4MBS Festival of Classics Joan Sutherland Spectacular

Deputy Director-General, Arts Queensland, Mrs Kirsten Herring PSM; General Manager, 4MBS Classic FM, Mr Gary Thorpe and Mrs Gail Thorpe; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls.  

I begin by acknowledging the Original Custodians of the lands around Brisbane, the Turrbal and Jagera people, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to any First Nations people with us this afternoon. 

It is a great pleasure to join you for this year’s 4MBS Festival of Classics, and, in particular, for this very special celebration of renowned Australian soprano, Dame Joan Sutherland. 

As Patron of 4MBS, I always enjoy any opportunity to spend time with what I have come to think of as the 4MBS ‘family’ – a warm and generous community of artists, volunteers, supporters and audiences, all bound together by a shared love of music, and a deep commitment to enriching the cultural life of Queensland. 

Since first launching in 1994, the 4MBS Festival of Classics has created countless opportunities for Queensland musicians to develop and showcase their talents. For Tahu Matheson, who is conducting this afternoon’s concert, this Festival was the setting for his first professional conducting experience.   

It is wonderful to see him return in this role—bringing with him the experience of an extraordinary international career, and now, as Head of Music at Opera Australia, fresh from conducting The Drover’s Wife here in Brisbane. 

Through creating these performance opportunities for musicians, opening doors for audiences, and ensuring that music remains a shared and accessible experience, 4MBS continues to sustain a love of music across generations. 

Today, that commitment finds expression in a tribute to one of the greatest voices of all time – the legendary Dame Joan Sutherland. 

One hundred years on from her birth, she remains not only one of Australia’s most exquisite operatic voices, but also one of our most generous artistic figures.  

She opened the art of opera to wider audiences, and in doing so, helped shape how it is experienced and understood today.  

Her influence is reflected so beautifully in today’s internationally renowned leading sopranos … 

In Eva Kong, who has taken on many of Dame Joan’s signature roles and benefited from the coaching and guidance of her widower and musical partner, Richard Bonynge [pron. BON-ing].  

And in Mirusia, whose early promise was recognised nearly two decades ago when, at just 21-years-old, she became the youngest ever recipient of the prestigious Dame Joan Sutherland Opera Award – a moment that proved a stepping stone for her own international career. 

Also singing is the wonderful tenor Rosario La Spina, supported by Opera Queensland guest singers, The Queensland Choir and the Brisbane Symphony Orchestra.  

As Governor and Patron of 4MBS, I am proud to see Dame Joan’s legacy continue through gatherings like this one, and I hope you enjoy what promises to be a memorable and inspiring afternoon ‘Celebrating the Art of Opera’. Thank you.