Brisbane has secured the ultimate cultural coup – a spectacular, one-night-only musical event headlined by legendary tenor José Carreras.
Robbie Williams, The Corrs, Ronan Keating, Natalie Imbruglia and others will join the Spanish opera great live in concert at the Gabba.
World-famous singers will perform their hits and duets with Carreras, who shot to mainstream fame as one of The Three Tenors, alongside Luciano Pavarotti and Plácido Domingo.
Exclusive to Brisbane, the concert, to be held on December 5, is inspired by the Pavarotti and Friends extravaganzas in Italy from 1992 to 2003 that united the late Pavarotti with top pop music acts including Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Queen and Bono.
Carreras and Friends will be the first major concert at the Brisbane Cricket Ground since Taylor Swift’s Reputation stadium tour in 2018, which attracted an audience of 44,000.
Carreras told this masthead the event was a way of announcing Brisbane to the world as an Olympic city.
“From the very first moment, I was very, very proud that they asked me to do it,” he said.
“It’s going to be my 80th birthday, which is also something to celebrate besides the Olympics.”
Born in Barcelona in 1946, Carreras is considered one of the greatest lyric tenors of the 20th century. He has performed at the world’s leading opera houses, including La Scala, the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House London, and the Vienna State Opera.
He is revered for his performances in operas by Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini, and his concerts with The Three Tenors were watched by hundreds of millions of people.
Carreras said his voice was in good shape, despite his advanced age.
“I don’t have the same voice I had when I was 30, it loses a little bit of elasticity or certain technical skills, but the interpretation is deeper. You transmit all the experiences of your life, so it’s more profound.”
Other artists confirmed for Carreras and Friends include Savage Garden’s Darren Hayes, Brisbane pop act Sheppard, Heart lead singer Ann Wilson, Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins, and Australian tenor and Australia’s Got Talent star Mark Vincent.
The singers will be backed by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and a choir, with 90 musicians taking part.
Carreras, who last performed in Brisbane with Domingo in 2024, said he was looking forward to singing with Robbie Williams, who will perform at the concert before embarking on the Australian leg of his Britpop tour.
“He’s a great artist, very emotional when he sings, and it’s all about emotions when you sing,” Carreras said of Williams.
“I’m very much excited about singing with him – and he can learn a lot from me,” he joked.
Carreras and Friends is the latest entertainment coup for Brisbane following the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in January.
Tourism Minister Andrew Powell said Carreras and Friends was exactly the kind of event promised by the state government’s Destination 2045 20-year tourism plan.
“José Carreras is one of the world’s most celebrated performers, and this exclusive Queensland event will attract visitors, support local businesses, and showcase our state to audiences around the globe,” he said.
Presale for Carreras and Friends starts at 10am on Friday, June 12, with tickets on general sale from 10am on Monday, June 15.
The Gabba is scheduled to be demolished after the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games and a new venue, the 17,000-seat Gabba Arena, will be built adjacent to the Woolloongabba Cross River Rail station.
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Nick Dent is a Culture Reporter at Brisbane Times, covering arts, entertainment and things to do in the city.Connect via email.
