Andrew Walsh

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Andrew Hugh Walsh AM is an Australian festival director. He has directed numerous ceremonies and public events.

He was educated at Caulfield Grammar School in Melbourne. Among his career highlights, Walsh directed the 2004 Athens Olympics Opening Ceremony and Closing Ceremony, the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony, and the 2003 Rugby World Cup Opening Ceremony.

On June 12, 2006, in the Queen's Birthday honours list, Walsh was made a Member of the Order of Australia "for service to the events management industry through the creative direction and production of major outdoor performances and public celebrations in Australia and internationally, and to education."^[1]

[edit] References

^ Australian Honours (2006). WALSH, Andrew Hugh. Retrieved June 12, 2006.

Andrew Walsh - Creative Director/Executive Producer / CEO Accolade Event Management

Andrew Walsh is one of the most experienced and respected performing arts professionals in the world. Poised with a great theatrical sense, he has extensive experience creating, directing and managing large-scale events in Australia and throughout Asia, North America and Europe.

Over the past 25 years he has been responsible for some of Australia’s and the world’s most spectacular and memorable events. These include:

• Melbourne Commonwealth Games 2006 - Executive Producer/Creative Director, Opening and Closing Ceremonies - River Celebrations • Athens Olympic Games 2004 - Executive Producer, Opening and Closing Ceremonies • Rugby World Cup 2003 - Director of Ceremonies • Australia’s Centenary of Federation - Creative Director, Centennial Ceremony • London Millennium Celebrations – Project Producer/Event Director • Sydney Olympics 2000 - Producer/Creative Director, Sydney Skyline Spectacular • Australia Day Spectacular 1990 – 2004 - Producer/Creative Director • Arabian Gulf Cup Football Tournament 1994 & 2007 Director of Ceremonies, Opening Ceremony • Sydney New Year's Eve Celebrations - Producer/Creative Director • Melbourne Moomba River Spectacular 1998 - Producer/Creative Director • Sydney Darling Harbour Waterscreen Production “Reef Dreaming” • Sydney Olympic Stadium Opening Event - Producer/Creative • Darling Harbour Water Parade “Aurora Aquacade” '94 '95 Executive Producer/Creative Director • Everland Miraculous Seoul Korea - Creative Director (The World's largest laser waterscreen and special effects show)

In an extensive career that commenced in Melbourne in the late 1970s, Andrew has been continuously employed in the arts. He has worked for major performing arts companies, toured with international stars and directed hundreds of productions and events.

He was the Technical Director for Australian Pavilions at three world expos and has directed Sydney’s Australia Day Spectacular for fourteen years. He directed the London Millennium Celebrations and in 2001 was Creative Director of the widely acclaimed Centennial Ceremony for Australia’s Centenary of Federation.

In 2003 Andrew was Director of Ceremonies for Rugby World Cup and conceived and directed the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and pre-match anthem segments. He was the Executive Producer of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and most recently the Executive Producer and Creative Director of the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the Melbourne Commonwealth Games 2006.

Andrew is an associate of the Graduate School of Management at the University of Technology, Sydney and a fellow of the Australian Centre for Event Management. Andrew was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2001 for contribution to Australian society at the beginning of the Millennium and was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2006 Queens Birthday honours.