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Sydney Opera House Facts & Worksheets

The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre at Sydney Harbour in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

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The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre at Sydney Harbour in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon. He won a design competition to design the Opera House in 1957.

See the fact file below for more facts and information on the Sydney Opera House or download the double bundle worksheet collection which includes over 20 worksheets to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

  • The Swedish company that made the tiles of the Opera House is named Höganäs AB. The outer covering of the building is made up of concrete panels called ‘shells’. The two different colors of tiles used in the structure are ‘matte cream’ and ‘glossy white’.
  • The Concert Hall has a capacity of 2,679 people. This venue is mostly used by Sydney Symphony Orchestra. It is the biggest venue of the Opera House.
  • The Joan Sutherland Theatre has a capacity of 1,507 people. This venue is used by the Australian Ballet and Opera Australia.
  • The Studio has a capacity of 400 people. The Utzon Room has a capacity of 210 people.

HISTORY

  • The land where the Sydney Opera House stands is called Bennelong Point. Bennelong Point was once home to Fort Macquarie (the fort was built in 1817 and knocked down in 1901).
  • On 10 August 1902, the Fort Macquarie Tram Depot was opened at Bennelong Point. The depot was knocked down in 1958. The Sydney Opera House was built on the same spot and work began in 1959.
  • It was designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon. He won a design competition in 1957. Utzon left the project in February 1966 because the government was not paying his invoices.
  • The building finally opened on October 20, 1973. The project was completed ten years later and cost more than fourteen times the original budget. In 2001, Utzon was invited back to restore the building to be more like his original designs.

OPPENING

  • The Opera House was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II on October 20, 1973. The opening was televised and included fireworks and a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.
  • Prior to the opening, two performances had already taken place there.
  • On September 28, 1973, a performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s War and Peace was played at the Opera Theatre.
  • On September 29, the first public concert in the Concert Hall took place. It was performed by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Charles Mackerras and with accompanying singer Birgit Nilsson.

THE OPERA HOUSE

  • While the Opera House was not completed yet, the artist who performed for the very first time in the venue was Paul Robeson, a U.S. actor. He performed in 1960.
  • The first ever performance of playing piano in front of spectators in the Opera House was performed by Romola Enyi. She was an Australian pianist and performed on April 10, 1973 in the Concert Hall.
  • In 2013, the Opera House had its 40th birthday. As a result, Sydney New Year’s Eve event was held on 31st December (the same year) in this venue.
  • Each year the House hosts about 1,500 performances and about 1.2 million people watch these performances every year.
  • The Opera House is run by a trust made by an Australian government named the Sydney Opera House Trust.

JøRN UTZON

  • In the formal opening of the Opera House, no one called Jørn Utzon to attend the ceremony and his name was also not referred to in the ceremony at all.
  • It is said that the panel of experts (three judges) who were looking at the various designs of the Opera House (during International Competition), rejected the design of Utzon along with other architects.
  • However, a U.S. architect named Eero Saarinen arrived in Sydney and was fascinated by the design of Utzon.
  • In the late 1990s, the Trust officials went back to Utzon in an effort to settle the differences and asked his approval for the upcoming restructuring of the Opera House. Thus, in 1999, Utzon was taken into service as a consultant.
  • In order to pay a mark of respect to its real architect, the design of one of the rooms was constructed on the word of Utzon. This room was unveiled in 2004 and was named as “The Utzon Room”.Jørn Utzon passed away in November 2008. After the death of Utzon, a ceremony was conducted in the Concert Hall of the Opera House displaying different performances on March 25, 2009. Lin and Jan (daughter and son of Utzon) were present at this official ceremony.

Sydney Opera House Worksheets

This is a double bundle addition which includes over 20 ready-to-use Sydney Opera House worksheets that are perfect for students to learn about this multi-venue performing arts centre at Sydney Harbour in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon. He won a design competition to design the Opera House in 1957.

Worksheet Collection 1:

  • Sydney Opera House in Australia Facts
  • The Facts!
  • The Danish Architect
  • SOHA Timeline
  • Breaking News!
  • SOHA Puzzle
  • Broken Words
  • The Contributors
  • Dream Vacay!
  • Travel Guide
  • I Have a Dream Too!

Worksheet Collection 2:

  • Construction Timeline
  • Opera House Wordsearch
  • Biography of Jørn Utzon
  • Design a Postage Stamp
  • A Few Changes
  • Opera House Crossword
  • Sketching the Opera House
  • True or False?
  • Opinion Piece
  • Decorating the Opera House

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Link will appear as Sydney Opera House Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, September 11, 2019

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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