Singer Katie Noonan comes with strings attached at her next Canberra performance – the Australian Sting Quartet that is. Arts editor HELEN MUSA reports on this and more in this week’s “Arts in the City” column.

THE Australian String Quartet will perform with songstress Katie Noonan at The Playhouse, Saturday, November 9. The program brings together contemporary Australian composers, the poetry of Oodgeroo Noonuccal, the quartet and Noonan’s voice. Book at 6275 2700.

“HOW I Became Russian”, a rom-com about the ludicrous lengths a Chinese man must go to win over the ultra-conservative family of his Russian bride-to-be, is one of the choice selections in this year’s Russian Resurrection Film Festival, which offers a glimpse into Russian culture from around the globe. At Capitol Cinemas, Manuka, November 6-10. Book at eventcinemas.com.au

THE Majors Creek Festival, an annual, three-day folk and roots music festival, will be held in the old gold-mining village of Majors Creek, NSW, November 8-10. It’s a something-for-everyone event, with a full kids’ program, dance displays and classes, instrument workshops, sessions, bush dances plus five stages of traditional and contemporary music. Camping is free. Book at majorscreekfestival.org 

CANBERRA’S youthful singing group, The Australian Voice Collective, will perform its first public show, “Still, We Rise”, with dynamic video backdrop and pop music, choral works and a new piece written to the theme “Protest. Hope. Change”. At Ralph Wilson Theatre, Gorman Arts Centre, November 9-10. Book at australianvoicecollective.com

CANBERRA Potters annual open day will showcase demonstrations, hands-on activities, exhibitions, open studios, trade and information tables. Raku firing will operate throughout the day where, under expert guidance, visitors can buy a pot, glaze it and fire it. At Watson Arts Centre, 1 Aspinall Street, 11am-4pm, Sunday, November 3. 

CORO chamber music ensemble returns with Handel’s fiendishly difficult work “Dixit Dominus” along with Australian premiere performances of vesper works by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, newly transcribed by Canberra’s Peter Young. At Wesley Uniting Church, 3pm, Sunday, November 3. Book at trybooking.com

THE Australian Chamber Orchestra, led by artistic director Richard Tognetti and ACO principal cello Timo-Veikko Valve, will expand in size to more than 50 players to present US composer Andrew Norman’s “Gran Turismo”, Andrew Ford’s “Jouissance” and two orchestral masterpieces from Brahms and Dvo?ák. At Llewellyn Hall, 8pm, Saturday, November 9. Book at aco.com.au