Birthdays abound on the Australian arts scene and Canberra is helping to celebrate, writes arts editor HELEN MUSA in her latest Arts in the City column.
Canberra Theatre Centre will hold an open day with backstage access, as it celebrates 60 years. Visitors will be able to experience what it’s like to stand on The Playhouse stage and to walk through the dressing rooms. Canberra Museum + Gallery will also join the party, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Sidney Nolan’s gift to the nation with a range of free activities, May 10.
The organ at Canberra City Uniting Church is reaching its 100th anniversary, to be marked with a centenary organ recital by Samuel Giddy at the church on May 10. That will be exactly 100 years from the inaugural recital given on the instrument, originally built in 1925 by George Fincham & Sons Pty Ltd for the St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Goulburn.
The Ten Tenors are back on tour as they celebrate 30 years and more than 3500 shows since their first performance in Brisbane during 1995, when they were just “a slightly rag tag group of young blokes from Brisbane’s Conservatorium of Music.” They will perform at Canberra Theatre on May 11.
The Journal of Australian Ceramics is marking its 60th anniversary with a national touring exhibition, hosted by the Australian Design Centre. SIXTY: The Journal of Australian Ceramics 60th Anniversary 1962 – 2022, Canberra Potters Gallery, Watson, May 8-June 8. Entry by gold coin donation.
Irish singer-songwriter Gilbert O’Sullivan was the superstar who topped the UK and US singles charts in the ’70s with hits such as Alone Again (Naturally), Clair and Get Down. He’ll be appearing at Canberra Southern Cross Club, Woden, on May 6.
A new Collins Booksellers franchise store will open in Queanbeyan during May, co-owned by Queanbeyanite Carlie Lloyd who, with her family, also owns the Collins store in Wagga Wagga. Located at Shop 6B, Riverside Plaza, the store is set to open in early May, with a grand opening celebration scheduled for May 17.
The Austrian Harmonie Choir presents its autumn concert, which will include peace-themed songs such as Ein bischen Frieden (a little bit of peace), Let there be Peace on Earth, and Do you Hear the People Sing from Les Miserables. Harmonie German Club, Narrabundah, May 4. Free for under 18s.
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