Sir (Aynsley) Eugene Goossens (1893-1962) was an English conductor, composer and violinist. Assistant conductor to Sir Thomas Beecham in London, he conducted in the USA for many years before coming to Sydney in 1945 to conduct for the ABC. Two years later he took on the dual roles of Conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Director of the Conservatorium of Music. At that time the city's only concert venue was the Town Hall. Goossens lobbied Premier Joe Cahill to convene a group to press for an opera house, which was cautiously sanctioned by Cabinet in May 1955. By that time Goossens was acclaimed as a composer and was dramatically raising training and performance levels at the Conservatorium. He went abroad to study opera houses in 1955, but when he returned to Sydney diverse pornographic items were found in his luggage, and the press exposed his perverse infatuation with Rosaleen Norton, the 'witch of Kings Cross'. Fined £100, he resigned from his posts and went home to die sadly in England.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Purchased with funds provided by Timothy Fairfax AC 2003
Tim Fairfax AC (54 portraits supported)
Drop into the Gallery for free creative activities inspired by the flora and fauna featured in the vibrant exhibition, Joan Ross: Those trees came back to me in my dreams.
Do we have a treat for the smaller humans in your life! Little Faces is for babies and toddlers (with their grown up) to play, sing and have fun discovering a portrait together.
Join us for Portrait Play these school holidays as we explore portraits and music. Come and meet the people that live on our walls, discover musical instruments hidden in the portraits and get creative on your journey through the galleries.
