The life, contribution and legacy of Opera singer Harold Blair AM
Nerida Blair, Kim Walker, Don Christopher, Nina Korbe, moderator: Daniel Browning
Conversation meets classical performance as we celebrate the life and contribution of Wulli Wulli tenor Harold Blair AM, the first Australian Aboriginal opera singer and performer at the House in 1973. The panel discussion will bring into focus his contribution to Australian culture, followed by a special Opera performance by Soprano and proud Koa, Kuku Yalanji, Wakka Wakka woman, Nina Korbe.
In the Joan Sutherland Theatre
Talks & Ideas
Date |
Time |
Wednesday 18 October |
6pm |
Ticket |
Price |
---|---|
Unreserved Seating |
$20 |
Mob Tix Discounted tickets for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and community groups. |
$0 |
$8.95 booking fee applies per transaction
Prices correct at the time of publication and subject to change without notice. Exact prices will be displayed with seat selection.
Children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied at all times.
The authorised agencies for this event are Sydney Opera House. For more information about Authorised Agencies, see the frequently asked questions below.
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9am, Monday 26 June
In English
Wheelchair accessible
Audio loop available
Find out more about accessibility at Sydney Opera House
Run time
This show runs for approx. 1 hour 30 minutes.
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
Age
Recommended for All ages.
Children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
The life and contribution of Aboriginal opera singer, Harold Blair
Join us for an evening celebrating the life of Harold Blair with a panel discussion moderated by Bundjalung and Kullilli journalist and broadcaster, Daniel Browning. Daniel will be joined by Harold’s daughter, Nerida Blair along with contemporary Aboriginal opera singers and other performers inspired by Harold’s life. Staged in the Joan Sutherland Theatre – with the stunning Curtain of the Sun hanging in the background – this is an event not to miss.
Wulli Wulli tenor, Harold Blair AM was the first Australian Aboriginal person professionally trained in opera singing. He enrolled at the Melba Conservatorium in Melbourne in the mid-1940s graduating with a Diploma of Music with honours in 1949. He travelled Australia and the world performing for diverse audiences including at the Iron Curtain in West Germany in the late 1950s and Dalgerie, the first opera staged at the Sydney Opera House in July, 1973.
The discussion will cover his life, bring to light lesser-known First Nations stories of the House and examine the social and political landscape of Australia in the 1940’s-50s. A performance will follow the discussion with singers performing the ‘native lullaby’.
Presented by Sydney Opera House and Museums of History NSW

This program is proudly supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW Blockbusters Funding initiative
Meet the speakers
Nerida was born in the Kulin Nation and lives and connects most to Darkinjung Country on the Central Coast of NSW. Her father’s (Harold Blair) Country is Wullil Wullil Country central Queensland and Wakka Wakka Country, Queensland. Nerida has spent three decades working in universities in NSW and Victoria and over one decade in the Public Service Canberra; Department of Education, Department of Foreign Affairs and with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission in Sydney. She is passionate about education and believes it’s the most powerful tool to enable Indigenous peoples to live a safe and fulfilling lifestyle; education that is participatory, imagined, creative, holistic, sensual and story-based.

Kim began dancing with his mother, Margaret Walker AM, and his dancing career continued with the Aboriginal and Islander Dance Theatre (NAISDA Dance College) where he graduated with an Associate Diploma in 1979. NAISDA was instrumental in Kim’s entry into the arts as a dancer and led to him joining Sydney Dance Company in 1980. In 1982 he was appointed a principal dancer and danced with the company until 1990.
Kim’s chorographic career started with the Sydney Dance Company and since then, as a freelance choreographer and director, he has worked with major companies and directors in Australia including Opera Australia, Melbourne and Sydney Theatre Company, Richard Wherrett, Neil Armfield, Wayne Harrison and Roger Hodegman.
In 1998 Kim was appointed as Artistic Director of the Flying Fruit Fly Circus and has not only created a number of new and innovative works but also toured the company both nationally and overseas to great acclaim.
Kim currently sits on the boards of Ausdance NSW, Barang Regional Alliance, Create NSW Dance and Physical Theatre Board and The Arthouse Theatre Board. In 2008, he took up the position as CEO of NAISDA Dance College.

Don Christopher (nee Bemrose) is a Gunggari baritone who made his operatic debut with Short Black Opera in 2010 creating the role of James in Deborah Cheetham’s landmark opera Pecan Summer. Don reprised this role in 2011 and was the baritone soloist for the on-country premiere of Cheetham’s Eumeralla, a war requiem for peace.
Don has performed with major companies and productions around the country most notably; From a Black Sky for The Street Theatre (ACT) 2013 and in the role Bob Crab for the world premiere of, Cloudstreet for State Opera of South Australia. In 2012 Don made his debut with Opera Australia in the chorus of Turandot and on tour with Oz Opera in the role of Papageno in an adaptation Mozart’s The Magic Flute.
Currently Don is Director Strategic Governance; Policy, Partnerships and Performance Branch – First Nations Health Division at the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.

Soprano and proud Koa, Kuku Yalanji, Wakka Wakka woman, Nina Korbe received her Bachelor of Music Performance from the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University before heading to London to undertake her Master of Arts studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London. She has had an illustrious opera career, with performance highlights including as Arminda from Mozart’s La Finta Giardiniera, Héro from Berlioz’s Béatrice et Bénédict, and Little Ms Manifest, in the critically acclaimed world premiere of Freya Waley-Cohen’s Witch. Since returning to Australia, Nina has been appointed as Queensland Youth Orchestra’s Artist in Residence and will be touring internationally with Queensland Youth Symphony as their guest soloist later this year. Nina sits on the board for Queensland Youth Orchestra’s Reconciliation Action Plan, is an Opera Queensland Young Artist for 2023, and is this year’s recipient of the Harold Blair Opera Scholarship and the Ruskin Opera Scholarship through Melba Opera Trust.

Daniel Browning is an Aboriginal journalist, broadcaster, documentary maker, sound artist and writer. Currently, he is the Editor of Indigenous Radio with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) overseeing the long-standing flagship programs Speaking Out and Awaye. He also presents The Art Show on ABC RN. A visual arts graduate, Daniel is also a widely-published freelance arts writer. He is a former and inaugural guest editor of Artlink Indigenous, an occasional series of the quarterly Australian contemporary arts journal and his critical essays on Indigenous art have been published by the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Art Gallery of South Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria and Queensland Art Gallery/ Gallery of Modern Art as well as prominent magazines. He is the inaugural curator of Blak Box, a specially-designed sound pavilion commissioned by Urban Theatre Projects to amplify the voices of First Nations storytellers, language custodians and artists working in spoken word, performance and music. Daniel is a descendant of the Bundjalung people of far northern New South Wales on his father’s side and the Kullilli people of south-western Queensland through his mother.

Other information
Venue information
Our foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars. Please remember to maintain physical distancing whilst consuming drinks in our foyers.
All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators). Pram parking will be available outside the theatres in the Western Foyer consistent with COVID-safe rules.
Getting here
The Sydney Opera House Car Park, operated by Wilson Parking, is open and available to use. Wilson Parking offer discounted parking if you book ahead. Please see their website for details.
Please check the Transport NSW website for the latest advice and information on travel and COVID-19 safety measures. You can catch public transport (bus, train, ferry) to Circular Quay and enjoy a six min walk to the Opera House.
Covid-safe information
The health and wellbeing of everyone attending the Opera House is our top priority. We’re committed to making your experience safe, comfortable and enjoyable, with a number of measures in place including regular cleaning of high-touch areas, air conditioning systems that maximise ventilation, and hand sanitiser stations positioned in all paths of travel. We encourage you to wear a mask in indoor settings or when physical distancing can’t be maintained, and please stay home if you feel unwell. If you need to discuss your ticketing or booking options, contact our Box Office team on 02 9250 7777.
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For detailed information about our COVID-19 safety measures and what’s required of you, please see our plan your visit page.
The Sydney Opera House no longer requires patrons to show that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Face masks are strongly recommended for all patrons while inside our theatres and foyers, including during the performance. Please bring your own mask.
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Frequently asked questions
Ticket purchases and collection at our Box Office is discouraged and eTicket or postal delivery methods should be used, wherever possible. However, if you are collecting your tickets from the Box Office, we recommend doing this at least 60 minutes before the event starts. If you have already received your tickets, the venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Please take your seats as soon as you arrive.
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The authorised agency for this event is the Sydney Opera House.
Only tickets purchased by authorised agencies should be considered reliable. If you purchase tickets from a non-authorised agency such as Ticketmaster Resale, Viagogo, Ticketbis, eBay, Gumtree, Tickets Australia or any other unauthorised seller, you risk that these tickets are fake, void or have previously been cancelled. RESALE RESTRICTION APPLIES. For more details, please refer to our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events.
Please contact Box Office on 9250 7777 as soon as possible to advise if you can no longer attend. If you can no longer attend because you are unwell, or have been in contact with someone displaying COVID-19 symptoms, the Opera House has introduced flexible ticketing options to help you.
Foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
The venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances.
Please bring a credit or debit card for any on site purchases to enable contactless payment. You’re welcome to bring your own water bottle but no other food and drinks are permitted inside our venues. Opera Bar, Opera Kitchen and Portside are also available for you to enjoy.
The health, safety and wellbeing of everyone at the Sydney Opera House is our top priority. In line with this commitment, the Opera House became a smoke-free site in January 2022. Read our Smoke-free Environment Policy.
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