Sydney Opera House Trust


The Sydney Opera House Trust operates and maintains the Sydney Opera House in Sydney for the Government of [New South Wales] in Australia.

Role

The Trust operates as one of the State's premier cultural institutions within the Create NSW portfolio. It is constituted as a body corporate under the Sydney Opera House Trust Act 1961. It has 10 members appointed by the Governor of New South Wales on the nomination of the Minister for the Arts. The Trustees must include at least two persons who have knowledge of or experience in the performing arts. A Trustee holds office for three years and is eligible for reappointment for no more than three consecutive terms.
The Trust's objectives are:
  • To administer, care for, control, manage, staff and maintain the Sydney Opera House building and site
  • To manage and administer the site as an arts centre and meeting place
  • To promote artistic taste and achievement in all branches of the performing arts
  • To foster scientific research into and to encourage the development of new forms of entertainment and presentation.
The trust is responsible for the oversight and appointment of the Sydney Opera House Executive Team, which "works in partnership with the Trust and is responsible for developing, implementing and monitoring the organisational strategy", and includes portfolio directors under the Chief Executive Officer.

History

The Sydney Opera House Trust was established by the Sydney Opera House Trust Act 1961, which came into effect from 14 March 1961, replacing the Sydney Opera House Executive Committee, which since 1954 had investigated the location and design competition. The first trust appointed under the 1961 act comprised 17 trustees: the Premier Bob Heffron or the Secretary for [Public Works (New South Wales)|Minister for Public Works], the Lord Mayor of Sydney, and 15 'nominated trustees': Stanley Haviland , Edward William Adams, Clarence Henry Woodward Arthy, Professor Henry Ingham Ashworth, Doris Fitton, John Glass, Sir Bernard Heinze, Neil Hutchison, Hon. James Denis Kenny, Erik Langker, Dr Nicolai Malko, Charles Moses, Dr Cobden Parkes, Dr Lloyd Maxwell Ross, and Dr Harold Wyndham.

Membership

The Trust consists of ten members in total, including the Chair. The current members of the Trust are:
ChairTerm beginsTerm ends
Professor Michael McDaniel 1 January 202431 December 2026
TrusteeTerm beginsTerm ends
Michael Ebeid 1 January 201831 December 2026
Kylie Rampa1 January 201831 December 2026
David Campbell 1 January 202231 December 2026
Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz1 January 202331 December 2025
Allan Vidor 1 January 202331 December 2025
Sara Watts1 January 202331 December 2025
Sara Mansour1 January 202431 December 2026
Zareh Nalbandian1 July 202431 December 2026
Melanie Silva1 July 202431 December 2026