DANCE artist Liz Lea has been working on a project to establish a Ngunnawal Youth Dance Company with the support of the Ngunnawal Elders Council. Its first iteration, created with Indigenous dancers Tammy Gissell, Krista Clarke, Emma Laverty and Natasha Lee Rogers, “Recognise”, will be presented this weekend. Saturday, September 12 at 11am in Garema Place and on Sunday, September 13 at 3pm and 4pm in the National Portrait Gallery. All welcome. 

MUSICA Viva has announced the 12 grand finalists in “Strike a Chord”, the very first National Chamber Music Championship for secondary school ensembles. Good news is the inclusion in the Open School Trio section of “Piano Trio” from Canberra. Grand Final will be live-streamed at 2pm, Saturday, September 12 and each of these 12 ensembles will be eligible for the prize pool totalling over $40,000. Tickets at musicaviva.com.au

“MICHAEL Taylor: Landscapes”, works by the region’s finest expressionist painter, opens at the Nancy Sever Gallery, Gorman Arts Centre, from September 12 to October 4, Wednesday–Sunday, 11am–5pm.

“CAPTURED Moments” with Chan Dissanayake and Rick Cochrane will be the first exhibition of 2020 for Bungendore Wood Works. Visitors are now welcome at the Octagon exhibition space from September 12 to November 9, or view on bwoodworks.com.au

AUSTRALIAN eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, and Ginger Gorman (author of “Troll Hunting”), discuss trolling, cyber security and the dark depths of the web. Muse Café, East Hotel, Kingston, 3-4pm Sunday September 13, bookings at musecanberra.com.au  

CANBERRA Strings are presenting two performances of Schubert’s String Quintet, one of the best-known works for the combination of two violins, viola and two cellos. The ensemble is led by Barbara Jane Gilby as first violinist and also includes CSO players Pip Thompson, Lucy Carrigy-Ryan, Samuel Payne and Julia Janiszewski. Wesley Music Centre, National Circuit, Forrest, 2pm and 3.30pm, Sunday, September 13, book at Trybooking.

QUEANBEYAN Art Society is now showing 150 works in its “Miniature and Smalls, 2020” exhibition, daily at the gallery, 6 Trinculo Place under the bridge, until September 24. Meantime in the same venue, ACT Textile Arts are exhibiting their work in Queanbeyan Art Society Gallery, and selling artisan-made items, until September 25.  

THE “You Are Here” festival is presenting a season of works-in-progress from artists in its “Cahoots” program, over three weekends in Tuggeranong, Belconnen and Braddon. The season kicks off at Tuggeranong Arts Centre tomorrow, September 12.