MUSIC LOVERS, ARE YOU READY?

Opera Queensland brings you the joyful and humorous La Cenerentola(Cinderella), with a spectacular return after rave reviews in 2025. Hailed as “enchanting” (Limelight) and “a truly magical experience” (Stage Whispers), Rossini’s comic masterpiece will delight audiences for two nights only. QPAC Concert Hall, 29 April and 2 May.

Brisbane Bel Canto Festival returns to celebrate the art of beautiful singing with a series of concerts and performances, including Rossini’s remarkable Petite Messe Solennelle. QPAC Concert Hall,1 May.

Opera on the grandest scale arrives with Rusalka, Opera Queensland’s first production in the new Glasshouse Theatre. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, Rusalka is a shimmering tale of love and transformation. And Dvorak’s music, including the beloved “Song to the Moon” is a highlight of the operatic canon for true lovers. Glasshouse Theatre, QPAC, 25 June – 4 July.

Making the perfect Christmas present for your loved ones, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Tony Award‑winning musical Intothe Woods closes OQ’s 2026 season with a bold new production directed by Patrick Nolan in the Glasshouse Theatre, 11 – 21 November.

Opera Australia 2026 Highlights

MADAMA BUTTERFLY – Puccini | Conductors Andrea Battistoni | Paul Fitzsimon | Erina Yashima | Director Moffatt Oxenbould. 2026 will begin with the return of Moffatt Oxenbould’s award-winning production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. A truly poignant experience, the timeless score from Cio-Cio -San’s dazzling aria, ‘Un bel di’ to the ‘Humming Chorus’ takes audiences on a journey of soaring heights and exquisite stillness. From the onstage moat lined with flowers to the colourful costumes, this production creates a serene backdrop to stage the emotion and passion of this must-see opera. Sydney Opera House, 3 January – 25 March.

TURANDOT – Puccini | Conductors Henrik Nánási | Nicholas Milton | Andrea Battistoni | Tahu Matheson |. OA brings a dramatic new production of Puccini’s fabled opera, Turandot, to the Joan Sutherland Theatre. With monumental sets, immersive visuals, mesmerising dance and Puccini’s atmospheric score that includes the most universally adored aria in the opera canon, the electrifying ‘Nessun dorma’, this is a captivating piece of theatre, a season highlight. Sydney Opera House, 15 January – 27 March.

HANSEL & GRETEL – Humperdinck | Conductor Tahu Matheson | Director Elijah Moshinsky. Following the success of last summer’s staging of Massenet’s Cinderella (Cendrillon), OA welcomes another fairytale opera in Elijah Moshinsky’s whimsical production of Humperdinck’s Hansel & Gretel. The story audiences know and love will unfold on a larger-than-life storybook stage with vibrant and quirky costumes and a magical score filled with German folk tunes. Sydney Opera House, 27 January – 28 February.

EUGENE ONEGIN – Tchaikovsky | Conductor Anna Skryleva | Director Kasper Holten Tchaikovsky’s celebrated opera Eugene Onegin makes an exciting return to the Joan Sutherland Theatre to round out the summer season. Kasper Holten’s deeply moving production brings to life this story of passion and the devastation of unrequited love with themes of reminiscence and regret taking centre stage. The powerful, romantic score will be conducted by German conductor Anna Skryleva, making her OA debut. Sydney Opera House, 17 – 28 March.