JOSÉ CARRERAS TO HOST A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME QUEENSLAND EXCLUSIVE AT THE GABBA with ROBBIE WILLIAMS, THE CORRS and more on December 5
Carreras and Friends
Carreras & Friends
Tickets go on sale to the general public from Monday 15 June at 10am
Fans are encouraged to sign up at www.carrerasandfriends.live for presale access, presale starts 10am Friday 12 June
Ticketmaster Australia are Carreras & Friends official ticketing partner.
EVENT DETAILS:
THE GABBA, BRISBANE
Saturday 5 December 2026
INSPIRED BY THE LEGENDARY “PAVAROTTI & FRIENDS” EXTRAVAGANZAS….
JOSÉ CARRERAS TO HOST A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME QUEENSLAND EXCLUSIVE AT THE GABBA – JOINED BY ROBBIE WILLIAMS, THE CORRS, RONAN KEATING, ANN WILSON, DARREN HAYES,
NATALIE IMBRUGLIA, SHEPPARD, KATHERINE JENKINS & MARK VINCENT and more
“CARRERAS & FRIENDS”
SATURDAY 5 DECEMBER 2026 – THE GABBA, BRISBANE
In a major coup for Queensland, one of the world’s most celebrated tenors, José Carreras, will host an extraordinary one-night-only Australian exclusive concert on December 5 inspired by the legendary Pavarotti & Friends extravaganzas. Images and VISION and artist messages here: HERE
Carreras & Friends has been exclusively curated for the iconic Gabba and presented by Quintessential Queensland as a spectacular open-air concert experience uniting some of the world’s biggest stars in duet with José Carreras. Tickets go on sale to the general public from Monday 15 June at 10am.
Rather than a traditional concert, the evening will unfold as a seamless musical journey, with Carreras personally guiding audiences through a series of extraordinary collaborations, surprise moments and solo performances featuring global music icons from opera, rock and pop.
Acclaimed artists including Katherine Jenkins, Natalie Imbruglia, Sheppard and Mark Vincent will perform both duets with Carreras and solo performances of their own hits, leading into Darren Hayes (Truly Madly Deeply), Ronan Keating (Father & Son), Ann Wilson (What About Love and Stairway To Heaven), The Corrs (Breathless and Runaway) and culminating with Robbie Williams performing My Way and Angels in duet with Carreras, alongside several surprise moments throughout the night. Backed by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and choir, Carreras & Friends will transform The Gabba into a world-class concert spectacular blending timeless opera, beloved contemporary classics and powerful collaborations under the Brisbane sky.
The evening will be conducted and musically directed by internationally renowned maestro Keith Levenson, whose extraordinary career includes collaborations with The Who, Stevie Nicks, KISS and Meat Loaf.
The event will offer Australian audiences a rare opportunity to witness one of the greatest tenors of all time perform live alongside an extraordinary cast of global music icons in a stadium spectacular curated exclusively for Queensland.
Revered globally as one of opera’s most extraordinary voices, Carreras 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 became part of music history through the legendary Three Tenors concerts alongside Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti, watched by billions around the world.
Echo Pacific Director Harley Medcalf said, “This is not a traditional concert. It’s a live music experience inspired by the magic of Pavarotti & Friends, where the world’s greatest artists come together on one stage for a night of collaboration, emotion and surprise. To bring José Carreras together with artists of this caliber for one exclusive night in Brisbane is incredibly special. Every moment of this event has been designed to create something unforgettable.”
Tourism Minister Andrew Powell said the event demonstrated the Crisafulli Government was delivering on the commitments it made through Destination 2045. “When we launched Destination 2045, we said we would secure more world-class events and experiences that put Queensland on the global stage,” Minister Powell said. “This is exactly what delivery looks like. 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. The Crisafulli Government is building a stronger pipeline of events because we know they fill hotel rooms, support jobs and strengthen Queensland’s economy.”
The Gabba Venue General Manager Mark Zundans: It’s fantastic to bring another international concert to The Gabba following the roaring success of Adele and Taylor Swift, and we can’t wait to put on another massive show at our iconic venue. Proudly part of the Stadiums Queensland portfolio, The Gabba is a versatile, multi-use venue beloved by cricket and AFL fans, and this concert will provide a great opportunity to open The Gabba up to a whole new audience and supercharge Queensland as a major events destination.
Stadiums Queensland Chief Executive Todd Harris: It’s incredibly valuable for Stadiums Queensland to partner with the Queensland Government and promoters to bring bespoke, world-class content to Queensland. Having a major event venue that can cater to various types of content is a great preview of what’s to come as the Stadiums Queensland portfolio evolves beyond 2032.
With interstate and international demand expected to be strong, audiences are encouraged to secure tickets early for what will be a truly once-in-a-generation live music experience.
Carreras & Friends
Tickets go on sale to the general public from Monday 15 June at 10am
Fans are encouraged to sign up at www.carrerasandfriends.live for presale access, presale starts 10am Friday 12 June
Ticketmaster Australia are Carreras & Friends official ticketing partner.
EVENT DETAILS:
THE GABBA, BRISBANE
Saturday 5 December 2026
QUICK FACTS:
- One-night-only performance exclusive to Queensland
- Rare Australian performance by José Carreras
- Featuring Robbie Williams, The Corrs, Ronan Keating, Natalie Imbruglia, Darren Hayes, Katherine Jenkins, Sheppard and Mark Vincent
- Unforgettable collaborations, iconic solo performances and a spectacular all-star finale
- Performed with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra
- Held at The Gabba, Brisbane
- Supported by the Queensland Government
- Expected to attract interstate and international visitors to Queensland
- Over 90 musicians including the choir will perform live in the Carreras & Friends
- production.
- There will be 60 musicians performing on stage throughout the entire show.
- Carreras & Friends features high profile, international performers from over five different countries
- Over 400 lights on stage
- Production crew: There are over 300 people who will form the event and production teams and will be responsible for building the stage, installing production and lighting, walkways, dressing rooms, BOH catering, BOH transport, runners, technicians and AV specialists
- Carreras & Friends is the largest production of this scale to be staged at The Gabba since the most recent major concert held at the Gabba was Taylor Swift ‘Reputation’ Stadium Tour on 6 November 2018, which attracted a crowd of around 44,000 people.
- Before that, the stadium hosted Adele’s Live 2017 Tour across two nights (4–5 March 2017), drawing around 120,000 fans in total and setting attendance records for Brisbane concerts at the time. Adele’s shows were particularly significant because they were the first concerts at the Gabba since 1978.
Contact details:
Kath Rose 0416 291 493
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Musicians from the QSO, Tenor Mark Vincent and Sheppard celebrate at The Gabba. In a major coup for Queensland, one of the world's most celebrated tenors, José Carreras, will host an extraordinary one-night-only Australian exclusive concert.
