Richard Bonynge AO CBE (b. 1930), conductor, won a scholarship to the Sydney Conservatorium of Music when he was twelve. He studied there with Lindley Evans, who had been an accompanist for Melba. At the age of 14 Bonynge performed the Grieg Piano Concerto with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. He married Sutherland in 1954, made his debut as a conductor in Rome in 1962, and conducted his first opera, Faust, in Vancouver in 1963. From 1975 to 1986 he was the Principal Conductor and Artistic/Musical Director of the Australian Opera, holding a similar position with the Vancouver Opera from 1974 to 1978. Bonynge specialises in the bel canto repertoire, but has made a great number of opera and ballet recordings and has conducted at many music festivals throughout the world.
