Opera Queensland

Opera Queensland continues to boldly reimagine the classic repertoire, commission new works and bring some of the greatest singers in the world to Queensland for its 2025 Season. 

The season showcases OQ’s mission to make opera accessible to all, combining innovative mainstage and touring productions that will resonate throughout Queensland, across Australia, and overseas. 

Under the direction of the visionary CEO & Artistic Director, Patrick Nolan, recently reappointed to lead the company until 2028, Opera Queensland continues to boldly reimagine the classic repertoire, commission new works and bring some of the greatest singers in the world to Queensland

The Brisbane Bel Canto Festival returns for its second year in March, with a program of concerts covering music from the beginnings of operatic song in Italy to a song cycle composed in Australia over the past few years. 

The festival in March includes the return of Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, with a presentation of Andrew Ford’s Red Dirt Hymns, a contemporary Australian collection of secular hymns with lyrics by some of Australia’s finest writers.

New additions to the festival include The University of Queensland School of Music, performing Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle (Little Solemn Mass), with Liam Viney and Anna Grinberg playing the piano parts accompanied by a mass choir in The Cathedral of St Stephen. Emerging Brisbane ensemble One Equal Music are also joining Opera Queensland for The Birth of Bel Canto, tracing the roots of bel canto back to the madrigal. 

“With Brisbane Bel Canto, we take our inspiration from the virtuosity of a singer in full flight. This is a privilege to behold. Be it at a recital of Monteverdi madrigals or a contemporary Australian song cycle by Andrew Ford, this year’s program offers audience a broad array of opportunities to connect with performers and the music they make across the city,” said Nolan.

At the festival’s centre, Rossini’s La Cenerentola (Cinderella), celebrates the generous, compassionate and kind heart that beats so strongly within the title character. 

Opera Queensland welcomes two rising stars to Queensland for the first time, Mara Gaudenzi as Angelina (Cinderella) and Petr Nekoranec as Don Ramiro, the man whose heart she captures. 

“La Cenerentola is at its core tale of heart and humour. I am excited to flip the classic Cinderella story on its glass slipper and welcome everyone to a Once Upon a Time that is brimming with clever disguises, midnight balls, unlikely heroes and the triumph of kindness.” La Cenerentola (Cinderella) Director, Laura Hansford. 

The Long Lunch will be curated by Stefano de Pieri, who promises to mix flavours and songs that celebrate Queensland and Italy in a way that only an Italian Australian chef as renowned as Stefano could.

From the 13 – 19 May, Opera Queensland heads west to the towns of Winton and Longreach to present the fifth Festival of Outback Opera, affectionately known as ‘FOO’, where Grammy-winning coloratura soprano Sumi Jo will perform, underscoring OQ’s commitment to bringing world-class talent to regional audiences. Unlike any other music event you have experienced, the Festival of Outback Opera is a series of outdoor concerts in iconic locations and scenery on a grand scale. Events range from formal galas to casual singalongs in the pub, from large-scale concerts under night skies to afternoons of beautiful singing and fine dining.

The Grammy Award-winning, Oscar nominated coloratura soprano Sumi Jo, in constant demand for special events such as the World Cup and The Beijing Olympic Games, will headline the Festival of Outback Opera. Her stratospheric upper range, technical brilliance and endearing diva playfulness have made her the highest-selling classical singer in the world.  

In September, OQ presents La bohème, one of the world’s most beloved and famous operas, exploring the lives of four bohemians struggling to realise their dreams on the fringe of society in Paris. Puccini’s classic masterpiece is the original bohemian love story and has inspired numerous adaptations on stage and in film, (Rent and Moulin Rouge to name a few), with its true-to-life characters, Rodolfo and Mimì. 

This original co-production by Opera Queensland and West Australian Opera premiered in Perth in 2023 and is being presented in association with Brisbane Festival. It is being directed by Matt Reuben James Ward alongside Assistant Director Laura Hansford, with Italy-based Western Australian born Soprano Elena Perroni to play Mimì and Rodolfo will be played by Valerio Borgioni, a rising star from Rome, who will be performing in Queensland for the first time, while award-winning First Nations soprano, Nina Korbe, will play the role of Musetta.

Are You Lonesome Tonight, OQ’s most successful regional tour in its history, will be on the road again in 2025 thanks to a Playing Australia grant. The national tour visits communities in remote locations and historic towns across Australia, including the Festival of Outback Opera. The cast including one of the country’s most in-demand talents, First Nations artist Marcus Corowa, will perform the arias and songs from Puccini to Slim Dusty and Dolly Parton.

Entering its sixth year, Opera Queensland’s Studio Series affirms OQ’s commitment to musical excellence and innovation. Bridging the classical and the modern, the Studio Series is an inspired collection of intimate, cabaret-style performances and exclusive recitals. Audiences will experience world-class artists, exhilarating musical interpretations, and genre-blending performances in the heart of South Bank.

This season features an eclectic array of talents and genres, bringing the worlds of opera, art song, jazz, and contemporary music together for unforgettable evenings in close, immersive settings.

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