PJ Harvey, Nils Frahm, Mariza and Goran Bregović

Sydney — Thursday 17 October 2024

Four globally acclaimed European artists, UK multi-Mercury Prize-winner PJ Harvey, global German pianist and ambient sensation Nils Frahm, Portugal’s multi-platinum Fado queen Mariza and Balkan music maestro Goran Bregović will play the Sydney Opera House in 2025 as part of their national tours.

On the Forecourt:

• Legendary UK singer-songwriter, poet and multi-instrumentalist PJ Harvey arrives with her band to perform under the stars on 13 March. On her first visit to Australia in eight years – and almost 20 years after her last exhilarating performance at the Opera House – Harvey will perform her Grammy-nominated tenth studio album I Inside the Old Year Dying (2023) and songs from her storied catalogue. Supporting Harvey will be guitarist and founding member of Dirty Three, Mick Turner, playing a rare solo performance.

Beneath the sails, returning to the Concert Hall to captivate audiences:

• One of the most accomplished – and popular – neo-classical stars, the genre-bending German pianist Nils Frahm will perform works from his extensive catalogue, bringing his singular ambient, classical and electronica sounds across two nights on 5 and 7 March.
• Heiress to the state of mind of the Portuguese people, Mozambique-born Mariza returns for the first time in over 15 years, bringing her 20+ year catalogue of mournfully beautiful music and her five-piece band on 3 March.
• Sarajevo superstar Goran Bregović is back on 4 March with His Wedding and Funeral Band for a wildly euphoric night of Balkan rhythms, Gypsy brass and Bulgarian polyphonies in an irresistible invitation to dance.

Sydney Opera House Head of Contemporary Music, Ben Marshall, says: "As a remarkable work of art in its own right, the Sydney Opera House is sought out by significant artists to take part in realising their vision and creating memories that can last a lifetime. This March, we are thrilled to open up the iconic Forecourt to bring you a night 15 years in the making, the singular power and might of PJ Harvey performing on the grandest stage the city has to offer. Inside the acoustically revitalised Concert Hall, the visionary pianist Nils Frahm returns after bringing the house down in the Joan Sutherland Theatre for Vivid LIVE in 2022, fado queen Mariza finally reclaims her crown in Sydney after a far too long 15-year absence and Goran Bregović's rousing, epic force also makes a very welcome return. There's more to come and we cannot wait to share these extraordinary performances and unforgettable moments with you."