Leonard Weiss has made history as the first Australian to conduct a subscription concert with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, taking the podium for Smetana’s Vyšehrad from Má vlast on 3 April. The concert followed his participation in last year’s Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellowship, which is affiliated with the BSO. He said, “It’s a great honour – and, given the lack of previous Australian conductors in this context, a truly unique life experience.”

Leonard Weiss. Photo © Luca Pezzani

Weiss is midway through a five-month residency at Deutsche Oper Berlin, where he is serving as a   Kapellmeister on scholarship through the Opera Foundation for Young Australians, which awarded him its Berlin Music Opera Award in 2025.

Griffin Theatre Company has named playwright and screenwriter Melanie Tait as the recipient of the 2026 Suzie Miller Award, awarding her a $30,000 commission and a two-year residency with the company. Tait, whose stage works include The Appleton Ladies’ Potato Race and The Queen’s Nanny, will develop a new play exploring medical ethics in brain cancer science. As part of the residency, she will also...