William Saurin Lyster

Who was William Saurin Lyster?

William Saurin Lyster was an impresario, active in Australia.

Lyster was born in Dublin, Ireland, the third son of Chaworth Lyster, a captain in the army, and his wife Anne, née Keightly. His uncle was William Saurin, attorney-general for Ireland, and was partly of French extraction. At the age of 13 Lyster after an illness was sent on a voyage round the world and visited Sydney and Melbourne in 1842. After his return to England he went to India, intending to become a planter, but, the climate not suiting him, he again returned to England. In 1847 he was in South Africa and fought in the 7th Cape Frontier War, and a year later was in the United States where he tried his fortunes as an actor with little success.

In 1855 Lyster was a member of General Walker's expedition to Nicaragua with the rank of captain. About two years later he formed an opera company which included Madame Lucy Escott, Henry Squires, and Miss Georgia Hodson whom he married. This company had some success in the western states of America, and in 1861 Lyster brought it to Australia. For about seven years it gave excellent performances of the operas of the best Italian, German, French and English composers, including Don Giovanni in 1861, and the Huguenots in 1862. Other companies were brought out in later years, and at times comic opera was alternated with grand opera.