Sydney, New South Wales -- (ReleaseWire) -- 02/21/2013 --NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Trade and Investment, Andrew Stoner, has today announced German electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk as headline act for the Vivid LIVE program at Sydney Opera House during Vivid Sydney 2013.

“Vivid Sydney continues to attract the world’s most outstanding talent, with German legends Kraftwerk set to perform at the Sydney Opera House fresh on the back of performances at the MoMA in New York and TATE Modern in London,” Mr Stoner said.

“Kraftwerk will present their acclaimed retrospective series in eight unique performances at the Sydney Opera House as part of Vivid LIVE.

“Now in its fifth year, Vivid Sydney, which is owned and managed by Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, has become a wonderful platform to highlight Australia’s global city to the world by featuring some of the biggest names in music, lighting artistry and ideas, to local and international audiences.

“In 2013, this 18-day festival of light, music and ideas, the biggest in the southern hemisphere, will take place in Sydney from 24 May to 10 June.”

The performances by Kraftwerk, dubbed THE CATALOGUE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8, will showcase nearly 40 years of musical and technical innovation, including new improvisations, 3D projections and animation. Commencing with Autobahn, each night covers one of Kraftwerk’s groundbreaking studio albums in full and appear in order of their release — Autobahn (1974), Radio-Activity (1975), Trans Europe Express (1977), The Man-Machine (1978), Computer World (1981), Techno Pop (1986), The Mix (1991) and Tour de France (2003) — alongside additional compositions from their back-catalogue.

Fergus Linehan, Festival Director of Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House, said: “We are thrilled to have Kraftwerk in residence for Vivid LIVE following the phenomenal reaction to their performances in MoMA and TATE Modern. Book your Sydney flights and hotels now - these eight concerts are a mind-melting feast for the eyes and the ears that are sure to sell out. It is a huge coup for Sydney.”

Mr Stoner said the first announcement for the Vivid LIVE component of Vivid Sydney was a sign of exciting expansion across all tiers of Vivid Sydney in 2013.

“In 2012, Vivid Sydney delivered record crowds of over 500,000 people, generated global media coverage in over 150 countries, fostered new tourism markets and opportunities, and saw tens of millions of dollars in new business achieved for NSW,” Mr Stoner said.

“Vivid Sydney has firmly established its credentials as a ‘must see’ global event and continues to highlight Sydney as the creative hub of the Asia Pacific, and will continue to grow and surprise audiences in 2013.

“In 2013, Vivid Light has received unprecedented expressions of interest from lighting artists from across Australia and the world, and the Vivid Ideas program will feature more than 100 creative industry events including the SPARC International Lighting Event and the inaugural Australian International Design Festival (AIDF).”

Destination NSW CEO, Sandra Chipchase, said that in 2012 rising audience numbers demonstrated the events appealed with Sydneysiders as well as interstate and international visitors alike.

“Vivid Sydney raises the creativity bar every year, and in 2013 we will see an expanded program across light, music and ideas to delight festivalgoers. Vivid Sydney provides a truly global canvas and audience for our artistic, creative and business communities. The evolving 2013 program will be our most exciting to date,” Ms Chipchase said.

Vivid Sydney Creative Adviser, Ignatius Jones, said: “Vivid 2013 will see its largest expansion yet: in footprint, in technology and in sheer artistry. We will be presenting several massive installations that have simply never been seen in this country before, a much-expanded program of light art and a far greater proportion of international participation in our public-facing attractions. We will also continue to lead the world in sustainable, carbon-neutral programming—a principle which has always been a founding tenet of Vivid Sydney."

Vivid Sydney is one of five signature events in the NSW Events Calendar developed by Destination NSW with the NSW Government as the major investor. The full program for Vivid Sydney 2013 including light, music and ideas will be announced in March.

HOW TO BOOK

For more information on Vivid Sydney 2013, including SPARC International Lighting Event and the Australian International Design Festival, visit www.vividsydney.com

Sydney Opera House expects demand for tickets will be high for Kraftwerk’s unique series of concerts exclusive to Sydney based on recent success in New York and London. To ensure everyone has an equal chance to purchase tickets SOH have put in place an online application process. This will minimise the congestion through sales channels and fairly distribute tickets to fans across time zones, states and countries.

Apply for your tickets anytime between Mon 25th Feb 2013 (from 9am) and Friday 1st March 2013 (midnight AEST). Tickets will not be allocated on a first come first served basis, all applications received during this period will be equally considered. To apply go to www.sydneyoperahouse.com/kraftwerk