THE Rancho Mirage High School Singing Rattlers Reflections Show Choir & Chamber Singers are two choirs from a specialised arts performance high school in Southern California. Directed by Andy Eisenmann with movement by Anthony Vega, they’ll be joined by singers from the Woden Valley Youth Choir at Wesley Uniting Church, 22 National Circuit, Forrest (enter via Fitzroy St). At 6.30pm, this Friday, January 6. Free admission, no pre-booking required.

Events:

SLACKY Flat Showgrounds at Bulli (Wollongong) will become a Mecca for musicians, dancers, singers, songwriters, poets, yarn spinners, choirs in the 32nd Illawarra Folk Festival. There are 88 acts representing every state in Australia and 72 from the Illawarra. January 12-15. Bookings to illawarrafolkfestival.com.au

Film:

DENDY Cinemas is hosting exclusive premiere screenings of “Moonlight”. It is directed by Barry Jenkins and tells the story of Chiron, a young man battling a dysfunctional home life as he comes of age in Miami during the War on Drugs. The screenings will be held at Dendy, Canberra Centre, at 6.30pm on January 8. The screening includes a red carpet and a glass of sparkling on arrival. Bookings to dendy.com.au/movies/moonlight

AMONG the delectable treats being cooked up by the National Film and Sound Archive for the summer season is “Ratatouille”, in which a rat’s passion for cooking soon sets into motion a hilarious rat race through Paris. There’s also the tragic outlaw film, “The Legend of Ben Hall”, and a Friday the 13th horror double of “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Pet Sematary”. All details and booking links to nfsa.gov.au

Books:

CANBERRA political commentator John Passant has just released his first book of poetry, “Songs for the Band Unformed” (Ginninderra Press 2016) a mix of the personal and the political. A signed copy costs $21.95 and can be purchased at independent-australia.myshopify.com

Arts business:

THE Charlotte Pass Celtic Music Camp offers guitar, fiddle and mandolin or accompaniment training with Dave O’Neill and Jeremy Dunlop. Dinners in the Lodge will be provided by Zena Armstrong and Peter Logue. Places still available. January 13-18, bookings to charlottepasscelticmusiccamp.com or contact jo@jocresswell.com or 0420 769449.

AARWUN Art Gallery is holding a black tie dinner and fine art auction to raise funds for Geraldine Cox’s “Sunrise Cambodia” project. Senator Derryn Hinch will chair the event. Abbey Function Centre, Nicholls, 6pm, February 4, 2017. Bookings to aarwuncanberra@bigpond.com or 6230 2055.

THE Wesley Music Foundation is calling for outstanding voice and instrumental students to apply for its Music Scholarships Program for 2017. Tertiary and senior secondary students must demonstrate that they have great potential as a vocalist or instrumentalist and can benefit from opportunities to practise in Wesley Music Centre and Wesley Uniting Church. Applications to wesleycanberra.org.au

BILK Gallery in Manuka is now seeking proposals and expressions of interest for a limited number of exhibitions in 2017 and 2018. These could be solo exhibitions, installations, experimental works or group exhibitions – specific to jewellery and objects in metal or glass. Proposals until February 28. To bilk.com.au

ARTISTS from the Southern Tablelands Arts region and from the Macarthur Region interested in having their art work projected onto key buildings in Picton as part of the “illuminARTe Wollondilly Festival” in April are invited to submit their works for consideration. Upload works to wollondilly.nsw.gov.au/lifestyle/recreation-facilities/illuminarte/ by Friday, February 18. All Inquiries to Community Projects and Events Team, phone 4677 9611.

THE experimental “SoundOut” music festival is going ahead in February and is running a crowdfunding campaign to raise $15,000 to bring out artists like RHRR trio from France, violinists Mia Zabelka and Irene Kepl from Austria and avant garde bassist Luiz Gabriel Gubeiss from Brazil. Visit gofundme.com and search for “Soundout”.

ONE of Canberra’s longest continuously running youth arts programs is Canberra’s Young Music Society’s 47th annual Summer Music School, run by composer/director Stephen Leek. It’s four exciting music education-based holiday programs in one, for Canberra’s young people that will inspire and entertain all ages. At Radford College, Bruce, January 9-20. Bookings still open to youngmusicsociety.org.au

ART, Not Apart, Canberra’s largest contemporary arts festival, centred on New Acton and Westside, is calling for proposals for works from local, national and international artists. Call for projects will close at midnight, January 7, submissions to artnotapart.com

REGISTRATIONS are now open For “RAW Comedy”, Australia’s largest open-mic comedy competition. Registrations to rawcomedy.com.au

REGISTRATIONS are now open for Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s national secondary school comedy competition, “Class Clowns”. To register visit comedyfestival.com.au/2017/classclowns

Theatre

ICKLE Pickle productions is back again with “Peter Pan the musical”, showing at the Bell Condon Theatre from Friday, January 6 to Saturday, January 21. Bookings to canberraticketing.com.au or 6275 2700.

Gigs:

SMITH’S Alternative is swinging back into action with Tattletale Saints today from 7pm, the White Top Mountaineers tomorrow night (January 6) from 7pm and the Smith’s Sunday session on January 8 from 2pm, 76 Alinga Street Civic, details at smithsalternative.com/calendar

Exhibitions:

THE National Portrait Gallery’s summer exhibition, “The Popular Pet Show”, on display until March 13. Bookings to portrait.gov.au or at the information desk at the Gallery and young people under 18 are free. “Family space: Pets Backyard” is a program of creative activities inspired by “The Popular Pet Show” for families to enjoy together. Free introduction to “The Popular Pet Show,” bookings are not required, no charge but donations welcome, exhibition ticket required. 2.30pm–3pm until Monday, March 13.

OVER 12 years Karen O’Clery’s Narek Galleries has staged more than 60 exhibitions in the Old Tanja Church, 1140 Tathra to Bermagui Road. “Porcelain & Politics”, an intriguing show by Marianne Huhn is the last show, running to January 8.

THE Royal Australian Mint is now showcasing the story of Stuart Devlin, Geelong-born designer of Australia’s circulating coins and goldsmith and jeweller to Queen Elizabeth II in an exhibition called “The Designer with the Midas Touch”. On show will be the Wiltshire Staysharp Knife MK1 and scabbard, furniture, tableware and candelabra that lit up dining rooms of the rich and powerful. Until April 2017.

THE summer exhibition at Ivy Hill Gallery, 1795 Tathra-Bermagui Road, Wapengo, features large abstract landscapes by Antonia Haege, watercolours and graphite drawings from Liz Jeneid and ceramic studies of kangaroos by Gwenna Green. Until January 15.

“A REALLY splendid exhibition, not to be missed” is how our reviewer, Anni Doyle Wawrzynczak, describes “Versailles: Treasures from the Palace”. At the National Gallery of Australia, until April 17.

“PETER Hislop, photographer: People, Performances and Places” is an exhibition that looks back 40 years to the beginning of Hislop’s remarkable work in documenting Canberra’s fine music performance and performers – around 200 events each year. At the High Court of Australia, to January 25, free.

THE Australian War Memorial “The Holocaust: witnesses and survivors”, a show that includes over 85 collection items from both institution. It also features the artwork of the Australian official war artist Alan Moore.

“ARTEFACTS” is a mixed media exhibition of buried treasure from “The Tower”, Belconnen Community Service’s Communications and Community Development office. On show gallery@bcs, Belconnen Community Centre (not Belconnen Arts Centre) Swanson Court, Belconnen, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm until January 13.

“THE Sell: Australian Advertising, 1790s to 1990s” at the National Library of Australia until April 25. FREE exhibition.

“COLLEGE Express 8” is presented by Belconnen Arts Centre and celebrates the work of almost 100 students from the North Canberra region. Young artists in Year 11 and 12 from colleges in the north Canberra region explore the world around them through photography, painting, drawing, ceramics, textiles and design technology. At 118 Emu Bank, Belconnen, until January 15, 10am-4pm, Tuesday–Sunday.

AMIEL Courtin-Wilson’s winning digital video work will be on display with six other finalists in the Digital Portraiture Award 2016 exhibition which is open to the public at the National Portrait Gallery until Sunday, April 9.