Sydney Nelson established his reputation in London as a music theatre composer and publisher between the late-1820s and early 1850s. Among his known works, some of which were produced at the English Opera House, were The Middle Temple (1829), The Grenadier (1831), Cousin Joseph (1835), Domestic Arrangements (1835) and The Cadi's Daughter (1851). Nelson and his family then toured through the USA and Canada before coming to Australia in 1852.
Initially settling in Melbourne the Nelson troupe, comprising Sydney, son Alfred and daughters Carrie and Sara, found much popularity with their musical entertainments. Nelson also collaborated with local writers such as W. M. Akhurst, Eliza Postle, Frank Howson, and F. M. Soutten, being credited with songs, burlesques, pantomimes and farces. Among his best known works were Love and Experience (1852), Quiet Colonial (1853) and The Rights of Women (1854).
The Nelsons left Australia in 1859, with Carrie and Sara travelling to California where they found success at the San Francisco Opera House.
[Source: Australian Variety Theatre Archive]
