Kurt Kaiser (3 November 1906 – 24 May 1970), better known as Sydney John Kay, was a German-born composer, musician and theatre entrepreneur.

Biography

Germany

Born in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

, Germany of Peruvian-Jewish descent, he originally pursued an engineering career in Berlin, but in 1927 he joined the German-Jewish showband The Weintraub Syncopators as a musician. He appeared with them supporting

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

in '' The Blue Angel'' (1930). After the Nazi's came to power in 1933, the Syncopators went on a world tour, and were in Sydney when war was declared.

Australian career

Kaiser was interned during the early days of the war, but was eventually released, changing his name in honour of his new home,

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

. He became musical director for the Colgate-Palmolive radio unit, and was involved in theatre, running Sydney's Theatre for Children (1944–45) and co-founding the

Mercury Theatre The Mercury Theatre was an independent repertory theatre company founded in New York City in 1937 by Orson Welles and producer John Houseman. The company produced theatrical presentations, radio programs and motion pictures. The Mercury als ...

with

Peter Finch Frederick George Peter Ingle Finch (28 September 191614 January 1977) was an English-Australian actor of theatre, film and radio. Born in London, he emigrated to Australia as a teenager and was raised in Sydney, where he worked in vaudeville ...

. He produced the famous production of

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

's ''

The Imaginary Invalid ''The Imaginary Invalid'', ''The Hypochondriac'', or ''The Would-Be Invalid'' (French title ''Le Malade imaginaire'', ) is a three- act '' comédie-ballet'' by the French playwright Molière with dance sequences and musical interludes (H.495, H.4 ...

'' that was seen by

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage ...

and

Vivien Leigh Vivien Leigh ( ; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967; born Vivian Mary Hartley), styled as Lady Olivier after 1947, was a British actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, for her definitive performances as Scarlett O'Hara in '' Go ...

which led to them inviting Peter Finch to England. Kay also composed for various Australian films, documentaries, orchestras and ballets.

Move to England

He then moved to England where he worked steadily in British film and television. He also composed for the stage.

Selected credits

*'' The Blue Angel'' (1930) – musician *''

Harvest Gold ''Harvest Gold'' is a 1945 Australian industrial film about a farmer who clings to old methods of production. Synopsis The film explores various aspects of mechanical farming, from clearing the land to harvesting, and deals with the clash of a ...

'' (1945) – composer *''

A Son is Born ''A Son Is Born'' is a 1946 Australian melodrama directed by Eric Porter (filmmaker), Eric Porter and starring Ron Randell, Peter Finch, and Muriel Steinbeck. Synopsis In 1920, Laurette marries an irresponsible drifter, Paul Graham. They have a ...

'' (1946) – composer *'' Bush Christmas'' (1947) – composer *'' Cavalcade of Australia'' (1951) - composer *''

Captain Thunderbolt Frederick Wordsworth Ward (1835 – 25 May 1870), better known by the self-styled pseudonym of Captain Thunderbolt, was an Australian bushranger renowned for escaping from Cockatoo Island, and also for his reputation as the "gentleman bushran ...

'' (1953) – composer *'' The Back of Beyond'' (1954) – composer *''

The Adventures of Long John Silver ''The Adventures of Long John Silver'' is a TV series about the Long John Silver character from Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel '' Treasure Island''. It was made in 1954 in colour in Australia for the American and British markets before the ...

'' (1955) (TV series) – composer *'' The Adventures of William Tell'' (1958) (TV series) – composer

References

External links

*
Sydney John Kay Australian theatre credits
at AusStage
Sydney John Kay
at

National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kay, Sydney John Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to Australia Jewish composers 1906 births 1970 deaths Australian male composers Australian composers Musicians from Sydney Australian theatre managers and producers 20th-century German composers 20th-century Australian musicians 20th-century German male musicians