Opera Queensland’s 2026 season casts a spell with fairytales, fantasy and fearless storytelling
Opera Queensland is setting the stage for a spellbinding 2026, unveiling a season that dives deep into the world of fairytales and the timeless truths they hold. Under the creative vision of CEO and artistic director Patrick Nolan, Opera Queensland continues to chart a bold new path for opera – pairing classic works with fresh voices and stories that speak to today. This year’s line-up journeys through enchanted forests, shimmering seas and the wide skies of the Outback, taking audiences on an evocative ride through imagination, emotion and the magic of music.
Across a year of grand productions, intimate recitals and regional performances, Opera Queensland will explore how fairytales continue to reveal something profound about our shared humanity.
“Every opera, every song, every concert in 2026 asks us to imagine what happens when we dream, when we wish, and when we face what lies beyond ‘happily ever after’. These timeless stories remind us that our joy and our grief live in the stories we tell,” says Patrick Nolan.
The season opens with the Brisbane Bel Canto Festival (April 29 to May 2), led by Rossini’s sparkling La Cenerentola (Cinderella). Returning after its weather-interrupted 2025 run, this joyful retelling stars Turkish tenor Mert Süngü, is conducted by Richard Mills and directed by Laura Hansford. The festival also features The Birth of Bel Canto, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle with The University of Queensland, and Andrew Ford’s Red Dirt Hymns – a contemporary Australian work exploring faith, landscape and belonging.
Rusalka – a breathtaking reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid – brings haunting romance to QPAC’s new Glasshouse Theatre from June 25 to July 4. Directed by Sarah Giles and conducted by Vladimir Fanshil, this luminous production stars Eleanor Lyons, Rosario La Spina and Eva Kong, bringing Dvořák’s sweeping score and the story’s bittersweet beauty to life in vivid detail.
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Later in the year, Opera Queensland teams up with Queensland Theatre and Queensland Symphony Orchestra for Into the Woods (November 11–21) – Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s whip-smart, darkly funny musical that takes your favourite ‘happily ever after’ fairytales and spins them on their head.
Extending the season’s reach beyond Brisbane, the Festival of Outback Opera returns to Winton and Longreach from May 19–25, transforming Queensland’s heartland into a stage beneath the stars. Set against vast desert horizons, the festival – headlined by acclaimed tenor Filipe Manu – brings together world-class performers for a week of concerts, community events and open-air galas that capture the spirit of the Outback.
Opera Queensland’s Studio Series also returns in 2026 with five intimate recitals – Desire and Longing, undead., Alma Latina!, There’s Nothing Like a Dame and Viva la Voce – while the regional touring program hits the road with The Adventures of Figaro, All Together Now! and Bravo!, bringing music and mischief to towns across Queensland.
Tickets to Opera Queensland’s thrilling 2026 season are now on sale – visit the website to view the full program.
This article was written in partnership with our good friends at Opera Queensland.