In mid May, under the vast Outback sky, a gathering unlike any other on the opera calendar will unfold.

Featuring sunset concerts and free performances in the regional centres of Winton and Longreach, Opera Queensland’s Festival of Outback Opera returns to celebrate its fifth year.

For First Nations soprano Nina Korbe, the event is doubly significant. “Winton is Koa traditional land,” says Korbe, a proud Koa, Kuku Yalanji and Wakka Wakka woman. “Just performing there carries so much more meaning. I feel like I’m singing back to Country.”

Nina Korbe. Photo © Glen Hunt

Korbe is part of a new generation of Australian opera singers reshaping the opera landscape. Her performances combine technical finesse with a warmth and authenticity that draws listeners in – as demonstrated when she played Maria in Opera Australia’s harbourside production of West Side Story in 2024. In an open-air settings, Korbe says, the ability to be emotionally transparent is vital.

“You don’t have all the trappings of a concert hall to fall back on,” Korbe explains. “It strips everything back to just you and the...