Spirit of the Arts
Qantas is proud to be a sponsor of the following Arts:
Art Gallery of NSW
The Yiribana Gallery, within the Art Gallery of NSW houses the largest permanent exhibition of indigenous Australian and Torres Strait artwork in world.
Qantas is proud to sponsor Yiribana Gallery at the Art Gallery of NSW.
Australian Girls Choir and The National Boys Choir of Australia
The Australian Girls Choir was founded in 1984 by Judith Curphey and their outstanding reputation as one of Australia's most dynamic choir's has been established in many hundreds of high profile performances at home and abroad. The choir is proud to provide high quality education and wonderful performance opportunities to nearly 3,500 girls across the country who are trained in song, dance and drama on a weekly basis.
Founded in 1964 and growing to around 200 choristers, the National Boys Choir of Australia has established itself as one of Australia's finest treble choirs. The Choir creates a musical community committed to providing choristers with an excellent choral music education, a love of singing and the opportunity for music and performance to contribute to their all round education for life.
Qantas first approached the two choirs in 1998 about the possibility of working on an advertising campaign for the airline. Filmed in spectacular locations around Australia and the world, the campaign was one of the most popular in Australian advertising history.
In 2000 and again in 2004 the Choirs were invited to appear in new versions of the original campaign. The making of the 2000 campaign was documented in Wandering Spirits, which aired on the Seven Network in Australia.
As a result of the success of the campaign, the choirs were invited to record the 'Spirit of Christmas' CD with a host of high profile Australian recording artists. The CD went platinum and was nominated for an ARIA award.
The choirs regularly perform at Qantas events and functions such as the Qantas Socceroos and Qantas Wallabies matches, the Australian Open and many other corporate events. They also represent Qantas at 'G'Day USA' and 'G'Day NZ' Australia Week Celebrations each year and also performed at World Youth Day in Sydney, of which Qantas was a major supporter.
Three campaigns and many thousands of miles later Qantas is delighted to be associated with the Australian Girls Choir and National Boys Choir of Australia.
Bangarra Dance Theatre
Bangarra Dance Theatre is one of the youngest and oldest of Australia's dance companies. Its living traditions go back at least 40,000 years but it also reflects the lives and attitudes of indigenous people today. This unique company blends traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture with international contemporary dance influences to create a truly Australian dance language.
Under the artistic direction of Stephen Page since 1991, Bangarra has stunned audiences throughout Australia and the world with electric, startling and inherently spiritual dance works of immense theatrical presence.
Bangarra is committed to touring regional Australia every year under the Qantas 'Sharing the Spirit' campaign. Additionally, Bangarra tours to all main cities around Australia and in the past has undertaken international tours to the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, France, China and Japan.
Qantas is proud to partner Bangarra Dance Theatre.
Gondwana National Indigenous Children's Choir
Qantas is proud to be a major partner of the Gondwana National Indigenous Children's Choir. Formed in July 2008, by Gondwana Choirs Artistic Director Lyn Williams OAM, the Choir offers talented young Indigenous Australians from across the country the opportunity to come together and sing and share the voice of their generation with Australia and the world through unique education and performance opportunities.
In July 2008, the Choir performed in World Youth Day festivities, welcoming Pope Benedict XVI to Australia with a piece that was written especially for them in the Dharug Indigenous language, English and Latin. In May 2009 the Choir performed at The Dreaming Festival in Woodford Queensland.
The Gondwana National Indigenous Children's Choir program also includes music skills development workshops in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia and regional music camps. The Choir is working to build a repertoire of songs in Indigenous languages and involves the children in creating new works with Australia's Indigenous musicians.
Museum of Contemporary Art
Opened in 1991, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Sydney, is Australia's premier museum dedicated to exhibiting, interpreting and collecting contemporary art from across Australia and around the world.
The MCA presents an engaging program of exhibitions and special events on art and related issues. From major thematic exhibitions and surveys of established artists, solo exhibitions of mid career artists and new work by emerging artists, painting and sculpture to new media, the MCA program covers the range and diversity of contemporary art.
The MCA aims to place the work of Australian artists, indigenous and non-indigenous, within an international context. By presenting their work alongside that of their international peers as well as bringing major international exhibitions of contemporary art to Australia, the MCA seeks to stimulate dialogue between Australia and the rest of the world. The MCA also contributes to the promotion of the work of Australian artists through national and international exhibition touring programs.
National Gallery of Australia (Indigenous art and education)
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art collection at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) comprises over 7500 works and is the largest in the world. These new gallery spaces allow much more of the collection to be seen with each one specifically designed for a different geographic region or aspect of Indigenous art and, where possible, paintings and sculptures are illuminated overhead by natural daylight, akin to the light in which the works were created.
This dedicated display of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art highlights the diversity, richness and excellence of the collection.
Qantas is the Official Airline and major partner of the Wesfarmers Indigenous Arts Leadership Program and the National Indigenous Art Triennial. They are also a major sponsor of the gallery's annual blockbuster exhibition.
National Gallery of Australia
The National Gallery of Australia in Canberra is home to Australia's national collection of art. The Gallery aims to provide access to, and information about works of art locally, nationally and internationally. It hosts permanent and international exhibitions, as well as various public programmes and events. The National Gallery of Australia's collections include more than 160,000 works of art across four main areas: Australian art, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander art, Asian art and European and American art. Works in the Gallery belong to the people of Australia and are preserved and presented for their enjoyment and education. It is the Gallery's intention to make the collection as widely appreciated as possible both in Australia and overseas.
Qantas is the official airline and major partner of the Westfarmers Indigenous Arts Leadership Program & Natinoal Indigenous Art Triennial.
National Gallery of Victoria
The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) is the oldest public gallery in Australia and one of the State's major tourist attractions. The NGV is spread over two magnificent buildings - NGV International on St Kilda Road and The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia at Federation Square. There is always a diverse and dynamic range of exhibitions, including international and touring shows, to ponder and enjoy.
The NGV Collection comprises more than 65,000 artworks spanning thousands of years, from the art of ancient civilisations right up to contemporary art, reflecting a multitude of different disciplines, periods, styles and inspirations.
NGV International houses the Gallery's collections of international art from Europe, Asia, America and Oceania and will be home to NGV Kids Space (opening 28 May 2011). At NGV Australia you will find the Australian art collection, from European settlement to the present day, including works by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities. NGV Studio (opening in May 2011) and NGV Kids Corner are also at NGV Australia.
Qantas Airways is proud to sponsor the Indigenous Galleries at The Ian Potter Centre:NGV Australia and is dedicated to supporting arts and cultural organisations across Australia.
Entry to the NGV Collection at both galleries is free, however, entry fees may apply to special exhibitions. For information visit the ngv.
Opera Australia
Opera Australia is the vibrant identity for Australia's national opera company. Formed in 1956, it has grown to become one of the busiest opera companies in the world. It is a company that bears proud traditions of artistic excellence and popular appeal, that presents opera that excites audiences, and sustains and develops the art form.
As Australia's leading performing arts company, Opera Australia gives employment to more than 1,000 Australians per year. In 2010 Opera Australia gave over 210 performances in its mainstage seasons at the Sydney Opera House and the Arts Centre Melbourne. A further 17,000 people attended a production of La Traviata by Opera Australia's regional access and development arm, Oz Opera and the Schools Company gave performances to more than 36,700 primary age children in New South Wales and Victoria.
Opera Australia continues to take opera to the world stage. Peter Grimes was hired by Houston Grand Opera and Opera Australia continues to be involved in the Opera Conference group with other Opera companies around Australia. In 2010 Opera Australia recorded and distributed the work of Opera Australia artists in High definition, both nationally and internationally, through cinemas, television, DVD, CD and all other parts of the increasingly complex and content-hungry media matrix. In 2010, The Marriage of Figaro, Rigoletto and Der Rosenkavalier were recorded and will enable wider and more diverse audiences to access the wonderful world of opera.
In 2011 Opera Australia announced that Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour would commence in 2012 and present Australians and International visitors with a spectacular new production of La Traviata, set on the waters of Sydney Harbour.
Sydney Theatre Company
Sydney Theatre Company has been Australia's leading force in quality theatre since its establishment in 1978. They perform 52 weeks a year - working across a broad spectrum from the classic repertoire to new commissions, from the very popular to the most challenging, with works appealing to a diverse audience from the keen theatre-goer to the first time attendee.
The Company regularly tours its productions throughout Australia, playing to a total audience of over 300,000 people each year. In 2008 Sydney Theatre Company's annual subscription season features 12 plays including 'The Narcissist' which is proudly presented by Qantas.
Packed to the brim with narcissists of every stripe, withering one liners and wild farce, this production from Brisbane's La Boite Theatre Company was a massive success up in Queensland and promises to roar into the Sydney Opera House on all cylinders.
To book tickets and for further information visit the STC website.
Qantas has been a committed sponsor of Sydney Theatre Company for over 7 years.
The Australian Ballet
Founded in 1962, The Australian Ballet is one of the country's flagship arts companies, and for five decades has been the defining face of ballet in Australia.
Each year the company performs classical repertoire and contemporary works by major Australian and international choreographers, as well as new commissions that explore the development and future of this dynamic art form. The Australian Ballet's diverse repertoire reflects the company's motto: caring for tradition, daring to be different.
As the Official Airline of The Australian Ballet, we invite you to celebrate their 50th anniversary with ballets of the past, present and future. The 2012 season opens with INFINITY, a world premiere season of new works by Graeme Murphy, Stephen Page with Bangarra Dance Theatre, and Gideon Obarzanek. John Cranko's ONEGIN, dramatic ballet of desire versus duty returns, after an 18-year absence. Melbourne will host LET'S DANCE showcasing new works and classic pieces from The Australian Ballet, Sydney Dance Company, West Australian Ballet and more. ICONS collects three of The Australian Ballet's masterpieces from the sixties, seventies and eighties. And the year finishes with SWAN LAKE, the classic tale of troubled prince and tragic swan queen given a traditional treatment by Stephen Baynes and David McAllister.
We and The Australian Ballet look forward to celebrating with you!
The Melbourne Prize Trust
The Melbourne Prize Trust, launched in 2004, has been established with the vision to recognise and reward excellence and talent, inspire creative development and enrich public life by providing opportunities to develop our creative resources across literature, music and (urban) sculpture. These objectives are achieved by running the annual Melbourne Prize, which is funded through cross-sector partnerships with the Melbourne Prize Trust, which is not-for-profit charitable organisation.
As an initiative of the Committee for Melbourne and first offered in 2005, the annual Melbourne Prize is one of the most valuable prizes of its kind in Australia. It runs in a three-year cycle comprising the Melbourne Prize for Urban Sculpture (2011), the Melbourne Prize for Literature (2012) and the Melbourne Prize for Music (2013). For further information please visit the Melbourne Prize Trust website.
To the annual Melbourne Prize has distributed more than $700,000 in prizes across the three cultural sectors, facilitated artist residencies and provides a free public exhibition of finalists at Federation Square each November.
Now entering its third cycle this year, the annual Melbourne Prize has an eminent alumni. Please visit our website or follow us on facebook and twitter.
The Walkley Foundation
The Walkley Foundation supports and encourages excellence in Australian journalism through the annual Walkley Awards and a national program of events. Since their launch in 1956, the Walkley Awards have grown from five to 33 categories. Today the Walkleys recognise photography, cartooning, artwork, non-fiction literature and online journalism, as well as all kinds of media. As technology evolves, Australians have access to more information than ever - on the internet, mobile phones and beyond. In times like these it's important to hold high standards for journalism, and to recognise the work Australian reporters do at home and abroad - bearing witness, exposing the truth, and building understanding in an increasingly complex world.
The Walkley Foundation supports journalists around Australia and throughout the Asia Pacific region through networking, emergency support and professional development events. Exhibitions of Walkley-winning photography tour the country each year, watch out for them in your state. Visit www.walkleys.com to learn more about the Walkleys and great Australian journalism, or to order your copy of The Walkley Magazine - Inside the Media.
Qantas is proud to support The Walkley Foundation for excellence in journalism.
