Luxury comes in many forms, and it’s not always about what you spend. In the world of travel, luxury often comes in the form of experience. An evening of opera at the world-renowned Sydney Opera House defines luxury via experience. So often, the Opera House is only experienced from the outside, which is otherworldly, but having the chance to step inside and experience a performance brings luxury in the form of a cultural moment.
From a placard outside the Opera House, renowned architect Frank Gehry said this upon awarding the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2003 to architect Jørn Utzon:
“Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the Sydney Opera House has been recognized by UNESCO as a masterpiece of human creative genius.
It took us all to realize it: visionaries and pragmatists, politicians and architects, engineers, artists, and, most fundamentally, the people of Australia. Since opening in 1973, the Opera House has become the symbol of modern Australia.
Utzon created a building that changed the image of an entire country. It is the first time in our lifetime that such an epic piece of architecture gained such universal presence.”
What if we, as traveler advisors and travelers, continue to focus on redefining luxury through experience — setting clients’ expectations that luxury does not have to mean insulation from the world, but instead defining luxury as immersion into it?
Walking to the Sydney Opera House as the summer sun starts to lower on the shimmering waters is an experience in itself, with the Sydney Harbour Bridge and city skyline surrounding Bennelong Point, as the twinkling light casts off the harbor in the early evening glow, complementing the excitement and hustle and bustle of patrons preparing to enter the famed building.
Most people experience the Opera House as a backdrop, a worthy one indeed. Fewer experience it as a destination and experience it from within.
Performances come in many shapes and sizes, as the complex is home to five main theatres and two additional flexible spaces, creating a total of seven performance venues. All are housed beneath the famous 10 sails that form the iconic architectural shell of the complex.
For a night at the opera and many other performances, patrons can choose a dinner add-on set in the foyer inside the Opera House, overlooking the harbor. An optional wine pairing can be added to the three-course menu, setting the stage for an evening to remember. Diners gain access to the venue 90 minutes prior to the performance start time, allowing time to arrive early, dine, enjoy a cocktail overlooking the harbor and remain just steps from the performance space — rather than dining elsewhere in the city and hoping the timing aligns for an on-time arrival (Luxury in the form of removing stresses from normal everyday life).
Stepping into the performance hall for the first time is unforgettable. Immersing yourself in a world of new textures and colors, and the sounds of the world-class acoustics all make you feel part of something much larger than yourself. There is quiet luxury surrounded by anticipation waiting for the curtain to rise.
Luxury for a night at the opera can exist at many levels: in seat location and ticket prices, pre- or post-event activities or even in how a patron chooses to dress for the evening. The sensory world inside the Opera House is rich with stimulation as are the memories that you take home with you.
There are also many ways to experience the Sydney Opera House beyond attending a performance, including Architectural, Backstage and Mobility Access tours, among several others, all designed to allow visitors to experience the famed building in their own way.
The intention behind travel is often a greater determinant of luxury than rarity alone. Choosing to travel, selecting the destination and fully immersing yourself — or your clients — into a place is where memories are made. In the case of the Sydney Opera House, seeing the famed architecture is one way to experience it, but intentionally stepping inside for the purpose for which it was built is one of the most luxurious evenings to be had in Sydney.
After the performance concludes, patrons descend the hallowed stairway and return to the harbor-side plaza toward the city. It is then they realize that the experience surrounding them surpasses the architecture itself. The interior and exterior of the building come together, reminding us that luxury isn’t always something you check into. Sometimes you sit with it surrounding you. Sometimes you listen. Sometimes you carry it home with you. In a world obsessed with luxury as an upgrade or exclusivity, some of the most luxurious things travel can offer are moments, memories, and the rare gift of feeling truly present.
Cole Sjoholm
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