Leo Schofield AM (b. 1935) has been a significant figure in Australia's cultural life for three decades. With a background in advertising and journalism, he was the director of the Melbourne Festival from 1994 to 1996 and the Sydney Festival from 1997 to 2001. In the latter role, he was credited with making the annual showcase for music, dance, theatre, art exhibitions and outdoor events more diverse, accessible and financially viable. From 1996 to 2000 he was the energetic inaugural chairman of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and in 2001 he directed the Olympic Arts Festival. He has been a lively and powerful newspaper and television commentator on the performing arts, food, museums and heritage issues, and during his long tenancy at Sydney's historic Bronte House he painstakingly restored and maintained the house and its grounds. In 2001 Schofield gained an honorary doctorate for his cultural advocacy from the University of New South Wales.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Commissioned with funds provided by Angela Nevill, Nevill Keating Pictures Ltd, in memory of William Keating 2001
© Brent Harris
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