Festival Director: Stephen Hall
The Festival of Sydney experienced a series of firsts in 1982 that would go on to become frequent occurrences in programs for years to come, the most beloved being Opera In The Domain. The Australian Opera and the Festival joined forces to present a free performance of Verdi’s La Traviata in The Domain. This was the first time Dame Joan Sutherland had sung in a free outdoor performance – but certainly not the last.
The Festival hosted the first ever Xerox Sydney-Rio Yacht Race, a new boating event that joined the Ferrython and Australia Day Regatta in the ever-growing sports program.
The Zagreb Theatre Company’s The Liberation of Skopje was the first foreign language production staged at the Festival, opening the floodgates for the hundreds of wonderful surtitled works that would grace Festival stages from then until now.
Meanwhile the Festival improved its already popular elements, with the Festival Village redesigned to house many new attractions including a comprehensive theatre program. The Festival also sponsored the production of four new Australian plays by the Ensemble Theatre, for the third year running.
CLASSICAL MUSIC
An Evening In Vienna
Composers' Cushion Concerts
Chaired by James Murdoch
Performers: Graham Hair, Martin Wesley-Smith, Flederman
Duo Geminiani Play Baroque
Hadyn Bicentennial Concert
The Festival of Sydney Chamber Orchestra
Conductor: Stanley Ritchie
Sydney String Quartet
Mezzo Soprano: Patricia Price
Soloist: Stanley Ritchie
Isador Goodman - Golden Jubilee Concert
Mostly Mozart
Australian Chamber Orchestra, The Sydney String Quartet, The Elizabethan Sydney Orchestra, The Sydney Virtuoso Ensemble
New England Ensemble
Pierrot Lunaire
The Seymour Group
Roger Woodward Plays Beethoven
Roger Woodward, Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Sydney Piano Quintet
DANCE
The End Of A Dream
Human Veins Dance Company
MUSIC
A Battle Of The Buskers
A Day In the Urban Bush
The Bushwhackers, Redgum
An Afternoon Of Good-Time Jazz
Noel Crow's Jazz band and Nat Oliver's Sheik Music
Around The World In Dance And Song
From New Orleans To Dixieland
Mick Boston Colonial Jazz Band, Geoff Ball Olympia Jazz Band, Abbey Jazz Band, New Paramount Jazz Band, Paul Furniss and his San Francisco Jazz Band
Young Classics
Jane Rutter with members of the Melic String Quartet; Goossens String Quartet
Country In The City
Reg Lindsay, McCormack Bros. and Buckskin; Grand Junction Band, Tommy Miller and The Outlaws, Jan Kelly
Gerald Garcia
Lachlan Tigers
Mike and Michelle Jackson
Music Machine
Brent Hardwick, Sam lemann
Pippi Storms Kids Cabaret
Robyn Archer
Town Hall Bush Dances
String Fiddle Tradition, Flying Pieman/The Bushwackers
OPERA
Opera In The Park - La Traviata
The Australian Opera, Dame Joan Sutherland, Anson Austin, John Shaw. Elizabethan Sydney Orchestra
Conductor: Richard Bonynge
Rita Hunter In Recital
THEATRE
A Week Of Dreams
The Black Theatre Of Prague
Beecham
Melbourne Theatre Company
Celebrity Poetry Hoedown With Noel Ferrier
Cheap Thrills
The Griffin Theatre Company
Chicago
Sydney Theatre Company
Conundra
Ensemble Theatre
Deep Space Bungle
Outlandyshe Puppet Theatre
Desert Flambe
Women and Theatre Project
Dylan Thomas: Nogood Boyo
Ray Henwood
Flying Blind
New Theatre
H.M.S Pinafore
Hormones
Gay Theatre Company
I've Come About The Suicide
Ensemble Theatre
Indian Summer
Ensemble Theatre
Ned Kelly
The Darlinghurst Players
Sesame Street Live
Tales From Vienna Woods
Nimrod Theatre Company
The Children Of The Wolf
Glebe Theatre Project
The Cocky Of Bungaree
Nimrod Theatre Company
The Fall Of The House Of Usher + Tell Tale Heart
London Theatre Group
The Importance Of Being Earnest
Genesian Theatre Company
The Philanthropist
The Rocks Players
The Right Man
Ensemble Theatre
The Tempest
The Moonlight Theatre Company
Wacky and the Fuddlejig
Australian Theatre For Young People
Welcome The Bright World
Writer's Cramp
Gay Theatre Company
You Can't Take It With You
Sydney Theatre Company
INSTALLATIONS & EXHIBITIONS
A Fine Field For Botanizing
William Dampier
Andrew Halford Exhibition
Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Exhibition
Art Express
Arte Sacra - Religious Artifacts Of Brazil
Australian Aboriginal Art From Arnhem Land
Australian Paintings
Beside The Sea
Celebrity's Choice
Patrick White
Ceramics Are Part Of Your Life
Ceramics by Stewart and Kayoko Holland
Cinzano Australian Poster Award
Costumes From The Carnivale De Rio
Family Photographic Festival
Festival Decorations
Fire Vehicles And Equipment
Grow 3rd Annual Art Exhibition
Historical Exhibition
Julian Ashton Retrospective
Leather 82
Lilium Flower Show
Men And Maps In Australia
Nautical Artifacts And Historic Ships
On Our Selection
Paintings by Bob Hill
Paintings by Gabrielle Grammeno
Paintings by Greg Warburton
Paintings by Michael Macrae
Paintings by Peter Singer
Papunya Paintings
Photography by Roderick Hulsbergen
Space Light: Holography And Laser Spectacular
Sydney Expression - Oil Paintings Of Old Sydney
Sydney Harbour Bridge - 50th Anniversary
Sydney Summer - Australian Artists
The 1982 Holiday And Travel Show
The Australian Experience Origins
Aboriginal Australia
Photography In The Park
CELEBRATIONS
Australia Day
New Year’s Eve
The Festival Mardi Gras at Pier One
All About Trees
Arts In Education
Beating The Retreat
BP Party in Martin Place
Caltex Cityscape
Festival Parade
Food From All Nations
Full On For 82
Scouts In Action
Street Theatre In The Park
The Natural Environment Centre
The Wine & Diners' Club Picnic
Woolies Fun Land
FILM
Legends On The Screen
Sydney In The Dark - Contemporary Australian Cinema
Wizards Of The Water
MAGIC
Magic Nouveau
Patrick Simpson
Michael Freeland
SPORT
Abbotsford 12' Flying Squadron
AJC Race Meetings
Ampol Master Of Champions Bowls
Balmain District 12' Flying Squadron Festival Handicap
Benson & Hedges World Series Cricket
Daily Mirror/Pub Squash Sailboard Marathon
Drummoyne Junior Sailing Club
Drummoyne Sailing Club TS16 Marathon
Greenwich Flying Squadron
Historic Racing Register Annual Bike and Car Race Meeting
Keep Fit with Family Circle Jazzercise
Middle Harbour Yacht Club
National Manly Junior Sailing Championship
NSW Trotting Club's Summer Carnival
Parramatta River Yacht Club
R.A.N. Sailing Association
Royal Anniversary Regatta
Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron
Sydney Turf Club Race meetings
Tenpin Bowling Tournament
The Benson & Hedges Festival Showjumping Championships
The Cue Cola/Daily Mirror Regatta
The Sydney Harbour Ferrython
Volleyball Championships
World Championship J24 Regatta
Xerox Sydney-Rio Yacht Race
WORKSHOPS
Bondi Community Centre - Children's Holiday Activities
Clown Workshops
Craft In the Park
Mardi Gras Mask And Image Workshops
Pitt Street Uniting Church Programme
Sydney School of Creative And Performing Arts