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Testing the Concert Hall’s acoustic reflectors
Work is underway to make the Opera House sound as good as it looks. Meet the acousticians solving a 40 year-old problem.

Tubowgule
Ever since it was a place for ceremony, gathering and celebration in Aboriginal Australia, Tubowgule has always reflected the society tucked in around Sydney Cove.

Jørn Utzon
His mastery in fusing craft traditions and ancient architecture with modernist thinking infused his designs for the Sydney Opera House.

Construction begins
On 2 March 1959, a crowd gathered under umbrellas, in the rain, to watch the ceremony that marked the start of construction of the Sydney Opera House.

The spherical solution
Jørn Utzon's realisation that the form of the Sydney Opera House could be derived from the surface of a sphere marked a milestone in 20th century architecture.

Utzon departs the House
As the sails took shape, Bennelong Point became a battle ground of politics, pragmatism and the quest for perfection.

50 years of extraordinary moments
From Ella Fitzgerald to Bon Iver, Dance Rites Festival to Nelson Mandela’s address from the steps, the Opera House and the extraordinary experiences on our stages reflect our contemporary culture.

Conserving and celebrating our heritage
We are transforming the building for future generations while respecting and preserving the very features that make it unique.

Decade of Renewal
As we open up the Opera House to more of the community, the Decade of Renewal has helped us live up to the promise of the building itself.

Keeping the ghost lights shining
“It’s about saying: we haven’t gone forever, we’re coming back and we’re going to leave the lights on to show you that.”

Preserving the Grand Organ
Each of the 10,244 pipes will be cleaned by hand – it's a tricky job.

Meet Winifred Atwell, the first woman to play the Opera House
Legendary pianist Winifred Atwell was the (incomplete) stage's premiere act

Zindzi Okenyo tells House Stories
From audience member to performer to podcast host, Zindzi Okenyo has a unique connection with the Sydney Opera House. She shares her relationship with the building, and what it was like to see the Concert Hall emptied out and reinvented up-close for the new season of House Stories.

Interesting facts about Sydney Opera House
Find out 15 interesting facts about the Sydney Opera House that you never knew.

The work that makes magic: Renewing the Joan Sutherland Theatre
One of the world’s great performance venues, the Joan Sutherland Theatre is being renewed for the next generation of artists and audiences.

Beijing through the eyes of Jørn Utzon
A film made by the architect of the Opera House en route to Sydney has, until now, never been publicly seen. Lin Utzon recalls the influence and inspiration her father drew from Chinese architecture.

How Mexico, Iran and China shaped Utzon's Opera House
The Horisont exhibition dives into architect Jørn Utzon's travel diaries.

Why I love LEGO
He's the host of LEGO Masters, the only Lego Certified Professional in Australia, and he's constructed the Opera House more than any other building in the world. As we celebrate his latest work – Christmas baubles on the Forecourt – The Brickman reflects on why he loves what he does.

How can we solve the problems of the future?
Sydney Opera House BUILD is a new three-part program with the aim of creating a better world through the built environment. Earlier this month, the pilot Tertiary Built Environment Creative Lab saw students from Western Sydney University tackle a future-facing design challenge by collaborating in interdisciplinary teams. Student Emma Moore writes about what she learnt about herself and the Opera House.

How MADE students are proposing to revitalise the Sydney Opera House
The Australian-Danish exchange program imagines what a future icon might look like.

In it for the long Hall
The Opera House’s biggest venue has been closed for two years, yet behind its shuttered doors the beat goes on. The hum of thousands of excited concert-goers has been replaced with the buzz of thousands of workers, busy future-proofing the venue for decades to come.

Playing to an empty House
The halls might be closed, but a newly built virtual stage is broadcasting shows from inside the Sydney Opera House

House of Wonder
Sam Doust, Google Arts & Culture curator, reveals his favourite stories from behind the curtain.

Work begins to transform Concert Hall for new era
Better sound, better access and more ambitious performances will be enabled by a $150 million upgrade and renovations.

Fine-tuning the acoustics of the Joan Sutherland Theatre
What makes a concert sound good? Here's how our acousticians did it.

Peter Hall and the completion of the Opera House
Peter Hall was one of Australia's brightest young architects at the time he took up the daunting role of design architect to complete Stage Three of Sydney’s new Opera House.