Meltdown Founder Sefton Heads Downunder

David Sefton, founder of England’s Meltdown Festival, is moving downunder after being announced the new artistic director of the Adelaide Festival.

When he set up Meltdown in 1993, the 48-year old changed the rules by allowing the likes of Elvis Costello, Laurie Anderson, Nick Cave, John Cale and Philip Glass to program its events.

Until last year, UK-born Sefton was Performing Arts Director for UCLA before he walked, complaining about its $1.2 million budget. In spring he will receive the Knight in the Order of Arts and Letters medal from France’s Ministry of Culture, for promoting French artists at UCLA.