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Sydney Opera House Presents

Contemporary culture beneath the sails

The Opera House’s own presenting arm, Sydney Opera House Presents, was founded more than 15 years ago to complement the work of its resident companies. It delivers a bold and inspiring annual contemporary program that reflects the work and stories of artists from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences.

Led by Fiona Winning, working closely with a skilled in-house team of genre experts and in collaboration with the vibrant Australian and international arts community, Sydney Opera House Presents programs almost 800 performances a year attended by more than 400,000 people. The program presents exceptional contemporary performances and cultural events in the areas of Contemporary Music; Contemporary Performance; Contemporary Art; First Nations; Talks & Ideas; Children, Families & Creative Learning; Classical Music; Artist & Sector Development; as well as the Screen program, enabling Sydney Opera House to reach beyond the site to a global audience.

Each year, Sydney Opera House Presents hosts its annual flagship festivals All About Women, a vibrant day of discussion about gender, justice and equality, Vivid LIVE, a contemporary music takeover of iconic and ambitious artists, and DanceRites, Australia’s national First Nations dance competition and a celebration of the world’s oldest continuous culture. 

Fiona Winning - Director, Programming

Fiona is a leader in the performing arts sector with a diverse career in independent and commercial performing arts across contemporary performance, theatre, dance and festivals. She was Sydney Festival Head of Programming from 2012 to 2017, presenting works by inspirational Australian and international artists in venues across the city. Previously, Fiona worked as a dramaturge and producer in contemporary arts, curating the Australian Theatre Forum in 2011 and co-convening the Bundanon Trust’s annual Siteworks event in 2010-11.

From 1999 to 2008, Fiona was Director of Performance Space, a national contemporary arts hub based in Sydney. In this role, she collaborated with artists and communities to conceive and produce events in theatres, galleries and public spaces, as well as developing a range of festival, training and residency programs. She was instrumental in the development of Carriageworks, collaborating with the arts sector, Arts NSW and architects Tonkin Zulaikha Greer. Fiona is also a lecturer and co-designer of NIDA’s landmark Master of Fine Arts (Cultural Leadership) course.

Fiona Winning - Director, Programming at Sydney opera house in a colourful dress.