A Multicultural Stage Brings Modern Australia to Life

SYDNEY, May 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 200 audience members gathered at Chatswood Concourse Concert Hall on 3 May for the second annual Sydney International Arts Festival (SIAF) Multicultural Gala, an event showcasing the growing visibility of multicultural and international arts, alongside emerging Australian talent, across Sydney's cultural landscape.

"It doesn't matter where you've come from — you're entitled to be proud of your heritage and you're entitled to share it."

The sentiment was shared by Australia's longest-serving Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs and former Mayor of Hornsby, Philip Ruddock, who addressed the audience during the gala.

Opening the gala, Sydney's Mulan Dance Studio blended classical and contemporary Chinese dance in a vibrant performance inspired by the ancient concept of jiuzhou, symbolising unity and shared belonging across diverse regions.

Highlights included a cross-cultural interpretation of The Butterfly Lovers — often described as the Chinese Romeo and Juliet, alongside A Dream of Swords, performed with guzheng and erhu, two traditional Chinese instruments. The program also featured a Sichuan Opera face-changing performance.

A vocal segment brought together the Oscar-winning song Golden from the 2025 Netflix animated film KPop Demon Hunters, Tarantella Napoletana, and Pachelbel's Canon, combining Korean pop, Italian folk and European classical traditions in a single performance.

Many performers were young Australians from migrant families, trained in community arts schools and presenting full-length works shaped by sustained practice.

"We see art as a way of bringing people together — not by explaining it, but by showing it," said Marina Wang of the Sydney International Arts Festival Organising Committee. 

"In today's world, cultural exchange plays an important role in fostering understanding, communication and cooperation."

In partnership with the Australia Global Entrepreneurs Association (AGEA) and ECM Development, the program brought together performers and audiences from communities including China, Malaysia, Singapore, India and across Europe.

Mr Ruddock noted that Australia is a country with more of its population overseas-born than almost any other.

"Migration has been particularly important because we've brought people from all over the world, and we remain a strong and open democracy," he said.

The performance coincided with a Chatswood Concourse exhibition marking the 150th anniversary of the City of Willoughby, including Faces of Willoughby, a photographic mural of more than 2,000 residents reflecting the area's diverse and evolving community.