Australia’s iconic venue has signed an official partnership with the Internet broadcasting giant.

Sydney Opera House and YouTube have announced a two-year agreement that will see 20 upcoming performances in and around the world-famous building filmed and streamed live on the Internet. Home viewers will be able to watch these events as they unfold, from anywhere in the world with a connection. The project launched in January 2013 with a dedicated YouTube channel: “Live at the Sydney Opera House.”

The joint venture follows the unprecedented success of the 2011 YouTube Symphony Orchestra grand finale, hosted at the Sydney Opera House and beamed live to viewers around the world via the Google-owned video-sharing site. Within less than a week of the March 20 concert, it had attracted 33 million online visits (including 11.1 million real-time viewers), outstripping a clip of British rock band U2 to become the most frequently watched concert in YouTube’s history.

In 2012, Sydney Opera House continued its efforts to reach out to an exponentially expanding international audience through digital platforms. As part of a trial run of the partnership, four concerts at the 2012 Vivid LIVE festival streamed live on YouTube, garnering a...