Caroline O’Connor and Mark Vincent will perform with John Foreman and the Australian Pops Orchestra when its annual New Year concerts return to Hamer Hall in December 2026. The New Year’s Eve (& The Day Before) Gala will be presented at Arts Centre Melbourne on Wednesday, 30 December and Thursday, 31 December 2026. A third special guest artist is expected to be announced later in the year. Tickets are set to go on pre-sale starting 28 July 2026 via The Arts Centre Melbourne’s websiet.
Now in its 46th year, the concert will feature Broadway favourites, orchestral classics, musical theatre songs, love songs and operatic anthems. The performers will be accompanied by a 60-piece live orchestra, with the Dana Jolly Dancers also appearing as part of the program.
Guests attending the 8:00pm performance on 31 December will also be able to purchase separate tickets to a Fireworks After-Party. The event will include drinks and canapés, along with a view of Melbourne’s midnight fireworks from the Leaper Family Pavilion balcony.
O’Connor is an internationally recognised musical theatre performer whose career has included appearances across stages both Australian and across the world. She said she was pleased to reunite with Foreman and the orchestra after previously working with them several years ago:
I had the absolute pleasure of working with John Foreman and the Aussie Pops Orchestra a couple of years ago, so I am absolutely thrilled to have been invited back to celebrate New Year’s Eve with John and all the magnificent musicians at Hamer Hall in Melbourne
John Foreman is a national treasure and it is a privilege to perform with him and his Australian Pops Orchestra. They always bring joy, laughter and happiness to every audience that attends. He really knows how to entertain a crowd
Meanwhile, Vincent, a tenor known for his television appearances and charting albums, said the Melbourne concert would give him an opportunity to perform alongside Foreman and musicians he considers close friends:
I’m very honoured to be part of the Aussie Pops Orchestra with the Maestro, John Foreman. To be part of a very special event on New Years Eve in Melbourne, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else than with my dear friends
Foreman said the annual Hamer Hall performances were both a celebration for audiences and an opportunity to highlight the orchestra’s musicians:
I love spending New Year’s Eve with our wonderful audience at Hamer Hall. It’s a truly joyful experience for everyone and a brilliant showcase for the magnificent musicians of the orchestra. I’m absolutely thrilled that Caroline O’Connor and Mark Vincent will join us this year. They are both superstars who will bring pizzazz, style and wonderful music to our new year celebrations. I can’t think of a better way to ring in 2027!
