Victoria State Opera to support the Australian Opera and the Australian Ballet, survived the merger. In 1987 it was renamed the State Orchestra of Victoria (now Orchestra Victoria) and continues to support opera and ballet in the State Theatre. Opera Australia took on the responsibilities of performing opera in both the states of Victoria and New South Wales. More recently, the Victorian Opera has been formed with funding from the Victorian government to provide an opera company for Melbourne and Victoria. Notes Sources Victoria State Opera The Victoria State Opera (VSO), based in Melbourne, Australia, was founded in Melbourne in 1962. The company,
Coat of arms of Victoria (Australia) Coat of arms of Victoria (Australia) The Coat of Arms of Victoria is the official symbol of the Australian state of Victoria. Victoria was the second state of Australia to gain arms, granted on 6 June 1910 by royal warrant of King George V. The state had been named in 1851 after his grandmother, who was Queen at the time. Following the adoption of the pink heath ("Epacris impressa" Labill.) as Victoria's floral emblem, Queen Elizabeth II signed a royal warrant on 28 March 1974 adding a Compartment from which the heath could grow. Although the rest of the arms