Operatic Masterpiece Confirmed as Headline Act for Sydney Festival 2014

Operatic masterpiece, Dido & Aeneas, has been confirmed as the headline act for the Sydney Festival 2014.

Henry Purcell's Baroque opera will be brought to life by the reigning queen of contemporary dance culture Sasha Waltz during her first visit to Australia.

The critically acclaimed production opens with a unique underwater prologue, as dancers are literally submersed in Purcell's music in a giant, Perspex tank.

The production at the Sydney Lyric Theatre from 16-21 January 2014 will feature 60 dancers, singers and musicians from Sasha Waltz & Guests and the Berlin Academy for Ancient Music.

"Sydney in summer is always spectacular particularly as Sydney Festival, Australia's premier arts and cultural event and a highlight of the city's vibrant annual events calendar, takes over Sydney's streets, parks, theatres and iconic locations with an array of dance, opera, theatre and musical performances," said Destination NSW CEO, Sandra Chipchase. "I congratulate 2014 Festival Director Lieven Bertels on securing Dido & Aeneas by Sasha Waltz as part of the 2014 Festival Program. It promises to be a breath-taking performance and the kind of cultural experience for which Sydney Festival is renowned."

Destination NSW will promote travel packages to the Festival internationally encouraging visitors to experience the wonder of this production in Australia's cultural capital, Sydney.

Sydney Festival Director, Lieven Bertels, said, "Sydney Festival is thrilled to be able to confirm the first landmark project for 2014. This will be Sasha Waltz's first ever visit to Sydney, with a production that is unique in its collaborative spirit, bringing together multiple art forms, and in its unusual scale, both in manpower and the use of advanced stagecraft techniques."

The Festival attracts visitors from all over the globe who come to Sydney specifically for the world-class events staged here over three weeks in January.

"Last year's Festival attracted an audience of over half a million people across 23 days. It featured 121 sold out performances with over 120,000 tickets sold across 321 ticketed performances," Ms. Chipchase said.

Tickets for Dido & Aeneas are on sale now, and the full 2014 program is expected to be announced in October.