Featured artists for ‘Schools Spectacular 2023 – Fabulous’ will lead a cast of more than 5000 NSW public school students at Qudos Bank Arena on 24 and 25 November.

The students who hail from as far as Banora Point in northern NSW and Karabar to the south will feature in vocals, dance and instrumentals.

Singer Alex Billett, from Riverstone High School in Sydney, said being named a featured artist was “everything”.

The Year 11 student, who will feature in four segments at the show, said he first participated in the Schools Spectacular massed choir when he was in Year 5.

“I remember being in the massed choir and looking down seeing the featured artists perform and thinking: ‘Oh yes, I want to do that’.”

Alex said the audition process had also been a thrilling experience and in his second year as a featured artist was looking forward to catching up with Schools Spec friends.

The 149 featured artists went through a rigorous audition process before being chosen from more than 900 nominations to be part of one of the largest performing arts events in the world.

Executive producer Richard Spiewak said the Schools Spectacular was one of the most anticipated events on the public education calendar. 

“To be chosen to perform at this world-class event is testament to the students’ talent and an opportunity to nurture their love for performing, while working alongside some of the finest talents in the entertainment industry,” Mr Spiewak said. 

“The featured artists are some of our brightest stars and, alongside all this year’s performers, they will put on a spectacular show that highlights the incredible talent in our public schools. 

“We’ve already seen a sneak peek of their talent during recent rehearsals, and I can guarantee that this year’s show is going to be fabulous.” 

This year’s featured artists range in age from 11 to 18 years and will join more than 5000 performers drawn from public schools across the state for this year’s live performances at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on 24 and 25 November.

The world’s largest annual variety show is produced by the Department of Education’s Arts Unit.

The logistics of Schools Spectacular 2023 – Fabulous are astounding. Each of the four performances features a 2600-voice choir, 2300 dancers, an 80-piece symphony orchestra, a stage band, the D’Arts Ensemble for students with disability, the Aboriginal Dance Ensemble, and the 149 featured performers – all under the guidance of more than 600 teachers and support staff.

• Check out the featured artists on the Schools Spectacular website.
• Tickets for Schools Spectacular 2023 – Fabulous are available through Ticketek.