The modern opera house is often the beating cultural heart of many cities around the world. It is both a centre of musical excellence and a barometer for cultural change. Throughout its long history, the opera house has not simply been a place of lyrical excellence, but a venue where the great and good have come to meet and where music lovers have come to be uplifted, educated and enthralled. Singers dazzled, directors outraged, and conductors often cut their musical teeth in theatres that were as awe inspiring as they were daunting.
THE ARTS SOCIETY ACCREDITED LECTURER
Professor Raymond Holden
Born in Australia, Professor Raymond Holden AM studied at Sydney, Cologne and London and is both a critically acclaimed and a multi-award winning writer, conductor, broadcaster and lecturer. He has performed with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Emilia Romagna and the New Symphony Orchestra of London, and has been published regularly by Oxford, Cambridge and Yale University Presses, the Royal Academy of Music Press, Hans Schneider Verlag (Vienna) and by ICA, EMI and Warner Classics. Professor Holden has appeared on BBC Television and Radio, Servus TV (Germany), RAI Television and Radio, ABC Classic FM, 3MBS FM, Vision Australia Radio, SRF (Switzerland) and Classic FM (South Africa), and has spoken at many of the world’s leading music and literary festivals, universities, conservatoires and research institutes. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours List and is currently Emeritus Professor of Music at the Royal Academy of Music, London.
OTHER EVENTS
Society
Mr Sandy Burnett
12 Feb 2026 - 14:00
Online Event
Society
Mr James Vaux
12 Mar 2026 - 14:00
Online Event