Melbourne Festival appoints new director
Melbourne Festival has announced the appointment of Josephine Ridge as the incoming Creative Director. She will succeed Brett Sheehy, whose fourth and final Festival will be presented in October.
Australian Ballet watchers might remember Ridge as deputy general manager of that company from 1997 to 2003 before she joined the Sydney Festival, where she is currently Executive Director and co-CEO of Sydney Festival, which she joined in 2003.
During her tenure at Sydney Festival, Ridge was General Manager, then Executive Director and co-CEO with four Artistic Directors - Brett Sheehy, Fergus Linehan, Lindy Hume and now incoming Lieven Bertels. In this time she oversaw Sydney Festival's most spectacular period of growth, with annual revenues rising from $11.5 million to $19.5 million, net box office from $3.3 million to $5.1 million and corresponding dramatic growth in ticketed and free program attendances.
Prior to joining Sydney Festival, Ridge has had extensive experience across the arts. Before the Australian Ballet she was Deputy General Manager of Australian Chamber Orchestra (1993 to 1997), Marketing Manager of Playbox Theatre Company (1991 to 1993), and National Media Representative of Australian Opera (1986 to 1991).
She has also held positions in the visual arts arena, including as a member of the Board of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) in Melbourne and as a Board Member of the Tarrawarra Museum of Art in Victoria's Yarra Valley. In particular her experience includes periods of development with a focus on brand and organizational repositioning which will prove to be beneficial as she meets the challenges of a changing arts landscape.
On the announcement of her appointment, Ridge enthused:
"I'm absolutely thrilled to be joining the Melbourne Festival as its Creative Director from 2013. I'm extremely excited to be returning home to helm one of this country's most respected and diverse arts festivals. Great festivals embrace their community and I already have a good understanding of the personality, tastes, style and culture of Melbourne. I'm passionate about all art forms and I absolutely share the Board's desire to truly make this Melbourne's Festival."