Making their return in 2025, Red Bull Australia have today announced its critically acclaimed series Red Bull Symphonic will debut its first show of the year in Sydney alongside multi-Platinum, homegrown popstar Ruel.

Held at Sydney Town Hall on Friday May 16, the 22-year-old singer-songwriter will bring to life his distinctive discography of pop and indie tracks alongside the transformative orchestral outfit Ensemble Apex. The night is expected to be an all-rounded immersive experience, with slices of electronic interludes courtesy of prolific Japanese/Australian producer Taka Perry (Katseye, Denzel Curry) and captivating visuals set against the backdrop of Sydney Town Hall’s Grand Organ.

The London-born, Sydney-raised RUEL continues to pave his own way as one of the most influential artists of his generation. Since making his debut in 2017 with Golden Years, the artist has gone on to win Breakthrough Artist at the ARIA Awards (marking the youngest person to ever do so) as well as become the youngest artist to sell out the Sydney Opera House twice. With international collaborations with Omar Apollo, Denzel Curry and SG Lewis under his belt, and a stark transition to living in America following the release of his Adaptations EP last year, the Red Bull Symphonic brings the artist back home this May in a bid to showcase Ruel’s ever-expanding artistry and the new heights he always aims to reach.

“I’ve been waiting a very long time for the chance to perform a show with an Orchestra,” said Ruel. “’m so excited to collaborate with Red Bull Symphonic and the Ensemble Apex orchestra, and even more excited that it’s in such a wild building, the Sydney Town Hall. We’re building a show bigger and better than ever, and I can’t wait to share it with my audience!”

This collaboration is career-defining for Ensemble Apex, who first formed in 2016 with means to revolutionise the way Australian audiences engage with and experience live classical music. Speaking to Artistic Director Sam Weller for The Music, Ensemble Apex’s mission statement is to “bring orchestral music to new audiences in ways that are meaningful and speak to new, contemporary and fresh tastes”. This year’s Red Bull Symphonic is therefore in the safest hands it could possibly be. 

“We are super excited to be collaborating with Ruel and Red Bull Symphonic for a world class production - we can’t wait to bring the huge sound and energy of our orchestra to Ruel’s music, supported by a truly world class team of arrangers,” said Weller. “This is certainly going to be a highlight of our year!”

Fan presale tickets for the event go live today here, with general public tickets to go live at 10 AM on Thursday 27th of March. All tickets can be purchased here.