Close to the Flame: The Life of Stuart Challender

Stuart Challender was the most talented Australian conductor of his generation, acclaimed in his homeland and beginning to build an international career in Europe and America when he died at the age of forty-four. After twelve years of study and work in European opera houses, he returned home to join Opera Australia. Just as invitations to conduct renowned international orchestras began to flow in, Stuart was diagnosed with AIDS. His final years and his decision to become Australia’s first celebrity to go public about his condition bring Stuart’s story to a moving conclusion. It is an inspiring story of courage in adversity.