Arts Management Pty Ltd records concerning Stuart Challender, 1967-1996

MLMSS 7904/Boxes 1-6
MLMSS 7904/Box 7X

fonds

1967-1996

Textual Records, Graphic Materials, Clippings, Ephemera, Photographs, Nonmusical Sound Recordings, Musical Sound Recordings

872429

1.4 metres of textual material, approximately 150 photographic prints, 10 contact sheets, negatives, transparencies and slides (6 boxes and 1 outsize box)

Stuart Challender was born in Hobart in 1947. He graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree from Melbourne University in 1968 and worked as Musical Director of the Victorian Opera Company (now the Victoria State Opera). He then undertook further study in Europe, working as repetiteur then conductor with various German and Swiss opera houses, culminating in his appointment as resident conductor at the Basel Opera House from 1976 to 1980. He returned to Australia as Resident Conductor of the Australian Opera from 1980 to 1985. During this time, he was also the Artistic Director of the Seymour Group and worked with the Sydney Youth Orchestra and the South Australian Youth Orchestra. Overseas, he conducted performances of Lucia Di Lammermoor starring Dame Joan Sutherland for the Netherlands Opera in 1982, and worked with the San Diego Opera in 1985.

In 1986, Challender was appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, becoming its Chief Conductor in 1987 at the age of 40. At the same time, he worked with the Australian Opera as a Guest Conductor. He also continued to make overseas debuts, conducting the Auckland Philharmonic, the Royal Philharmonic, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the BBC Scottish Symphony in 1987, the Boston Symphony in Hong Kong in 1989, the Chicago Symphony in 1990 and the English National Opera in 1991. He toured the United States with the Sydney Symphony in 1988, performing in Washington’s Kennedy Centre, Carnegie Hall and the United Nations in New York and Orchestra Hall in Chicago.

He was awarded an Order of Australia (AO) in 1991 and in the same year received Honorary Doctorates from the University of Sydney and the University of Tasmania. In March 1991, Challender became the first major arts figure in Australia, if not the world, to admit publicly that he had AIDS. He died on 13 Dec 1991 at the age of 44. Obituaries appeared in newspapers around the world including the New York Times. The Memorial Service in the Sydney Town Hall was attended by 2500 people.

Reference:
Compiled from the collection

The collection comprises material accumulated by Virginia Braden of Arts Management Pty Ltd in the years that she represented Stuart Challender as his manager.

BOXES 1-3
Management correspondence files, 1968-1996. Box 3 also contains personal letters of support received by Challender, as well as typed copies of eulogies by David Hill and Michael Kirby given at Challender's Memorial Service, 20 December 1991.

BOX 4-5
Media releases and press clippings, including reviews of performances and articles about Challender, 1967-1991. Some early articles in German.

BOX 6
FOLDER 1: Black and white proof sheets (3) and colour negatives of Challender and the Sydney Youth Orchestra in rehearsal, 1984. One black and white photographic print of Challender and Richard Tognetti.
FOLDER 2: Black and white photographic portraits (20) of Challender by James Murdoch, Paul Richardson, John Marmaris (?) and Stuart Campbell.
FOLDER 3: Black and white and colour photographic portraits (approx. 103) of Challender conducting in rehearsal by Gordon Clarke.
FOLDER 4: Black and white photographic prints (9), black and white proof sheets (4) and colour negatives of Challender by Branco Gaica, 1986.
FOLDER 5: Black and white photographic prints (20) and black and white proof sheets (3) of Challender, photographer unknown.

BOX 7X
Black and white and colour photographic portraits (30) of Challender by Arnold Newman, together with 16 proof sheets, 6 colour transparencies and 2 colour slides, 1990.
Black and white photographic portraits (3) of Challender by Glenn Gibson.

Unstable fax papers in boxes 1-3 were photocopied by Library staff (September, 2009)