2 weeks Ago By Nick Dent
In late March, moisture from ex-tropical cyclone Dianne passed over WA and into outback Queensland, triggering the region’s worst flooding in 50 years. An area the size of NSW went underwater, towns were inundated, and more than 100,000 head of livestock perished . The town of Winton, population 900, had a lucky escape, with surrounding floodwater stopping at its outskirts.
“We were just very fortunate that it didn’t come up further into our community, like the poor buggers down in Quilpie, and Thargomindah and Jundah,” says Winton mayor Cathy White. Watching on from Brisbane was Opera Queensland director Patrick Nolan, mastermind of the Festival of Outback Opera, which has taken place in Winton and Longreach every May since 2021. “We’ve seen heavy rain there in years prior, but nothing like they were getting,” Nolan says.
“We knew that if the rain stopped, because of the way in which the Channel Country works, it would drain away by the time we were due to be out there.” Adding to Nolan’s stress was the knowledge that world-famous operatic diva Sumi Jo was booked to perform. South Korean soprano Sumi Jo is appearing at the Festival of Outback Opera in regional Queensland in May 2025.
Credit: Cho Sun-hee Considered by many to be the world’s best coloratura (or quick and virtuosic) soprano, Sumi Jo made her operatic debut as Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto in 1986 and would go on to be famous for her Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute and the title role in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor . She has appeared at La Scala, Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera, and even once sang in the arrivals hall of Washington Dulles International Airport for an audience of dubious customs officers. “I was very young, and I’m a tiny little Asian girl, and they simply couldn’t believe that I was able to sing opera,” she recalls with a laugh.
For the Festival of Outback Opera, Sumi Jo will perform under the stars at a cattle station near Longreach, and on a prehistoric plateau called the Jump-Up at the Age of Dinosaurs Museum outside of Winton. Dark Sky Serenade is the signature concert of the Festival of Outback Opera, taking place at the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum at the Jump-Up, outside of Winton. Credit: Glenn Hunt The dinosaur museum was cut off for days in the floods and spectacular waterfalls formed, but the location, with its fossils and life-size creature models, is ready to host its signature concert on May 15.
“What they’re doing is really, really special, so I was very happy that they invited me,” Sumi Jo says. “Sumi Jo is a phenomenal artist,” says Nolan. “She’s renowned for her technique and her capacity to sing extraordinarily complex melodies.
“Despite being one of the great divas of our time, she is remarkably down to earth, with a sense of fun and a commitment to ensuring the audience are having a good time. I think she will fit right into the festival.” Kate Miller-Heidke headlined the festival in 2024.
Credit: Glenn Hunt The festival is in its fifth year and firmly established as a leading event in outback Queensland, drawing visitors from far and wide as well as enthusiastic locals. In addition to the two major concerts, there is a lavish lunch, an Opera Ball, a trivia night, a community singalong, and a celebration of opera and country music titled Are You Lonesome Tonight? As an added attraction this year, the recent flooding means the region’s usually arid landscapes will be lush and green. Winton’s mayor took this photo from a helicopter that shows the usually arid landscape following heavy rains in March/April 2025.
Credit: Cathy White/Winton Shire Council “You will never see this region look as beautiful as it will be in the next couple of weeks,” White says. “It’ll be full of wild flowers, the birdlife has come back ..
. The outback is open for business.” While she has not sung in the outback before, Sumi Jo is no stranger to Australia, having performed at the Sydney Opera House many times.
Late Australian soprano Joan Sutherland was an enormous inspiration to her, and she recorded her 1994 album Carnaval under the baton of Sutherland’s husband Richard Bonynge. “As soon as we finished the recording, [Sutherland] invited me to her home in Switzerland,” Sumi Jo recalls. “She cooked dinner and said she was quite jealous – ‘oh my God, Richard never gave these songs!’ – obviously she was making a joke.
“I became a coloratura because of her, because of her recordings.” Festival of Outback Opera 2025 runs May 13-19 in Winton and Longreach..
