125 Logo Designer shares a three generation history with South Street
Katie Williams has a special link to Royal South Street and an unexpected one. When asked to design our 125 Logo, Royal South Street was unaware of Katie’s long family history and involvement with the competitions which spans three generations. “My time with RSSS was very memorable for me. I played clarinet in the Symphonic…
Read MoreA father’s reflection of his first visit to The Royal South Street Eisteddfod
At 8:15am on a morning punctuated by rain and sun, the Novice Solo Classical 6 years under 8 contestants gather from around the state, all with their hopes and dreams. The highly accredited adjudicator, no novice among these novices, has danced in London and judged from Wollongong to Newcastle to Sydney and now Ballarat. Sitting…
Read MoreA Star is Born – Fiona Jopson
Herald Sun Aria Winner, 2015 Where did life begin for you? I grew up in the small town of Scone in NSW in the wine and horse region of the Hunter Valley, population 5000. I then moved to Melbourne to study at the Victorian College of the Arts and graduated with a Bachelor of Music…
Read MoreCaroline Almonte Recognised for Pianistic Excellence
Melbourne pianist Caroline Almonte has won the Excellence in Classical Music Award in the 2019 Australian Women in Music Awards, which were announced at Brisbane’s Powerhouse on 9 October. This award, one of 15 that celebrate the achievements of women in the Australian music industry, recognises female classical musicians in their mid-to-late careers who have…
Read MoreDame Kiri performance at Her Majesty’s
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa performed in Ballarat on 30 October 2016 where the internationally acclaimed opera singer first won the Herald Sun Aria in 1966 at Royal South Street. Dame Kiri became Patron for South Street in 2006. Tickets are available at Her Majesty’s Theatre. “The city holds special memories for me. It was there…
Read MoreDaughters of Dance
A brief and biased history of Dance and Calisthenics in Ballarat in recent times, and its relationship with the RSSS Competitions. A. M. Cole, as at February 2000 And so it was, that early in the 1900’s, Terpsichore the Muse of Dance looked down upon the land and saw that it was ruled by false…
Read MoreFlorence Lee Memorial Prize – History
The late Florence Lee was a piano teacher who supported Royal South Street Society. She continued to show an interest in young pianists well into her nineties and came each year to watch from the front row as her eyesight failed. It was the wish of her son, David, that this prize be continued in…
Read MoreFrank Robertson-Smith Award – History
Frank Robertson-Smith was born in Ballarat. He was a gifted musician on piano and pipe organ, an accompanist, choirmaster and teacher. It is from his estate that a legacy allows for several generous awards in his name each year, across various age groups, to promote excellence amongst young musicians.
Read MoreFrank Wright
Frank Joseph Henry Wright (born Smeaton, Victoria, 1901; died 16 November 1970), was a composer, music educator, conductor, publisher, and cornet player. He was the conductor of the City of Ballarat Brass Band and Soldiers’ Memorial Brass Band. He was also Australian Cornet Solo Champion. As cornet soloist he went to England in 1933, where…
Read MoreHappy Birthday Debating
It is now 125 years since the first competitions were held, but this month we are also celebrating 137 years since South Street was first established as The Young Men’s General Debating Society on 10 July 1879. The Society made up of eight young men proposed to meet every Friday night and indulge their passion…
Read MoreIron Maidens of Dance
A potted history of theatrical dancing in Australia. A. M. Cole 1998 The Venues Australia’s first theatre was a converted convict hut of mud and stone, in 1789 in Sydney town. It held 60 people, and its first production was a satire on colonial life. Our first privately owned theatre was built and run…
Read MoreJohn Stapp
Memories… Anita Stapp for the Louis and John Stapp Memorial Prize. Anita has great memories of growing up in Ballarat and was very aware of the Royal South Street Society Ballarat Eisteddfod. She spent quite a few years with the Ruby Looni dance school and competing on the Her Majesty’s Theatre Stage in Calisthenics. In…
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