Iain Grandage has been named as the new Artistic Director of Perth Festival. The acclaimed composer, musician, collaborative artist and programmer will succeed Wendy Martin, taking up the position for festivals between 2020 and 2023.

Iain Grandage. Photograph © Pia Johnson

Born in Western Australia, Grandage recently returned to live there after a decade in Melbourne and said it was a thrill to be chosen to lead the Festival in the State where he grew up. “It has been a long-held dream of mine to run this particular Festival. I have no urge to run any other large Festival either here or overseas, but to be able be deeply involved in the evolution of my home town’s cultural landscape is a great privilege, and one I can’t wait to get started on,” he told Limelight.

“Perth Festival inspired my journey into the performing arts when I first experienced it in the early 1990s. I hope to similarly energise local artists and audiences by extending the Festival’s foundation mission as a Festival for all people,” he said in a press statement. “It’s a privilege to lead a Festival that has such a rich history, and to play...