The news of a visit by former British television interviewer Sir Michael Parkinson leads arts editor HELEN MUSA‘s Arts in the City column this week.

SIR Michael “Parky” Parkinson will be in town with a two-hour show as part of a tour coinciding with the 40th anniversary of his first Australian TV series, “Parkinson in Australia”. He’ll be in conversation with his son Mike and showing highlights from the Parkinson archive. At Llewellyn Hall, October 12. Book at ticketek.com.au

THEATRE identity and the director of “Short+Sweet Canberra” play festival, Trevar Chilver, is moving to Gippsland, so has handed over the directorial role to Lynn Petersen and Amy Crawford, who have already secured the Courtyard Studio for what they predict will be “a shorter, but definitely sweeter” festival, to run from August 9-15.

THE National Capital Orchestra, under guest conductor Alan Cook, will present a program taking audiences from modern-day Australia to Europe and Russia of the 18th and 19th centuries as it plays works by Melbourne composer May Lyon, followed by Mozart, Borodin and Rimsky-Korsakov. Clarinettist Eloise Fisher, a Juilliard graduate, is the featured concerto artist. At The Q, Queanbeyan, 3pm, Sunday, October 13 (pre-concert talk at 2.15pm). Book at theq.net.au

HALL School Museum and Heritage Centre holds a substantial volume of material on Hall-Ginninderra district history and heritage and is now holding an exhibition, “A Palette of Pioneer Places”, by veteran Canberra watercolourist, Isla Patterson, who has painted eight early district heritage buildings in the parishes of Jeir, Wallaroo and Ginninderra. At 17-19 Palmer Street, opening 2pm on Sunday, October 6. 

FORMER TV newsreader Richard Morecroft will host an evening of conversation with Sam and Cameron Bloom, whose tale inspired “Penguin Bloom: The Odd Little Bird Who Saved a Family”, soon to be a Hollywood feature film starring Naomi Watts and directed by Reese Witherspoon. Timed for World Mental Health Day, the evening of visual storytelling and conversation will explain how an injured magpie chick helped Sam to walk, and Penguin (the chick) to fly. At James O Fairfax Theatre, NGA, 6.30pm-8.30pm, Thursday, October 10. Book at talkingsticks.com.au

CANBERRA Bach Ensemble joins Australian Baroque Brass and soloists to perform Bach’s Magnificat BWV 243, “Meine Seel’ erhebt den Herren” BWV 10 and “Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten!” BWV 214. The orchestra will be led by Bianca Porcheddu. At St Christopher’s Cathedral, Manuka, 8pm, Saturday, October 12 and 2.30pm, Sunday, October 13. Book at trybooking.com