A night of spicy comedy is heading the The Q, in Queanbeyan, with an unusual line-up of comics across South-East Asia, reports HELEN MUSA

QUEANBEYAN Performing Arts Centre goes spicy with the revue “Spice Night”, performed entirely in English, featuring Malaysian comedy queen Joanne Kam, Singaporean YouTube star Hirzi Zulkiflie, Indian stand-up, Navin Noronha and Filipino-Australian Margot Tanjutco. At The Q, 8pm, Sunday, February 23. Book at theq.net.au or 6285 6290.

NATIONAL Portrait Gallery staff are abuzz with the realisation that the inaugural $75,000 Darling Portrait Prize and the National Photographic Portrait Prize will both open within a week of one another in early March. With that in mind, they’ve announced that one ticket will get patrons into what they’re calling “an exquisite exhibition-duet”. Book at bookings@npg.gov.au or 6102 7070.

IT was good to learn that Dr Anita Collins, education adviser for the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, professor at UC and consulting academic for the ABC documentary “Don’t Stop the Music”, is becoming patron to the Australian School Band and Orchestra Festival, but the press release, headed “Richard Gill hands over the baton”, seemed a little unfortunate, given the outcry of grief when the universally respected Gill died in October, 2018.

ART Song Canberra’s first concert for the year, “Girls Wearing the Trousers”, will see soprano Sarahlouise Owens and pianist Natalia Tkachenko performing works set for men by Schumann, Boulanger and Shostakovich. As they say: “While much of the song cycle repertoire seems penned for the male voice, women feel sentiment equally.” At Wesley Music Centre, 3pm, Sunday, March 1. Book at trybooking.com or at the door. 

CANBERRA Strings – Barbara Jane Gilby, Pip Thompson on violin, Lucy Carrigy-Ryan and Jack Chenoweth on viola and Samuel Payne on cello – will perform Beethoven’s “String Quintet in C Major Op 29” at Wesley Music Centre, 12.40pm-1.20pm, Wednesday, February 26. Tickets at the door. 

KATE Edwards has alerted us to a new children’s choir at St Paul’s Anglican Church, Manuka. The choir will be open to boys and girls aged 8-14. As well, the church will be offering up to 10 $1000 scholarships to children in the choir towards the cost of musical instrument tuition. Auditions will be held in March. Information at stpaulsmanuka.org.au