TWF: searching: sohstory9

In response to visitor demand, this chronology has been compiled by Paul Bentley to record the story of the Dennis Wolanski Library of the Performing Arts and associated projects within the context of the Sydney Opera House story, theatrical associations with the Bennelong Point site, Jørn Utzon’s involvement with the House and changes to the building. It draws on and updates Philip Drew’s extensive chronology Utzon and the Sydney Opera House and a number of other sources. See also Sydney Opera House: an annotated list of sources

2011
Jan 09	Germaine Greer, in Frank Gehry's New Building Looks Like Five Scrunched-up Brown Bags (The Guardian), commenting on comparisons in the media between the Sydney Opera House and Frank Gehry's design for a UTS Sydney building, says that the "Sydney Opera House may be one of the best known structures in the world, but it also a worse building than anything Gehry would want to put his name to" because of mismanagement of the construction by the client and subsequent tinkering with the interiors. "The Gehry partnership has the logistical expertise to get the building up on schedule and within budget. "History will not be repeated."
Jan 13	Elizabeth Farrelly, in Gehry Has Designed a Building that is More About Him Than Us (Sydney Morning Herald), while expressing the view that "Gehry is more interesting than most architects, and his UTS proposal is more engaging - cleverer, wackier, more inventive - than Sydney's (or any) norm," says that neither the Gehry building nor the Sydney Opera House are great buildings if considered against the following criteria. First, does it fulfil its own intentions? Second, are these intentions valid? Third, does it synthesise these with the demands of structure, economy, use and context to form a single coherent creation? Does it do the magic?" The Opera House, she says, fails the magic test because "its interiors, even as Utzon would have had them, deliver so little of the soaring, primitive, music-filled magic of its postcard promises."
27 Jan	Vanda Carson, in Comic Opera as Icon 'Finds' its Land (Sydney Morning Herald). says a new valuation by the NSW Land and Property Management Authority, puts a value of $2 billion on the Opera House land and building, an increase of 22% since the previous valuation in 2009.
01 Feb	Vanda Carson, in Opera House's Underground Show (Sydney Morning Herald), reports the start of construction on the three-year $152 million program to build a series of tunnels and new loading dock. Phase one will involve moving a massive storm water drain that runs under the House.
02 July	Vanda Carson, in the Daily Telegraph, reports archaeological work and findings as part of forecourt excavations relating to to the construction work at the Sydney Opera House. Consultants Godden Mackay Logan have been hired to advise on the process.
07 July	Alec Shand, a member of the Sydney Opera House Trust in the 1980s, dies.
12 Aug	Rachael Olding, in Opera Beauty - If Only She Sounded as Good as She Looks (Sydney Morning Herald), reports on a survey of 200 critics, performers and audience members on Australian concert hall acoustics conducted by the ABC's Limelight Magazine. The Sydney Opera House Concert Hall is ranked 18th and the Opera Theatre is awared the wooden spoon. The top spot goes to the Perth Concert Hall.
17 Aug	Andrew Andersons, in Deja Vu for Architects Behind Barangaroo (Sydney Monring Herald), comments on the difficulty of managing public information and debate for a momentous project. "Widely polarised opinions are vehemently expressed, often on ideological grounds, with sometimes scan regard for complex facts and issues. When private enterprise has a major role, assertions of private gain at the expense of the public good seem inevitable." He concludes by saying, in relation to Barangaroo "there is also and exciting opportunity yet to be considered, to build a 2,000-seat Lyric Theatre instead of wasting $700 million on incremental improvements to the [Sydney Opera House] Opera Theatre."
09 Sep	Barry Benson (1943-2011) dies. Barry was Programming Manager at the Sydney Opera House from 1975 until the early 1990s. A memorial service is held at Allan Drew Heritage Chapel, Castle Hill, on 15 September.
10 Sep	Mathew Moore, in City Needs More Arts Space But How to Get It? (Sydney Morning Herald) advances the idea of a new lyric theatre at Barangaroo as earlier proposed by Andrew Andersons.


Searching	Sydney Opera House Story: a chronology 1606 to date

The Sydney Opera House Story: 2011 -