Sidney Myer Music Bowl
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| Sidney Myer Music Bowl | |
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| Location | Kings Domain, Melbourne |
| Broke ground | 1958 |
| Opened | 1959 |
| Owner | Victorian Government |
| Operator | City of Melbourne |
| Surface | Concrete, Grass |
| Architect | Barry Patten |
| Tenants | |
| Carols by Candlelight | |
| Capacity | |
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The Sidney Myer Music Bowl is an architecturally significant, outdoor performance venue in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is located in the gentle undulating lawns and gardens of Kings Domain, quite close to the Victorian Arts Centre and the Southbank entertainment precinct. It was officially opened by Prime Minister Robert Menzies on February 12, 1959 with an audience of some 30,000 people.
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[edit] Major Events
The bowl has held many different events over the years, including the well known and popular Carols by Candlelight, held every year on Christmas Eve. Over the years, millions of dollars have been raised during this event for the benefit of Australian vision impaired charities and organisations. The concert is televised each year by the Nine Network.
Many contemporary music groups have held notable performances at the venue over the years. (See History for further detail)
[edit] Design and construction
The Bowl's canopy consists of a thin membrane (half an inch weather-proofed plywood sheeted on both sides with aluminium) attached to a cobwebbed frame of steel cables and supported by 21.3 metre masts pivoted to the earth. The total area of the canopy is 4055 square metres. The main cable at the edge of the canopy comprises 7 ropes, each about 9 cm in diameter and 173 metres long, anchored deep into the ground in concrete blocks. Longitudinal cables hold up the roof and transverse cables hold it down.
Project design was by Yuncken Freeman Architects and Griffiths and Simpson during 1956. The project architect was Barry Patten. Construction commenced in 1958 with an innovative system of cables laced together and covered with aluminium faced plywood sandwich panels. To ensure the structure would be watertight yet aerodynamically stable and flexible, new construction techniques were developed. Ground anchors were required to be corrosion resistant. The shell also needed to be acoustically correct. Construction entailed input from a number of engineering and scientific organisations including the Aeronautical Research Laboratories and CSIRO Forest Products Division.
Unlike the Hollywood Bowl concrete shell structure in Los Angeles which inspired it, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl combined a tensile structural system with a free-form roof which was ahead of its time. It was important for its scale, sophistication and boldness of structural expression. The structural design predates by nearly ten years noted German architect/engineer, Frei Otto, and his experiments in using lightweight tensile and membrane structures.
[edit] Capacity
There is a fixed seating area which can hold 2030 people in 26 tiered rows. Behind this area are sloping lawns which can accommodate up to 28,000 people giving a total capacity of about 30,000. The Stage area is 27.4 metres wide by 19.5 metres deep.
[edit] History
The self made businessman and philanthropist, Sidney Myer, inspired the construction of the building, after attending the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. A talented violinist who enjoyed music, Sidney Myer established free, open-air concerts with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in 1929, which were always well attended by Melburnians. These free concerts continue to this day, now being held at the bowl itself. There are usually four or five concerts a year and many consider them to be an integral part of Melbourne's summer character.
Upon his death in 1934, the Sidney Myer Charitable Trust was established, now known as the Myer Foundation, to continue the tradition of philanthropy begun by its founder. The design and construction of a music bowl for the people of Melbourne was decided upon and funded by the Myer Foundation.
The bowl was officially opened by Prime Minister Robert Menzies on February 12, 1959 with an audience of 30,000. Later that month over 70,000 people attended to hear the American evangelist, Billy Graham. Since then, international performers have included: ABBA, AC/DC, Metallica, Wings, Blondie, The Beach Boys, Crowded House, Dire Straits, Neil Diamond, The Doors, Bob Dylan, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Merle Haggard, Pearl Jam, The Seekers, R.E.M. and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.
During the mid 1970s performances by and Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs drew crowds extending into the trees of Kings Domain of over 200,000 and 250,000 people respectively. While most were unable to see the stage, the unique design of "The Bowl" allowed the sound to be heard several kilometres back.
In 1980 administration of the bowl was handed over to the Victorian Arts Centre from the Myer Foundation by Kenneth Myer, Sidney Myer's son. In 1984 a temporary ice-skating rink was created on the Bowl’s stage for use during winter months. The venue was closed for a major renovation in 2000 to bring the facilities up to an appropriate standard, and was reopened by the Premier of Victoria, Steve Bracks, at Carols by Candlelight on Christmas Eve, 2002. Recent works on the lawns extending from the seating and stage, and the construction of a fence and gates has reduced the total capacity to a little over 30,000, however, has also improved the visibility and standard of facilities out of sight.
The Sidney Myer Music Bowl is registered on the Victorian Heritage list for its cultural importance to Victoria; its architectural importance as the largest, purpose built, permanent outdoor performance venue in Australia; and its engineering experimentation in new forms of construction involving use of membranes and a tensile structural system.
[edit] Notable Performances/Events
- Billy Graham (1959)
- ABBA (1970s)
- AC/DC
- Metallica (2004)
- Wings
- Blondie
- The Beach Boys
- Crowded House
- Dire Straits
- Neil Diamond
- The Doors
- Bob Dylan
- Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs (1970s)
- Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
- Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
- Midnight Oil
- Merle Haggard
- Skyhooks
- Pearl Jam
- The Seekers (1960s)
- R.E.M.
- Dame Kiri Te Kanawa
- Make Poverty History Concert (2006)
- Jet
- Evermore
- Eskimo Joe
- Paul Kelly
- Pearl Jam
- Bono and The Edge
- John Butler Trio
- Hilltop Hoods
- Sarah Blasko
[edit] Future Events
- April 2007 the Red Hot Chili Peppers will perform at the bowl.
[edit] See also
- Tensile architecture
- Tensile and membrane structures
- Make Poverty History Concert
- Carols by Candlelight
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Great Buildings
- Architecture Significance
- Maps and aerial photos
- WikiSatellite view at WikiMapia
- Street map from Google Maps or Multimap.
- Satellite image from Google Maps
| Melbourne landmarks | |
|---|---|
| Buildings | Arts Centre Spire · Crown Casino · Federation Square · Flinders Street Station · Luna Park · Melbourne Central · Melbourne Cricket Ground · Parliament House · Queen Victoria Market · Rialto Towers · Royal Exhibition Building · Shrine of Remembrance · Sidney Myer Music Bowl |
| Precincts | Chinatown · Melbourne Docklands · Southbank · St Kilda |
| Nature and Parks | Birrarung Marr · Carlton Gardens · Fitzroy Gardens · Royal Botanic Gardens |
| Cultural Institutions | Melbourne Zoo · Melbourne Museum · National Gallery of Victoria · State Library of Victoria · Victorian Arts Centre |
| Transportation | Flinders Street Station · Melbourne Airport · Southern Cross Station |
