Welcome from Professor Barry Conyngham, Dean, Faculty of the Victorian College of the Arts and Melbourne Conservatorium of Music

Prof Barry Conyngham

Every year at the VCA and MCM seems to be larger and more exciting than the last, and the past 12 months have been no exception.

Our alumni’s creative work continues to be celebrated in Australia and overseas, with alumni recognised at the Emmy Awards, Australian Academy of Cinema Television Arts Awards, Green Room Awards, the Cannes Film Festival and the prestigious Neuer Stimmen Singing Competition in Germany.

In March 2014 the Premier announced the State Government’s transfer of the Victorian Mounted Police Stables on Dodds St to enable its redevelopment into a new visual arts wing for the VCA. We also opened the refurbished Grant St Theatre and dedicated the theatre’s lounge to our benefactor Lionel Gell whose generous support includes a $1.3 million funding agreement that will establish and support public programming in the new Lionel Gell Lounge. Both of these developments help to open the campus to the community and to make it a focal point of Melbourne’s growing Southbank Arts Precinct (see more on page two).

Funding support from the Victorian Government through Arts Victoria continues to develop activities for our students and alumni, in particular 2014 sees the first performance of our new music theatre work A Touch of Chaos opening in July at the refurbished Grant St Theatre. I invite you to see the show and hope to see you at our other performances, screenings and exhibitions throughout the year.