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The arts will guide us through the 21st century with style and flair

Music, dance and theatre will adapt to the changing times to reflect the new patchwork culture.

THIS election campaign has drawn me to the debate regarding the potential size of Australia's population in 2030, 2040, 2050 ... 36million, 40million, 50million ... who knows? It's both hypothetical and provocative.

What hasn't been debated while these numbers have been circulating is an indication of the ethnic make up of Australia's population in 2030, 2040 or 2050.

I've spoken on many occasions regarding the "culture of place”.

It is not only every nation that has its own individual culture. In fact, every state, city, town and even suburb has its own individual culture; and that culture changes regularly.

When new migrants move into a particular suburb, the culture of that suburb changes. The suburb of Auburn in Sydney is a completely different culture to the culture that my mother knew when she lived there as a young girl. Cabramatta, Lakemba and Epping, to give some examples, have specific cultures that are radically different to what they were. They are, in effect, part of a great patchwork quilt that makes up the culture of Sydney.

But there has been a dramatic shift from the European immigrants who arrived in Australia with my great-grandfather and -mother to the people who are arriving now, predominantly from Asia, the Middle East and Africa. However, the undercurrent of profound unease which has not been debated in relation to these population increases and changes is, Iguess, the elephant in the room. How will the traditional Anglo/European residents (of which I am one) react to a Chinese prime minister or a Middle Eastern mayor? What willthe reaction be to a federal and state parliamentthat is predominantly Asian and/or Middle Eastern?

The migrants of past generations brought with them European cultural tastes that became part of our artistic heritage.

Now we have migrants who are not connected in any way to Western opera or symphonic music, ballet or contemporary dance, and Western theatre.

So what, then, will be the role of our European art form heritage companies?

At Opera Australia, we will continue to be the "custodians" of 450 years of operatic repertoire,caretakers of some of the most important artistic and cultural creations in the history of mankind.

But it's also worth remembering when we speak of “heritage art” that the artistic heritage of Middle Eastern and Asian communities, and more particularly indigenous communities, is at the core of their daily lives.

So what are our responsibilities to the cultural and artistic heritage of our indigenous people and to our new communities?

My response is this: we will need to include work in our repertoire which connects culturally and artistically to indigenous people and also to the changing demographic of our future audiences.

Then, of course, the use of new technology will play a vital role in the development of newart and in illuminating heritage art inspecific cases.

New technology has always been part of the development of the operatic form and that will continue to be the case, but it would be foolish and extremely naive to believe that a new technological invention will supersede the extraordinary art that for thousands of years has been the very foundation of civilisation. We will continue to use new technology, as we have always done, to assist us to communicate great art to our audiences.

Art that communicates and touches audiences over centuries is precious beyond any new invention, and we must cherish it and protect it with tremendous resolve. Great art is not a fashion – it is fundamental to our very being and it is our responsibility to protect and preserve it for future generations.

Australia's major heritage arts companies have the potential to effect massive cultural change and truly ignite an extraordinary cultural and artistic nirvana.

The inclusion of art from the Australia of tomorrow built on the foundations of our heritagewill be a unique fusion that will betransformational.

This art will be bold, vital, inspiring and illuminating, and it will represent and demonstrate the culture of Australia in the 21st century.It must also reflect the qualities that have made this place, and us, so unique.

We have been brave, courageous and brilliant; we must continue to be so.

Lyndon Terracini
Brisbane Times
August 22, 2010

Lyndon Terracini is Opera Australia's artistic director.