A once-in-a-generation event is set to take place in South East Queensland, bringing some of the biggest names in music together for one extraordinary night.
Legendary tenor José Carreras will lead a staggering international line-up featuring Robbie Williams, The Corrs, Ronan Keating, Darren Hayes, Natalie Imbruglia, Katherine Jenkins, Brisbane band Sheppard and Mark Vincent when Carreras & Friends takes over The Gabba on Saturday, December 5.
The Australian-exclusive spectacular, inspired by Luciano Pavarotti’s famous Pavarotti & Friends concerts, shapes as one of the biggest concert events Brisbane has seen in years.
Rather than a traditional concert with a succession of individual sets, the night has been designed as a musical journey spanning opera, rock and pop, with Carreras guiding the audience through duets, solo performances and surprise collaborations.
Among the planned highlights are Darren Hayes performing Truly Madly Deeply, Ronan Keating delivering Father & Son, Heart frontwoman Ann Wilson performing What About Love and Stairway to Heaven, and The Corrs bringing hits including Breathless and Runaway to the Gabba stage.
The night is set to culminate with Robbie Williams joining Carreras for performances of My Way and Angels.
Backing the artists will be the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and choir, with more than 90 musicians and singers involved in the production and about 60 musicians performing on stage throughout the show.
For Carreras, the Brisbane spectacular adds another chapter to one of opera’s most celebrated careers.
The Spanish tenor has performed at many of the world’s great opera houses, including La Scala, New York’s Metropolitan Opera, London’s Royal Opera House and the Vienna State Opera.
He also became one of the most recognisable classical performers in the world as part of The Three Tenors alongside Luciano Pavarotti and Plácido Domingo.
The sheer scale of Carreras & Friends will also mark a rare return of major concert production to The Gabba.
Organisers say it will be the largest production of its kind staged at The Gabba since Taylor Swift brought her Reputation Stadium Tour to the venue in November 2018.
With Carreras & Friends being staged exclusively in Queensland and featuring artists from more than five countries, organisers expect the December spectacular to attract music fans from interstate and overseas.
Carreras & Friends will be held at The Gabba, Brisbane, on Saturday, December 5.
