In the Joan Sutherland Theatre
Talks and Ideas
Join Jan and Lin Utzon in conversation – as we journey through the legacy of their father, Jørn Utzon, the visionary architect of the Sydney Opera House. In a brief UNSW Sydney UTZON Lecture, Jan will examine the architectural brilliance of the building that has inspired a nation. This will be followed by a discussion and Q&A with both Jan and Lin – as they reflect on their memories of the design, the build and the dream their father brought to life.
| Date | Time |
| Tuesday 17 October | 6:30pm |
This is a Free Event for all ages to enjoy.
Children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied at all times.
SOH Insider pre-sale
9am, Tuesday 20 June 2023
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What’s On e-newsletter pre-sale
9am, Wednesday 21 June 2023
General Public tickets on-sale
9am, Monday 26 June 2023
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
9+ recommended.
Children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
UNSW Sydney UTZON Lecture will be live-streamed as part of the 50/50 Birthday Festival streaming season.
Jan UtzonMy father and mother encouraged all sorts of curiosity in us kids.
Jørn Utzon: through the eyes of his children
This year we celebrate the Sydney Opera House’s 50th anniversary since opening its doors to the world in 1973 and over 60 years since Jørn Utzon was first awarded the design competition. It is timely to reflect and celebrate Utzon’s vision and legacy: the People’s House.
Jan and Lin Utzon return to Sydney from Denmark to join in the birthday celebrations and reflect on their father’s legacy and their personal involvement in the Opera House. Join moderator Edwina Throsby, with Lin, Jan in conversation as they share personal anecdotes on their time growing up in Sydney and reflect on their ongoing connections to Australia, architecture and design. Australian architect Richard Johnson AO will join the panel to share stories on his involvement in Jørn Utzon’s re-engagement with the Opera House in the late 1990s and subsequent involvement in some of the first major upgrades and changes to the building since it was constructed
This special UNSW Sydney UTZON Lecture will be held at the Sydney Opera House in its birthday week, marking thirteen years since UNSW Built Environment’s UTZON lecture series began with an inaugural address by Jan Utzon in 2010.
This program is proudly supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW’s Blockbusters Funding initiative
Meet the speakers
Jan Utzon
Jan Utzon is a Danish architect. He moved to Australia as a teenager with his family when his father, Jørn, won an international design competition to build the Sydney Opera House. Jan studied architecture in Sydney and Denmark and worked on a number of projects including the Performing Arts Centre in Esbjerg. As part of Utzon Architects, he collaborated with his father on several projects including the Parliament Building in Kuwait. In the early 2000s, he worked on Sydney Opera House renewal projects, such as the Western Foyers and Forecourt, and played a significant role in his father’s re-engagement the Opera House at this time.
Lin Utzon
Lin Utzon is a Danish designer who has created a wide variety of abstract decorative works from textiles to ceramics both in Denmark and abroad. She was 15 when her family moved to Australia, where she attended classes in painting and sculpture at East Sydney Technical College in Sydney and later studied textiles in Copenhagen. Like her brother Jan, Lin has worked independently and in collaboration with her father, Jørn. Projects included creating brightly coloured textiles for Bagsværd Church and later working on An Homage to C.P.E Bach tapestry, which hangs in the Utzon Room of the Sydney Opera House.
Professor Richard Johnson AO
Richard Johnson is a Founding Director of Johnson Pilton Walker (JPW) a leading Australian Architectural practice.
His contribution to Architecture and the Arts is recognised by an MBE, The RAIA Gold Medal, RAIA life Fellow, Life Governor of the AGNSW, Distinguished Alumni UNSW and the Order of Australia.
He is an Honorary Professor at UNSW BE and serves on the City of Sydney Design and Public Art Advisory Panels.
Richard was an advisor to the SOH Trust from 1998 to 2008 and together with JPW collaborated with Jørn Utzon and Jan Utzon on several key SOH projects.
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.
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.
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 the Wilson Parking website for details.
Please check the Transport NSW website for the latest advice and information on travel. 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 remind our audiences and visitors to 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.
The health and wellbeing of everyone attending the Opera House is our top priority. We have a number of safety 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. While face masks are no longer required, we ask all our patrons and visitors to practise good hygiene. Please stay home if you feel unwell and read more about our flexible ticket options.
The Sydney Opera House no longer requires patrons to show that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
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.
If you are late, we will seat you as soon as we can and, where possible, in your allocated seat. However, to reduce movement in the venue as well as minimise disruption to the performance and other patrons, ticketholders may be seated in an allocated latecomer’s seat. Please be aware that some events have lock-out periods. In these cases, latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance. On occasions, this may not be until the interval, or at all where there is no interval.
Details of our right to refuse admission can be found in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Events.
In accordance with our venue security procedures, Opera House security will be scanning and checking bags under the Monumental Stairs, prior to entering the building. Bags will be scanned by an x-ray machine, and staff will wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling your belongings, such as gloves. Cloaking facilities will be open 60 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 60 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. However it is strongly encouraged that you travel lightly to minimise contact and queuing. Any bags larger than an A4 piece of paper will need to be checked into the Cloak Room.
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.
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.