The Sydney Opera House Trivia Quiz

Answer: Jorn Utzon

Designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon, it is meant to represent a ship at full sail to fit in with its setting on Sydney Harbour (though a friend of mine insists it resembles broken eggshells - well, he is from Queensland.. ;)). Eugene Goossens was a conductor and a composer.

He was also the director of the Conservatorium of Music in the late 1940's and mid 50's and instrumental in getting the idea for the Opera House off the ground. Ove Arup was head of the engineering firm responsible for the construction of the Opera House and Hans van Steenwinckel was a Danish architect from the 17th century.

Answer: 1.056 million

The Opera House sails are covered in approximately 1.056 million tiles. Imagine having the job of cleaning the mould off the grout between all of those!

Answer: Bennelong Point

The Opera House stands loud and proud on Bennelong Point. It originally housed Fort Macquarie, designed by convict architect Francis Greenway, to protect the foreshores of Sydney Harbour. Around 1901, the Fort was demolished to make way for a Tram depot, which remained there until the late 1950's when construction began on the Opera House.

Answer: Concert Hall

The Concert Hall is by far the largest venue in the Opera House with a seating capacity for approximately 2,679 patrons. The Opera Theatre has a seating capacity for 1,507, the Drama Theatre, 544, and the Playhouse has an intimate seating arrangement for around 398 patrons.

Answer: 1973

The Sydney Opera House was officially opened on 20th October, 1973, by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.

Answer: True

Prior to its official opening, two performances had already taken place, one in the Opera Theatre and the other, in the Concert Hall. Also, during construction, a number of concerts were put on for the enjoyment of the tradesmen who were working on the site.

Answer: It was awarded World Heritage status

The Sydney Opera House was World Heritage listed by UNESCO in 2007. It takes its place alongside other Australian icons such as The Great Barrier Reef, Kakadu National Park and the Tasmanian Wilderness, just to name a few, gaining recognition under the cultural criteria of the award.

Answer: True

The Grand Organ is located in the Concert Hall and is the largest pipe organ in the world, boasting over 10,000 pipes. It is 16 metres high and 13 metres wide and can also be played remotely by way of an electronic console.

Answer: $102 million

The building cost approximately $102 million to build and took around 11 years, 6 of those were for the interior section alone.

Answer: Through a lottery ticket system

The Opera House' construction was funded by the proceeds of a special "Opera House Lottery", which ran from 1958, right up until 1975, when the structure was finally paid for.