The Cat Empire will stage a one-night orchestral performance at Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl with Orchestra Victoria, bringing their catalogue to a symphonic stage next summer.
by Paul Cashmere
The Cat Empire will return to Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl on January 16, 2027 for a large-scale orchestral event, performing with Orchestra Victoria in a one-off concert designed to reinterpret the band’s music through symphonic arrangements. The all-ages performance will feature special guests Gondwana National Choirs and flamenco ensemble Arte Kanela and marks the band’s first appearance at the venue in five years.
The concert expands on The Cat Empire’s orchestral performances first staged in 2024. For the Melbourne event, new arrangements have been created specifically for the collaboration, bringing the band’s jazz, Latin and funk influenced catalogue into a concert setting designed for both orchestral scale and the open air setting of the Music Bowl.
For Melbourne audiences, the performance is significant because the band formed in the city in 1999 and built its reputation through local clubs before becoming one of Australia’s most internationally recognised live acts. Presenting their catalogue with a full orchestra in the city where the band began adds another chapter to a career that has stretched across more than two decades.
Lead singer Felix Riebl said the concert represents a celebration for the band’s hometown audience.
“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,” Riebl said. “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 the collaboration reflects a broader move in orchestral programming towards contemporary repertoire and cross-genre projects.
“This is exactly the kind of collaboration we love at Orchestra Victoria, bold, genre-blurring and rooted in the thrill of live performance,” Gethin said. “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.”
The performance will incorporate large ensemble elements beyond the orchestra.
Gondwana National Choirs will bring around 200 young singers to the stage for a mass choral section, while Arte Kanela will contribute flamenco dance and instrumentation, reflecting musical influences long embedded in The Cat Empire’s sound.
Since forming in Melbourne in 1999, The Cat Empire have built a catalogue defined by global musical traditions, blending jazz, ska, funk, Latin and hip hop elements. The group’s self-titled debut album The Cat Empire arrived in 2003, introducing tracks such as Hello and establishing the band’s reputation internationally.
Their second album Two Shoes, recorded in Havana and released in 2005, reached number one on the Australian charts and deepened the band’s connection with Cuban and Latin rhythms. Subsequent releases including Cities in 2006 and So Many Nights in 2007 further expanded their audience while maintaining a reputation as a touring band capable of drawing festival crowds across Europe, North America and Australia.
The band’s history has included significant lineup changes. Founding bassist Ryan Monro retired in 2021, and several longtime members departed the following year.
Founders Felix Riebl and Ollie McGill continued the group with a new ensemble including Grace Barbé, Daniel Farrugia and Neda Rahmani. The refreshed lineup has continued recording and touring, including the 2023 album Where The Angels Fall.
Recent years have also seen The Cat Empire explore orchestral interpretations of their music. The 2024 orchestral concerts, including performances with Australian symphony orchestras, demonstrated the adaptability of the band’s rhythm driven songs when arranged for large classical ensembles. Trumpeter and arranger Roscoe James Irwin has developed the orchestral arrangements used in these performances.
The upcoming Melbourne concert follows an orchestral tour across Australia in 2026, including performances at the Sydney Opera House, Canberra’s Llewellyn Hall, Hobart’s MyState Bank Arena and Adelaide’s Thebarton Theatre.
The Sidney Myer Music Bowl event will also offer VIP packages including access to a rehearsal before the show, express entry to the venue, a group photo opportunity with members of the band and exclusive merchandise.
Tour Dates
August 27, Sydney, Sydney Opera House
August 28, Sydney, Sydney Opera House
August 29, Sydney, Sydney Opera House
September 4, Canberra, Llewellyn Hall
September 5, Canberra, Llewellyn Hall
September 25, Hobart, Mystate Bank Arena
October 9, Adelaide, Thebarton Theatre
October 10, Adelaide, Thebarton Theatre
January 16, Melbourne, Sidney Myer Music Bowl
Tickets on sale Thursday April 16, 2026 at 10am local time. Artist presale begins Tuesday April 14, 2026.
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