Richard Bonynge, AC, CBE, was born in Sydney and studied at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music and later with Herbert Fryer, a pupil of Busoni, in London. He made his conducting debut in Rome in 1962 with the Santa Cecilia Orchestra and has since conducted at most of the world’s opera houses.

He was artistic director of the Vancouver Opera and musical director of Opera Australia. He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1977, made Officer of the Order of Australia in 1983, Companion of the Order of Australia in 2012, Commandeur de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Paris, in 1989 and Socio d’onore of the R. Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna in 2007. He married the late soprano Joan Sutherland in 1954.

He has recorded over 50 complete operas, made audiovisual recordings of many operas and recorded numerous ballets. Richard Bonynge is acknowledged as a scholar of bel canto in 18th- and 19th-century opera and a devotee of 19th-century ballet music. In 2012 he was awarded Australia’s highest honour, Companion of the Order of Australia, recognising ‘eminent service to the performing arts as an acclaimed conductor and music scholar’.