The Sydney Festival’s new director aims to revive the city’s nightlife
For her debut as artistic director of the three-week arts extravaganza, Olivia Ansell has sought to tap into the city’s stories, including a strong First Nations component.
In many ways it seems as if Olivia Ansell’s whole life has been preparing her to become artistic director of the Sydney Festival. Her great-grandfather and grandfather were both circus masters, her maternal grandmother was an opera singer and performer on the Tivoli circuit, and her paternal grandmother was a classical violinist.
The next generation was in the arts, too. Ansell’s father was a jazz musician and composer, responsible for the ABC’s TV news theme from 1985 onwards, among other compositions, and her mother was a choreographer, dancer and dance teacher.
