Sydney Opera House celebrates 50th anniversary

The construction of Sydney Opera House began in 1959 and was expected to take just four years and cost about 7 million Australian dollars. Ultimately, however, the project was not completed until 1973, costing over 100 million Australian dollars.

Curiously, the first ever performance was held at Sydney Opera House in 1960, many years before the building opened to the public. That year, singer and US civil rights activist Paul Robeson reportedly scaled the scaffolding and sang "Ol’ Man River" to workers on their lunch break.

Danish architect Jørn Utzon, who was responsible for the building's design, resigned in 1966 as chief architect due to disagreements with Australian authorities. Yet construction still went on without him.

When British monarch Queen Elizabeth II officially opened Sydney Opera House on 20 October 1973, she remarked that the "Sydney Opera House has captured the imagination of the world, though I understand that its construction has not been totally without problems."

Nearly a month earlier, the first public performance was staged at Sydney's brand-new opera house. An operatic adaptation of War and Peace by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev was staged on 28 September 1973. The production was directed by American actor and director Sam Wanamaker.

Over the decades, Sydney Opera House grew increasingly famous, attracting a host of celebrities. In 1980, Austria's Arnold Schwarzenegger won his final Mr Olympia body-building title at the venue.

A few years later, in 1986, Pope John Paul II held a religious ceremony outside Sydney Opera House. He welcomed the faithful in attendance, saying "I have greatly looked forward to this meeting. And now with joy in my heart I see you here, representing the whole of religious life in this land."

In 1990, South African anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela (pictured right, next to Australian Prime Minister John Howard) — who later served as his nation's first black president — also visited Australia. At the Sydney Opera House, Mandela addressed a crowd of 40,000 people and thanked Australia for its anti-apartheid stance.

The building's roof is coved in one million glazed-white granite titles, which are developed after three years of experimentation by Swedish company Höganäs so they would shine but not be too mirror-like to cause glare. These custom-made tiles are known as the Sydney Tile.

Sydney Opera House is so big it could accommodate no less than seven A380 passenger planes — each with a wingspan of 80 meters (262 ft)! The edifice covers an era of 1,8 hectares. Inside, you can find a large concert hall, several theaters, studios, dressing rooms, cafes, restaurants, bars and a library.

To celebrate its major anniversary in October 2023, Sydney Opera House is putting on a festival of music, dance and theater performances. The venue will be open to everyone on the birthday weekend of October 21 and 22.