Perth Festival’s Artistic Director will lead Melbourne Festival from 2016.

As the final preparations are being made for 2015’s International Arts Festival in Perth, which opens February 13, current Artistic Director Jonathan Holloway has been named as the next A.D. of the Melbourne Festival.

Holloway will barely have time to catch his breath after Perth Festival’s 2015 offering has concluded before he heads to Melbourne to begin preparations for his inaugural festival there in 2016. The opportunity to tackle another of Australia’s flagship international culture events is one that Holloway relishes. “Having spent my professional life as a director of theatre and festivals across two continents, cities continue to be, for me, the most diverse of stages,” Holloway said. “And as cities go, Melbourne is world class, intense and genuinely inspiring.”

Originally hailing from Sheffield in the UK, Holloway has led the Perth International Arts Festival for the past four years, and in that time the reputation, scale and turnover of the Festival has seen a steady increase. Perth Festival’s Chair, Professor Margaret Seares is unequivocal about the achievements made by Holloway during his tenure as Artistic Director.  “Under his artistic leadership the Festival’s international excellence program has expanded, bringing more art of the highest quality to Western Australian audiences,” Seares said. “We have also seen a significant increase in collaboration with the local arts sector, with hundreds of local artists featuring in Jonathan’s three Festivals to date.”

While Holloway was able to grow the funds available for the Perth Festival to approximately $19million in 2014’s budget, he will be working with a far smaller sum for his first Melbourne Festival, with less than $12 million to play with.

Victoria’s Minister for Creative Industries was clearly delighted with the news of Holloway’s move to the Melbourne Festival, saying “Jonathan’s appointment is another plank in building Melbourne’s reputation as a creative industries hub.”

Holloway’s final Perth International Arts Festival begins 13 February – 3 March. The current Artistic Director of the Melbourne Festival, Josephine Ridge presents her third and final Festival this October. 

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