It’s that time of the year again. Pack your picnic, grab a spot on the lawn and enjoy the beautiful sounds of the Orchestra in one of Melbourne’s most loved music venues.
Celebrating 93 years in 2022, the Sidney Myer Free Concerts have been a Melbourne tradition since October 1929 when the MSO held its first free outdoor performance. It was 30 years later that the concerts moved to the Sidney Myer Music Bowl!
In October 1929 the MSO held its first free outdoor performance, intended to bring beautiful music to the people of Melbourne. Fritz Hart conducted the series of six performances, which were held in Alexandra Gardens on a temporary stage, with thousands of people in attendance.
A musical ‘surprise’ packet has just been opened. Melbourne is to have open-air orchestral concerts. And they will be free. This innovation in orchestral music has been made possible by the generosity of Mr Sidney Myer.
In early 1930, another free orchestral concert series was held – this time at Melbourne’s Botanic Gardens. The program included popular works by Mozart, Schubert, Grainger, Strauss and Borodin, with the last performance of the series held on 8 April. Journalists estimated that over 100,000 people had attended the six concerts.
Formerly known as the ‘Music for the People’ series, the Sidney Myer Free Concerts continued annually thanks to the support of Sidney Myer, even after his passing in 1934.
In 1959, after years of planning and construction, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl was officially opened and was declared as a gift to the people of Victoria. It has since provided a permanent home for MSO’s Sidney Myer Free Concerts.
Learn more about these upcoming free concerts in February 2022 here.
