had growing up with her mother, stepfather, and brother, where they ran an antique shop in Marin County in San Francisco. Standing firmly in the national spotlight today in a divided America, she is a leading voice in what's widely viewed as America's new civil rights movement.

Alicia Garza — It's A Long Story

There are people with interesting life stories, and then there are people whose lives read like a screenplay. From being conscripted as a child solider in Sudan to finding a new home in suburban Australia as a refugee where he taught himself to read and to write. Deng Thiak Adut is today a lawyer representing those who, just like him, struggle to find a voice. He's even been at the centre of one of those most modern phenomena, a viral video sensation. Like millions of children who grow up within the geography of conflict his childhood was taken away. "I didn't understand what freedoms I had lost", he says. "I didn't understand how fearful I should have been."

Deng Thiak Adut — It's A Long Story

From a very early age, Jesse Bering has been asking questions of himself. Growing up amid AIDS hysteria in Reagan's America, Bering knew that he was attracted to other boys but was terrified into a guilty silence. In high school he took up wrestling in a bid to fight back sexual desire but found only deeper consciousness of his homosexuality. As an adult he has continued asking questions with frankness and with humour, handling sensitive topics like sex, evolution, religion, and morality. His books Perv and Why is the Penis Shaped Like That? Have elevated him to cult hero status. "If I had to put a label on myself," hey says, "it would be a sexual libertarian."

Jesse Bering — It's A Long Story

A mix capturing that special moment in the night right before you start questioning, "what's next?" @nitefleit played with Noise In My Head and Kenji Takimi (Japan) at the grand finale of 2017's Goodgod Super Club for Vivid LIVE. 

Read more about Goodgod's projects at Vivid LIVE on Backstage: http://bit.ly/2qyL6XI

SOH Mix: Nite Fleit

Discover the thrumming melodies and infectious rhythms of ancient Spain and Mexico with Grammy Award-winning early music virtuoso Jordi Savall accompanied by Hesperion XXI & Tembembe Ensamble Continuo.

Sign up to access the pre-sale now: https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/events/whats-on/classical-music/2018/jordi-savall-folias-antiguas-and-criollas.html

El Nuevo Mundo, Folias Criollas (La Ruta Del Nuevo Mundo Vol. 2)

Jordi Savall — Folías, Antiguas & Criollas

You may know Nai Palm from Hiatus Kaiyote, but she’s recently been flying solo, with debut album Needle Paw soon to be released. In spite of a turbulent childhood, she took solace in nature, in animals, and in music, growing into the independent spirit and curious soul that has enchanted such artists as Erykah Badu, Animal Collective, Questlove and the late, great Prince.

Nai Palm - It's A Long Story

Author, politician, and former international civil servant, Shashi Tharoor is a man of many talents. He spent nearly 29 years at the United Nations as a peacekeeper and refugee worker culminating as undersecretary general. He's published 16 books, won numerous literary awards and was named by the 1998 World Economic Forum in Davos as a Global Leader of Tomorrow. Currently, Shashi is serving his second term as Congress MP in India. This episode of It's a Long Story is hosted by Marc Fennell.

It's a Long Story - Shashi Tharoor

Growing up in the small community of Mimili in South Australia, Zaachariaha Fielding always knew he wanted to entertain. Moving to the city as a teenager, he quickly became a part of Adelaide’s music scene, before trying his hand on the reality TV show The Voice. But it’s in the duo Electric Fields where Zaachariaha has really begun to thrive. Crossing genres like soul, pop and electronica, the musical partnership with Michael Ross has led him to massive stages all around Australia and the world, and in 2017 they scored Best New Talent at the NIMA Awards. From intimate soulful odes to uplifting songs in Pitjantjara language, Electric Fields have become an unmissable part of any lineup. This episode of It's a Long Story is hosted by Emily Nicol.

It's a Long Story - Zaachariaha Fielding of Electric Fields

The daughter of Alice Walker, who wrote the African-American classic The Color Purple, and Melvyn Leventhal, a Jewish civil rights lawyer, Rebecca Walker’s intersecting and sometimes jarring identities were the foundation of her career. In 1992, her article for Ms Magazine ‘I am the Third Wave’ crystallised her thinking around feminism and activism. Its massive success spurred on her work: she established the Third Wave Fund to support young women from diverse backgrounds to pursue activism and leadership. Multiple memoirs, essay collections and a novel followed. Rebecca’s work has always been a response to her personal situation, be it family, identity, becoming a mother, masculinity, race, Buddhism, or a combination of all of these, and she has developed a strong and compelling ethos about what it means to live a feminist life in an ever-changing world. 

This episode of It's a Long Story is hosted by Edwina Throsby.

It's a Long Story - Rebecca Walker

Chatting with journalist Paul Morley, Max Richter reflects on the origins, and future potential for his world renown exhibition, Sleep.

In his own words, "I’ve been dreaming of playing at the Sydney Opera House ever since I was a child. This beautiful, iconic sculpture of a building with its billowing sails. I’ve played in the Concert Hall before but wanted to return with Sleep. It’s such a personal project for me and there’s something very emotional in the architecture of this building."

Recorded as part of Vivid LIVE 2014.

Max Richter "Sleep" Interview with Paul Morley

Welcome to Country

https://soundcloud.com/jontidanimals vinyl mix of The Flaming Lips and other "fearless freaks": https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/backstage/music/love-letter-to-the-flaming-lips.html

Tracklist:
Todd Rundgren - International Feel
The Flaming Lips - Bad Days 
The Free Design - Bubbles
Talk Talk - I Believe In You
Can - Moonshake 
The Beatles - Flying
Don Cherry - Brown Rice 
Stereolab - Les Yper Sound
Miles Davis - Shhh/Peaceful 
Jonti - Firework Spraying Moon
Ralph and Florian - Tanzmuzik 
The Flaming Lips - Approaching Pavonis Mons By Balloon (Utopia Planitia)

Psychedelic (Jonti x Flaming Lips Mix)

Audio Described Tour of the Sydney Opera House

In 1969, architect Peter Hall commissioned John Coburn, an Australian modern abstract artist, to design the Sydney Opera House opera and drama theatre curtains that were celebrated at the opening of the Opera House in 1973. This episode explores the design and creation of John Coburn’s tapestries through the stories of his daughter, Kristin Coburn, and how the tapestries realise Jørn Utzon’s design vision for celebrating performance with colour through Australian architect’s Peter Hall’s interior design.

Coburn Tapestries: The Sun and the Moon | House Stories S01 E01

The story of how John Coburn’s iconic tapestries came to be hung in the theatres once again in 2019. But why had they been taken down and ultimately decommissioned in the 1980s? This episode features interviews with artist Kristin Coburn and conservator Julian Bickersteth to explore how the tapestries were made and their restoration process and conservation challenges.

Coburn Tapestries: Conversation and Restoration | House Stories S01 E02

The mystery of the missing tapestry. In this episode, Professor Antony Moulis recalls how in the early 2000s he discovered the correspondence of an unknown tapestry commissioned by Jørn Utzon for the Opera House, designed by acclaimed modernist architect Le Corbusier. How did these two great architects come to collaborate and why was this medieval artform embraced by modernist architects and artists in the 20th century? How did the tapestry end up in Utzon’s home before resurfacing at an auction house, and why did it have mashed potato on it? Sydney Opera House CEO Louise Herron AM tells the story of how this incredible work of art finally found its way home.

Le Corbusier’s Les Dés sont Jetés | House Stories S01 E03

The final episode explores Jørn Utzon’s tapestry Homage to C.P.E Bach as an expression of music through design and representation of reconciliation. Architect Richard Johnson discusses the process of re-engaging with Utzon nearly four decades after he left the project, the design of the Utzon Room – the only Opera House performance venue entirely designed by Utzon – where the tapestry hangs, and the ongoing application of Utzon’s Design Principles that help ensure the building’s architectural integrity is maintained as it evolves to meet the expectations of future generations.

Utzon Tapestry: Homage to C.P.E Bach | House Stories S01 E04

This is what happens when you merge a magic show and podcast. 

Voice over artist and performer Kate Murphy worked with Teacher Trevor O’Neil and his year 5/6 class from Burwood Public School to create MagicCast! 

Kate and class responded to the theatre show The Great Illusionist, exploring magic, maths, performance, writing and so much more! Have a listen to this lovely and at times profound rumination on all things magic.

Magicast: A Podcast | Sydney Opera House Kids & Families

The home of podcasts and music from the Sydney Opera House.

Sydney Opera House

Pinned to spotlight

Popular tracks