Open for music!

The University of Melbourne celebrated the official opening of the Ian Potter Southbank Centre on Saturday, June 1.

As a long-awaited addition to our world-class Arts Precinct, the occasion marked a significant milestone for both the university and for Melbourne, with the $109 million facility providing the new home for the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music (MCM).

And as if the unveiling wasn’t enough, the university also announced on the day that it had struck a new $1 million partnership with the Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO), in a move that gives staff and students unparalleled education and research opportunities.

While staff and students moved into the new Melbourne Conservatorium of Music in March, final works, including the completion of the new linear public park between Sturt and Dodds streets, have continued since.

The grand opening on June 1 saw Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley officially launch the facility in front of hundreds of dignitaries, alumni and special guests.

The event began with a traditional smoking ceremony and Welcome to Country in the new linear park with Boon Wurrung Elder N’arweet Carolyn Briggs. This was accompanied by student performers from the university’s Wilin Centre for Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development.

Master of ceremonies and ABC News Breakfast presenter Virginia Trioli later got formal proceedings underway in the conservatorium’s Hanson Dyer Hall, which was broadcast via video link to more guests in the Kenneth Myer Auditorium on the ground floor.

Chairman of the Ian Potter Foundation Charles Goode AC and University of Melbourne vice-chancellor Duncan Maskell both addressed the audience, with Professor Maskell using the occasion to announce the new partnership with the ACO.

The university will be recognised as the official university partner of the ACO, with an investment of $200,000 a year over five years. The Southbank campus, home of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, will become the new Melbourne development and education home for the ACO.

“The ACO partnership, made possible by the Sidney Myer University Trust, will provide our students at the conservatorium with exceptional educational enrichment opportunities to engage and learn from the national orchestra’s musicians,” Professor Maskell said.

“These partnerships demonstrate how the Southbank campus transformation enables us to expand community engagement, foster new partnerships locally and internationally, and help our cultural precinct partners achieve the city’s vision for a thriving arts scene.”

Minister Foley said the building was a game-changer for music education and a new drawcard for the Melbourne Arts Precinct.

“This partnership will foster important career pathways for students and will welcome another leading creative organisation to the precinct, which is already home to the highest concentration of arts and cultural organisations anywhere in the world,” Mr Foley said.

Guests to the opening were then treated to a celebration that continued into the evening with every one of the building’s eight levels showcasing different performances, including jazz, solo piano, orchestras and chamber music, before finishing with a string ensemble.

The Ian Potter Southbank Centre was funded by the University of Melbourne, the Victorian Government, and generous philanthropic support, particularly from The Ian Potter Foundation, Martyn and Louise Myer and The Myer Foundation.