Alfredo Bovier is a founding member of the Italian Opera Foundation Australia, acting as both its Artistic Director as well as its longest serving director.
Mr. Bovier came to Australia in 1981 from Naples, Italy. During his time in Italy, he was a collaborator in a radio station focusing on opera programs which involved meeting and interviewing many great opera singers including Maria Callas, Franco Corelli, Mario del Monaco.
In Australia, Mr. Bovier combined his two passions, opera and Italian cuisine, by opening his first restaurant in Darlinghurst in 1984 which combined dinners with operatic performances. In 1994, he opened his second restaurant in Bulletin Place, Circular Quay where he conducted full operas in the restaurant, and in 1996 participated in the Sydney Festival with «Opera in the Lane», and where he produced «Carmen Under The Stars».
Over the years, Mr. Bovier continued to regularly conduct dinner and operative performances at his restaurant and the restaurant continues to be a finalist in the Entertainment Restaurant of the Year Awards.
Likewise, Mr. Bovier has been a guest speaker at many events, including the Conference of Italian Restauranteurs and the Barilla Convention, and he has been Chairman of Ciao Italia in Australia, participated in Sydney Expo 2000, as well as conferences in Australia, New Zealand and Europe.
Much respected and well-known, Mr. Bovier has been awarded The Lifetime Achiever award by the The Restaurant and Catering Association as well as a Special Award by the Italian Chamber of Commerce. In 1999, he was honoured by the Italian Government as a Cavalière of the Italian Republic, a very important honour in Italy.
In recognition of his enormous contribution to the charitable and arts organisations and the promotion of Italian culture, Mr. Bovier was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2009.
Mr. Bovier has personally promoted countless opportunities to aspiring Australian opera singers since migrating to Australia and from 2005 via the Italian Opera Foundation, supported numerous scholarships to young Australian opera singers to study opera singing in Italy.