If you missed Chris Botti at Brisbane Powerhouse on 16 June, this is your notice to not let it happen again.
The Grammy Award-winning American trumpeter brought his 2026 world tour to New Farm for a single Brisbane night, part of a tight three-date Australian run that also took in Sydney’s Opera House and Melbourne’s Palais Theatre. It was exactly the kind of evening that reminds you why live music, in the right hands, is still incomparable.
Who Is Chris Botti?
For the uninitiated: Chris Botti is arguably the world’s most successful contemporary jazz trumpeter, and one of the very few instrumentalists who has managed to build a genuine crossover audience without compromising his artistry. His collaborators read like a greatest-hits list of twentieth-century music — Sting, Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, Joni Mitchell, Andrea Bocelli, Yo-Yo Ma. He has sold millions of albums, won Grammy Awards, and performed on stages from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House.
In 2023, Botti released Vol. 1, his Blue Note Records debut and first studio album in over a decade, produced by the legendary David Foster. It was a deliberate return to acoustic jazz and classic standards, and the 2026 world tour is its live expression.
The Setup
The Powerhouse stage was stripped back and purposeful. No elaborate production — just musicians given space to breathe. The band was anchored by Julius Rodriguez on piano, a strikingly gifted young musician whose nuance at the keys drew special praise from Botti himself. Alongside Rodriguez, drummer Lee Pearson and bassist Barry Stephenson formed a rhythm section of deep warmth and swing, while the legendary jazz guitarist Mark Whitfield anchored stage right.
The setlist was a masterclass in programming. Botti moved from Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah to the Bee Gees’ How Deep Is Your Love?, from Ennio Morricone’s Cinema Paradiso and Gabriel’s Oboe to Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ Die With A Smile, each song reframed through jazz-led trumpet arrangements that found something new in the familiar.
The Guests Made It Unforgettable
Three guest performers joined Botti across the evening, and each one was worth the ticket price alone.
Caroline Campbell, American violinist and soloist with major orchestras worldwide, brought an elegance and technical brilliance to her appearances that elevated the room every time she walked out. Her duet with Botti on Cinema Paradiso was among the finest live music moments Brisbane has witnessed this year. Later, Botti brought Campbell off the stage and into the aisle to play directly for her parents — who he’d had moved from their seats to the front row — sharing a single spotlight as trumpet and violin wove around each other in two pieces of extraordinary intimacy.
John Splithoff, singer, guitarist and songwriter from Chicago, brought a contemporary soul-pop energy that hit the room like a wave. His performance was met with the kind of reaction that suggests Brisbane would happily buy tickets to see him headline his own show.
Fernando Varela, the Puerto Rican classical crossover tenor, brought proceedings to a stunning close. Puccini’s Nessun Dorma followed by Time to Say Goodbye, delivered with full vocal power, had the Powerhouse audience on their feet and reluctant to leave.
The Verdict
Chris Botti is a singular artist, and this was a singular night. Warm, intelligent, deeply musical and unexpectedly personal — the kind of live music experience that restores your faith in the form. If the 2026 Australian tour didn’t make it onto your calendar, make sure the next one does.
Chris Botti performed at Brisbane Powerhouse, New Farm, on Tuesday 16 June 2026. His most recent album, Vol. 1, produced by David Foster, is available now on Blue Note Records. For upcoming tour dates, visit chrisbotti.com.
Photos: Randall Slavin
