The Italian Woman comes to QPAC in 2027.

A shipwreck. A tyrant. A woman who takes on an empire.

This is Rossini in full flight. Queensland Symphony Orchestra and nineteen extraordinary voices on stage, tearing into one of opera’s greatest comic scores with all the virtuosity, speed and exhilaration it demands.

Taken prisoner by the powerful Mustafà, a caricature of masculine vanity, Isabella must outwit the man who would possess her and find a way home.

What begins as a concert starts to fracture as the darker world rumbling beneath Rossini’s comedy erupts into the present.

Headlining Opera Queensland’s Brisbane Bel Canto festival, The Italian Woman stars acclaimed mezzo-soprano Nadezhda Karyazina as Isabella. Hailed as “one of the most significant singers and performers of our time”, Nadezhda arrives in Brisbane following a triumphant performance at the 2025 Salzburg Easter Festival, earning her the prestigious Herbert von Karajan Prize.

Brisbane Bel Canto festival is Presented with the support of Philip Bacon and Haymans Electrical.