Queensland Ballet is thrilled to bring acclaimed European choreographer Christian Spuck’s powerful production of Messa da Requiem exclusively to Queensland audiences. This monumental work will grace the stage of the brand-new Glasshouse Theatre at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre for a limited season starting 27 March 2026.
In a landmark collaboration with Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Brisbane Chorale, and Canticum Chamber Choir, Messa da Requiem unleashes the full power of dance, music, and opera, elevating Verdi’s majestic score to breathtaking new heights.
Minister for Education and the Arts, the Hon John Paul Langbroek said he was delighted to confirm the new state-of-the-art Glasshouse Theatre will open next March to showcase Queensland’s creative talent and kick off Queensland Ballet’s 2026 season with an ambitious season of Messa da Requiem.
“Queensland Performing Arts Centre has long been home to transformative performing arts experiences and this exciting collaboration featuring some of Queensland’s great arts companies, Queensland Ballet, Queensland Symphony Orchestra together with local choirs, is a fitting housewarming for the new Theatre,” Minister Langbroek said.
“Work of the scale of Messa da Requiem reinforces the Crisafulli Government’s commitment to ensure engaging arts and cultural experiences attract local audiences and visitors to the state that reinforces our reputation as a creative powerhouse that grows our experience economy.”
Artistic Director Ivan Gil-Ortega describes the production as a masterwork that delivers a transcendent experience and redefines the possibilities of ballet.
“With a cast of over 100 artists, Messa da Requiem sweeps across the stage as Verdi’s score takes shape in movement and sound – summoning all the emotions we universally associate with mortality and hope for redemption.”
“More than a performance, Messa da Requiem is an emotional and spiritual journey brought vividly to life by extraordinary artists,” Gil-Ortega said.
“Verdi’s score will soar under the mastery of Queensland Symphony Orchestra, led by internationally celebrated conductor, Simon Hewett, alongside sought-after soloists in partnership with a commanding chorus. This is a convergence of astonishing talent and vision, delivering a dramatic tapestry of music and dance, that will stay with audiences long after the final note,” Gil-Ortega added.
Queensland Performing Arts Centre Director and CEO Rachel Healy said Messa da Requiem stands as a bold cultural statement.
“For Queensland, this collaboration of leading cultural companies, celebrates who we are and where we are headed as a creative state. With the opening of the Glasshouse Theatre, we are not only expanding our artistic horizons but also cementing a cultural legacy that will inspire pride and recognition well beyond our borders,” Healy said.
Winner of the 2019 Prix Benois de la Danse (Oscars of the ballet world) Spuck said his production reaches beyond the religious ideas of death and resurrection.
“Verdi’s Messa da Requiem stands as one of the most profound statements on life and death ever set to music. Verdi blended the drama of his operas with the solemnity of the Latin mass – it is a colossal fusion of operatic drama and sacred intensity.”
“However, I did not want to place the religious interpretation of the text at the centre. Rather, my intention was to transform Verdi’s score into a mass of human expression — about the inevitability of death, the need for consolation, and our eternal hope for redemption,” Spuck explained.
“Verdi’s music is beyond words. It’s a powerful reminder of how music can bring us together, and an invitation to reflect on something beyond ourselves,” Spuck added.
Written and first performed in 1894, Messa da Requiem is based on the Roman Catholic liturgy and is a Mass to honour those who have died.
Messa da Requiem will be at QPAC’s Glasshouse Theatre 27 March – 4 April, 2026. Learn more at queenslandballet.com.au
