Anthony Callea and Tim Campbell will join John Foreman and the Australian Pops Orchestra for two orchestral performances of Billy Joel and Phil Collins hits at the Sydney Opera House and Melbourne’s Hamer Hall in 2026.
Anthony Callea and Tim Campbell will reunite with John Foreman and the Australian Pops Orchestra next year for a new orchestral celebration of the music of Billy Joel and Phil Collins.
The production, titled Songs of Billy and Phil, will play two performances at the Sydney Opera House on Saturday 17 April 2026 and a single show at Melbourne’s Hamer Hall on Saturday 22 May 2026. Both singers will be backed by a 40-piece orchestra performing new arrangements created specifically for the concerts.
The Sydney dates are scheduled for 2pm and 7pm. Tickets for all three performances are on sale now through the official website.
Callea and Campbell previously collaborated with Foreman and the Australian Pops Orchestra in 2024 on The Songs of Elton & George, an orchestral tribute to Elton John and George Michael. Those shows sold out at the same venues and drew strong audience and critical response.
In a joint statement, Callea and Campbell said: “We couldn’t be more excited to be reuniting with John Foreman and the Australian Pops Orchestra for another incredible musical celebration. There’s something truly magical about hearing these iconic songs performed with a full orchestra, and when you’re talking about the music of Billy Joel and Phil Collins, you’re talking about an extraordinary catalogue of songs that have meant so much to so many people.
“There’s nothing quite like the energy of a room filled with people celebrating music they know and love. Add the extraordinary sound of a 40-piece orchestra, two iconic venues and songs that have stood the test of time, and you have all the ingredients for a truly spectacular night. We can’t wait to share it with everyone.
“We had the most brilliant time performing The Songs of Elton & George, and the response from audiences was something we’ll never forget, and we’re looking forward to creating another memorable experience together.”
The set list will draw from both catalogues. Billy Joel material includes Uptown Girl, Piano Man and Just the Way You Are. Phil Collins songs confirmed in the announcement are Against All Odds, In the Air Tonight and You Can’t Hurry Love, alongside further favourites from both artists.
Callea rose to national attention as runner-up on Australian Idol in 2004. His debut single, a cover of The Prayer, became the fastest-selling single by an Australian artist at the time and spent five weeks at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart. He has since released multiple albums, including the chart-topping Backbone and ARIA Number 1 Hits in Symphony, and has maintained a strong presence in musical theatre and live performance.
Campbell is best known for his role as Dan Baker on Home and Away between 2004 and 2007. He has also appeared in House Husbands, Dancing with the Stars and a range of stage productions, including Rent, Wicked and Hairspray. He has released two albums of his own: High School Disco and Electrifying 80s.
The couple married in New Zealand in 2014 and have continued to work together on stage. Their previous orchestral collaboration with Foreman demonstrated strong public appetite for large-scale tributes to major pop songwriters presented in this format.
The new shows extend that partnership into the catalogues of two of the most commercially successful and widely recognised writers of the late 20th century. Joel’s piano-driven songwriting and Collins’s dual career as Genesis frontman and solo artist have left a deep imprint on popular music, and the orchestral arrangements are intended to give those songs additional scale and colour in a live setting.
Full details and tickets are available at http://www.songsofbillyandphil.com/.
Saturday 17 April 2026, Sydney Opera House (2.00pm and 7.00pm)
Saturday 22 May 2026, Hamer Hall, Melbourne
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