The Cat Empire will return to Sidney Myer Music Bowl on 16 January 2027 for a one-night, all-ages summer show, marking five years since their last appearance at the venue.
The Melbourne performance brings together the band, Orchestra Victoria, Gondwana National Choirs and flamenco artists Arte Kanela for a large-scale orchestral collaboration. The show follows strong audience response to the band’s 2024 orchestral debut and introduces new arrangements created specifically for this performance.
Known for blending Afro-Cuban, Seychellois Creole, Brazilian and flamenco influences, the band’s catalogue will be expanded through full symphonic backing. The result is designed as a high-energy crossover between orchestral performance and festival-style live music.
The open-air setting of the Music Bowl will shape the format of the night, with a focus on movement, dancing and a shared experience. A mass choral moment featuring 200 voices from Gondwana National Choirs is set to be a centrepiece, alongside flamenco elements that add movement and visual intensity.
Lead singer Felix Riebl said, “There have been so many special concerts we’ve had in our home town Melbourne with The Cat Empire over the years, and this one with Orchestra Victoria at the Music Bowl promises to be right up there with the best of them. It’s going to be spectacular.”
“Theatre band with a full symphony, dancers, a mass youth choir and the band at its best. It’s a night to bring the many generations of people who’ve enjoyed our music together. We need a celebration like this, for us, for everyone. I can’t wait!”
Orchestra Victoria Artistic Advisor and Conductor Jessica Gethin said, “This is exactly the kind of collaboration we love at Orchestra Victoria – bold, genre-blurring and rooted in the thrill of live performance.”
“The Cat Empire’s music is so rhythmically alive, and bringing it together with our musicians at the Myer Music Bowl is a brilliant way to explore what orchestral sound can do, meet audiences where they are, and show that this music can feel immediate, vibrant and for everyone. We can’t wait – it’s going to be an incredibly memorable night for Melbourne.”
After more than two decades of genre-blending releases and global touring, this show positions The Cat Empire on their biggest local stage yet, reworking familiar songs into something larger while keeping the energy that built their following.
VIP packages will also be available, including rehearsal access, express entry, a group photo with the band and exclusive merchandise.
Tickets go on sale Thursday April 16 at 10am local time here.
