Brian Stacey

Brian James Stacey, (3 December 1946 – 25 October 1996) was an Australian conductor who started his career with the Queensland Ballet, the Australian Ballet, and Victoria State Opera, latterly becoming known for his work in Australian musical theatre (particularly with the Australian production of The Phantom of the Opera) but continuing his cross-genre career to the end of his life.

Brian Stacey
Born
Brian James Stacey

(1946-12-03)3 December 1946
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died25 October 1996(1996-10-25) (aged 49)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Resting placeAshes spread on the river bank of Yarra River, Melbourne
OccupationConductor, musical director
Years active21
Spouse(s)Monica Cunningham (divorced)
Partner(s)Kathryn Sadler
Children2
AwardsThe Age Performing Arts Award for Best Musical Director 1995
Websitestaceytrust.wordpress.com

Biography
Graduation photo University of NSW 1967

Brian Stacey was born in Sydney, Australia. He entered the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music in 1964, graduating with a Bachelor of Music in 1967. In 1968 he married Monica Cunningham and had two daughters Melinda Ann (1972) and Nicole Maree (1974) and was employed as director of music, Southern Cross University (formerly Northern Rivers College of Advanced Education, Lismore). He then studied for a master's degree in Music at the Queensland Conservatorium, studying with Australian composer Colin Brumby.[1] In 1986 he began his relationship with Kathryn Sadler with whom he would remain until his death.

His career highlights included: music director of the Australian Ballet, resident conductor for the Victoria State Opera, guest conductor with The Australian Opera, and regular appearances with the opera companies of South Australia, West Australia, and Auckland (New Zealand). Stacey was a protégé of the Australian conductor Sir Charles Mackerras, studying with, and assisting him in the early 80s, and in 1995 assisting him again on a production of Janáček's Káťa Kabanová with Opera Australia.

Career
Post-performance photo

Awards
Brian Stacey on the podium
  • Awarded The Age Performing Arts Award for Best Musical Director 1995[6]

Death
A photo of seat S10 at Melbourne's State Theatre dedicated to the memory of Brian Stacey

Brian Stacey died in Carlton, Melbourne, on 25 October 1996, the night before the premiere of Sunset Boulevard, due to a motorcycle accident. Stacey was survived by his partner Kathryn Sadler, and his daughters, Melinda and Nicole.[7]

Andrew Lloyd Webber described Stacey's death as "a loss to the world of music theatre, not just Australia".

Stacey's ashes are spread on the banks of the Yarra River, Melbourne, Victoria. Seat S10 in the State Theatre, Melbourne Arts Centre, was dedicated to Brian's memory in 2008.[8] A tribute film[9] was made to celebrate his life and to mark the winding up of the Brian Stacey Memorial Trust in 2016. The film includes interviews with Sir Charles Mackerras, Guy Noble, Suzanne Johnston, Hugh Jackman, Marina Prior, Rhonda Burchmore, Sue Natrass AO and many other luminaries from the Australian musical world.

The Brian Stacey Memorial Trust Award for emerging Australian Conductors

The Brian Stacey Memorial Trust was launched at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne in 1997 (on the first anniversary of the death of Stacey). The Brian Stacey Memorial Trust Fund serves to commemorate Stacey's life and work and his contribution to the musical life.

Patrons

Trustees

  • Kathryn Sadler (Chairman)
  • Andrew Jenkins
  • Melinda Stacey
  • Sue Nattrass AO
  • Stanton Sharman

Past trustee

  • Stephen Dee (original Chair)
  • Mietta O'Donnell (until her death in 2001)

Director

  • Andrea Gaze

The Fund's purpose was to provide support to emerging conductors in Australia who wished to enhance their conducting skills, in particular by exploring performance genres outside their normal field of work. The final award of AUD$10,000 from the Trust was awarded to Toby Thatcher to enable him to continue further study of the conducting profession and an opportunity to broaden his repertoire knowledge.

  • 1998 Guy Noble
  • 1999 Kynan Johns
  • 2000 Max Xinyu-Liu
  • 2001 Matthew Coorey
  • 2002 Kellie Dickerson
  • 2003 Benjamin Northey[10]
  • 2004 Simon Hewett
  • 2005 Mark Shiell
  • 2006 Ollivier Cuneo
  • 2007 Dane Lam
  • 2008 Paul Fitzsimon
  • 2008 Vanessa Scammell
  • 2009 Daniel Smith
  • 2010 Burhan Güner
  • 2011 Trevor Jones and James Pratt
  • 2012 Daniel Carter
  • 2013 Carolyn Watson[11]
  • 2014 Russell Ger
  • 2015 Jessica Gethin
  • 2016 Toby Thatcher

The Brian Stacey Memorial Trust Professional Development Awards for an emerging Australian Conductor 2018

In August 2018 the Brian Stacey Trust announced the 2018 Brian Stacey Professional Development Awards

  • Christopher Dragon (AUD$5,000)
  • Natalia Raspopova (AUD$2,500).[12]

References
  1. https://vimeo.com/180737824
  2. https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/features/guy-noble-remembers-the-late-great-brian-stacey/
  3. https://staceytrust.wordpress.com/press-release-june-2009
  4. https://victoriastateopera.wordpress.com/2013/06/17/victoria-state-opera-la-boheme-1985/
  5. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/122989273/
  6. https://staceytrust.wordpress.com
  7. "The Age from Melbourne, Victoria on February 22, 1997 · Page 3". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
  8. https://staceytrust.wordpress.com/newsletter-2008
  9. https://vimeo.com/180737824
  10. https://opera.org.au/artists/benjamin-northey
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2018-04-15. Retrieved 2018-04-15.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. https://staceytrust.wordpress.com/brian-stacey-professional-development-awards-2018/
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