Today
How new Melbourne Symphony boss wants to move on from Gaza furore
Richard Wigley, who came to the MSO’s top job via Belfast, cited Barack Obama’s “don’t do stupid stuff” motto as a phrase for how he will rebuild the organisation.
- Michael Bailey
This Month
Do you know this week’s news? Answer these 10 questions
Have you been paying attention this week? Test your knowledge across politics, business and world news.
- Daniel Arbon
A mystery bidder, Gina Rinehart and Brisbane’s missing public artwork
The Hopoate Fingers is Brisbane’s most beloved public artwork. Will it fall into moneyed hands?
- Mark Di Stefano
- Christmas Gift Guide 2024
- eBooks
Books to treasure or give this holiday season
Elevate your mood and mind with our selection of new coffee table editions, ranging from spectacular photography to quirky knowledge.
- Stephen Clark
Neil Finn and sons conjure The Beach Boys at Sydney show
The Crowded House statesman has installed his eldest on guitar and youngest on drums, and they harmonised like only family can at this return to the Opera House forecourt.
- Michael Bailey
Why is my teen talking about ‘ocean aliens’?
A rumour has been circulating online that recent US congressional hearings uncovered the existence of aliens living in our oceans. Could it be true?
- Rachael Bolton
Cate Blanchett swears she’s not Angela Merkel in zombie movie
She’s played a monstrous maestro, elf queen and bounty hunter – now the Oscar-winning actress is taking on our narcissistic world leaders.
- Julia Llewellyn Smith
Oliver Sacks’ letters from a beautiful mind
The great neurologist offered a lesson in treating our fellow humans with care and true attention.
- Erica Wagner
- Christmas Gift Guide 2024
- Life & Leisure
Handmade hits the premium end of the gift market
These five artisans are busy working on timeless pieces that celebrate the art of making – and that you won’t see in shops everywhere.
- Hannah Tattersall
Quite a price for a ‘passé’ landscape artist
The last big auction of the year delivered a solid overall result, but it was a stellar night for an artist long sneered at by art buyers.
- Elizabeth Fortescue
How a billionaire and government saved a key Sydney theatre
Griffin Theatre Company gave the world Cate Blanchett and David Wenham, but a soaring budget for a much-needed rebuild almost took it away.
- Michael Bailey
In Pictures: New Breed, Sydney Dance Company Production
In Pictures: New Breed, Sydney Dance Company Production
Not enough tang in this Christmas gravy movie
The film version of Paul Kelly’s seasonal anthem, How to Make Gravy, has its moments but borrows too many ingredients from the very Australian genre of sozzled social realism.
- Michael Bodey
Sir Elton John reveals he has lost his eyesight
The 77-year-old legendary musician told fans he had lost his vision after an infection in one eye earlier in the year.
- Albert Tait
Crowded House to A Christmas Carol: shows to see in December
Nutcrackers and Messiahs abound this month, but a fitting way to cap this cost-of-living year might be a night with Ebeneezer Scrooge. Or there’s always Neil Finn.
- Michael Bailey
How Aussie expats celebrate Christmas with foreign flourish
Boxing Day might not include beach cricket for these five living abroad, but some customs from home can be honoured.
- Tony Davis, Lauren Sams and Stephen Todd
Booker winner’s protest shows the new perils of arts sponsorship
Richard Flanagan said he’d only accept the Baillie Gifford Prize when the sponsor divested fossil fuels. It helps explain why “artwashing” corporates are moving to less controversial sponsorships.
- Michael Bailey
November
Board purge at MSO, chairman and three directors to go
Four directors of the troubled orchestra will retire, and delays caused by legal action mean Peter Garrett will no longer review its governance.
- Michael Bailey
What is Trump’s favourite soft drink? Test yourself in our quiz
Have you been paying attention this week? Test your knowledge across politics, business and world news.
- Daniel Arbon
How Barbara Taylor Bradford put Boris Johnson in his place
From matrimony to sexism, the seller of 90 million novels - who has died aged 91 - had sage advice, and a blunt way of communicating them.
- Celia Walden
‘India, not China, is the historic centre of the Asian world’
Scottish author William Dalrymple argues in his new book that Indian thinkers like Aryabhata and Brahmagupta should be as familiar to the West as Archimedes and Galileo.
- Michael Bleby
What this ballerina eats backstage during The Nutcracker
Jill Ogai’s weekends are spent rehearsing, walking the dog and watching Disney+. And stocking up on lolly snakes.
- Hannah Tattersall
Cirque Du Soleil’s latest is a burrito stuffed with spectacle
The Canadian circus giant bills Luzia as a “waking dream of Mexico”, and there’s certainly no way you’d nap during its action-packed two hours.
- Michael Bailey
This is the most expensive sculpture ever sold at auction in Australia
Bronwyn Oliver’s 4.5m long Tide, which greeted diners at Quay restaurant for two decades, is the most expensive sculpture ever sold at auction in Australia.
- Elizabeth Fortescue
The fiction lover’s guide to Christmas gifting
From Australian tales to exciting new mysteries and historical reads, there’s nothing better than taking the time out to turn some pages over the summer break.
- Lucy Dean
