Mike Baird promises multi-million dollar refurbishment that will transform Sydney’s arts hub.

NSW Premier Mike Baird has announced plans for a major refurbishment of the Sydney Opera House and Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, cementing the world famous area around Sydney Harbour as the principal arts hub of the Aisa Pacific region.

A $600 million Arts and Culture Infrastructure Fund has been created, with $202 million earmarked for a substantial upgrade of the Sydney Opera House’s Concert Hall. “The Opera House’s largest and most popular venue, the Concert Hall, will be modernised to improve acoustic quality, theatre machinery and access. Stage dimensions will be increased and rehearsal spaces will be upgraded,” Baird said.

Rory Jeffes, Managing Director of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, said he applauded the NSW Government on its decision to make the most substantial upgrades to the Sydney Opera House’s Concert Hall since it opened in 1973. “Not only will the revitalisation of the Concert Hall have a major impact on the arts community in NSW and Australia, but it will have positive repercussions for the economy of NSW, leading to a growth in tourism and audience engagement,” he said.  The poor acoustics of the Sydney Opera House’s Concert...