Arts Centre Melbourne welcomes Joan Sutherland costumes

Iconic costumes worn by the legendary Australian soprano Dame Joan Sutherland have been donated by Opera Australia to Arts Centre Melbourne’s Australian Performing Arts Collection.

The 30 costumes will include some of Dame Joan’s most recognisable roles such as Violetta in La Traviata, Marguerite de Valois in Les Huguenots and the title character in Lucrezia Borgia. The collection will feature costumes made both in Australia and abroad by designers such Barbara Matera, Kristian Fredrickson, John Truscott and Michael Stennett.

Opera Australia Melbourne Season Launch (Photo credit: Julie Kiriacoudis)

Arts Centre Melbourne CEO Claire Spencer said “We are delighted to be working with our colleagues at Opera Australia to continue to build the significance of the Australian Performing Arts Collection. This donation will help to preserve Dame Joan’s legacy for future generations and to share the story of Opera Australia.”

Curated over a number of years, Opera Australia’s Dame Joan Sutherland collection spans three decades and comprises of dresses, wigs, headpieces and accessories all worn over the course of her celebrated career.

Speaking at the handover event Opera Australia CEO Rory Jeffes said: “We are proud and thrilled to partner with Arts Centre Melbourne and make available the costumes that best represent Dame Joan’s illustrious career. These costumes are a treasured piece of Australian history and we are glad that Arts Centre Melbourne will ensure their continued preservation and share them with the public.”

The first costumes will be on display as early as November this year with the remaining costumes expected to arrive in Melbourne in the coming months.

The Australian Performing Arts Collection is the nation’s largest collection of performing arts memorabilia and ephemera, charting the stories of the Australian stage. Many items from the 700,000 Collection will feature in the Australian Performing Arts Gallery to be housed in a new purpose-built gallery adjacent to Arts Centre Melbourne’s Theatres Building.

Read more about the Australian Performing Arts Collection here.