Festival Director: Anthony Steel
The Festival celebrated its 20th birthday. A distinct focus was placed on the harbour precinct stretching from The Rocks around Circular Quay to the forecourt of the Opera House, an area which came alive with visual and performing arts every evening of the Festival.
Els Comediants presented The Devils, a thrilling event replete with fireworks and crazy theatrics. The event came with a warning of not being suitable for young children, the aged or infirmed, as members of the audience would dance beneath the fireworks that showered over the crowd.
The talk of the town could be found on the front lawn of the Museum of Contemporary Art, with Jeff Koons’ Puppy gazing over Circular Quay, covered in more than 50,000 blossoming plants. Inside the MCA, their Foundation Hall became the Festival’s bespoke cabaret space.
The history of firsts continued with Philip Glass, the most successful living composer in the world, appearing in his first solo performance in Sydney, with music for solo piano dating from 1976 to present.
THEATRE
The Steward Of Christendom
By Sebastian Barry
Director: Max Stafford-Clark
With Donal McCann
Out Of Joint, Royal Court Theatre
The Devils
Els Comediants
Central Park
Vis à Vis
Ningali
Devised by Ningali Lawford, Robyn Archer and Angela Chaplin
Directed by Angela Chaplin
Designed by Trina Parker
Bean
Legs On The Wall
Scared Weird Little Guys
The Umbilical Brothers
Lift Off Live: The Musical
Directed by Wayne Harrison
Produced by Patricia Edgar and Helena Harris
Music composed by Chris Neal
The Children's Television Foundation, Back Row Productions, Sydney Opera House Trust
Out Of The Frying Pan
Composed and devised by Linsey Pollak
Directed by Chris Willems
Performing Lines, The Queensland Performing Arts Trust
The Commission/The Aboriginal Protesters Confront the Proclamation of the Australian Republic on 26 January 2001 with a Production of The Commission by Heiner Müller
A play by Mudrooroo with text by Heiner Müller
Directed and designed by Noel C. Tovey
Original concept and dramaturgy by Gerhard Fischer
Live Acts On Stage
A play by Michael Gow
Directed by Michael Gow
Designed by Robert Kemp
Presented in association with Griffin Theatre Company
Miss Havisham's Dream
Theatre Physical Productions
Festival On The Streets
Négrabox, The Hunting Party, Narasirato Are'Are Pan Pipers, The Knee High Puppeteers, Android Sisters, Women's Circus.
DANCE
African Heritage
Artistic Director/Design: Italo Zambo
Choreographer: Mohamed Kemoko Sano
The National Dance Company Of Guinea
Songs With Mara
Direction, design and choreography by Meryl Tankard
Musical direction by Mara and Llew Kiek
Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre
CIRCUS
Totally Wicked
The Flying Fruit Fly Circus
MUSIC
Australian Chamber Orchestra
Director: Richard Tognetti
Trombone: Christian Lindberg
Not a Lieder Recital
Piano:Jonathan Mills
Counter-tenor: Hartley Newnham
Actor: David Wicks
Summer Serenades
Artistic director, viola: Wolfram Christ
Cello: Georg Faust
Oboe: Ingo Goritzki
Violin: Bernhard Hartog
Piano: Alexander Lonquich
Harp: Chantal Mathieu
Flute: Karlheinz Zoeller
Young musicians from the Youth Music Australia Summer Academy
Archie Roach, Ruby Hunter
Ashok Roy
Bacardi Festival Club
Kate Ceberano, Paul Kelly, Margaret Urlich, Renee Geyer, Monica Trapaga, John Paul Young, Ignatius Jones, Mental As Anything, DIG, Deborah Conway, Kenny Lopez Sex Mambo
Buster Williams Trio feat. Billy Childs
Duelling Divas
Helen Noonan, Margaret Haggart
Fado
Gonçalo de Camara Pereira, Anabela Pires
Latvian Boys Choir
Director: Romans Vanags
Mind's Eye
Composed by Nick Wishart and Peter Woodford-Smith
Paul Grabowsky Sextet
Paul Kelly
Pheeroan akLaff with the Mike Nock Trio
Philip Glass - Solo Piano
Slava Grigoryan
Survival Concert 1996 'Protecting Our Culture'
Symphony Under The Stars
Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Chief Conductor and Artistic Director: Edo de Waart
Conductor: Sir William Southgate
Trumpet: Daniel Mendelow
The 2nd Annual Big Backyard Concert
The Holmes Brothers
The Three Chinese Tenors
Xei Kun, William Xing, Hao Zhou
Trio Three: Oliver Lake, Reggie Workman, Andrew Cyrille
Xylouris Ensemble
Yiddish Café
Ben Zimet, Talila
Lunch with Philip Glass
OPERA
Esso Opera In The Park
The Australian Opera, The Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra
Conductors: Roderick Brydon, Richard Gill, Tom Woods, Brian Castles-Onion
ART
Art out of Doors
From Christo & Jeanne-Claude to Jeff Koons
John Kaldor Art Projects and Collection
Hidden Treasures 2
Jeff Koons' Puppy
The Palimpsest
CELEBRATIONS
National Australia Day Concert
Flags Afloat Parade
Galaxy TV Australia Day Fireworks Spectacular
Lunch with Walter Mosley
St George Bank's Australia Today
Sydney Writers' Festival
MAGIC
Stars Of Illusion
Galina, Otto Wessely, Mike Caveney, Christopher Hart, The Pendragons, The Great Tomsoni & Co, Nicholas Night, Phil Cass, Fukai and Kimika, Raymond Crowe
POETRY
Nuyorican Poets Café Live!
The Nuyorican Poets
Translam
Nuyorican Poets Café Life!, Poetry Olympics
SPORT
160th Philips Australia Day Regatta
Australia Day Cup Race Meeting
NRMA Motorfest
Oz Day 10K International
Tall Ships Race
