Artistic coups everywhere this week with one for the Canberra Theatre and another for a local pianist. It’s “Arts in the City” with HELEN MUSA. 

ANOTHER coup for Canberra Theatre with the announcement of the Aussie premiere season of “Choir Boy” (March 29-April 2), written by the Oscar-winning writer Tarell Alvin McCraney. Threaded with a cappella gospel hymns, it’s the story of Pharus Young, hell-bent on being the best choir leader in the 50-year history of Charles R Drew Prep School for Boys. The play premiered in 2012 at London’s Royal Court Theatre before seasons across the US, including Broadway. 

CANBERRA pianist Ronan Apcar, winner of the ACT Young Virtuoso Award held at ArtSound in September, has taken out second place at the competition’s National Young Virtuoso Award final, behind Victorian pianist Anna Gao. Apcar, one of our brightest and best, also won a Canberra Critics Circle Award recently and is now off to bigger things at the Australian National Academy of Music. 

IN “CPE Bach: Universe of Harmony”, the Australian Haydn Ensemble will perform works by Telemann, William Herschel, JA Benda and CPE Bach, under the direction of British guest director and harpsichord soloist Chad Kelly. Albert Hall, December 14.

CANBERRA Potters’ Christmas Fair is my preferred place to buy unique Christmas gifts by local potters and ceramicists. It’s on again at Canberra Potters Gallery, Watson, 10am-4pm, December 10-18.

LUMINESCENCE choirs join Canberra International Music Festival and Wesley Music Centre for a third iteration of “A Luminous Christmas”, a mini-festival at Wesley Music Centre, Forrest. It features “Christmas Classics” on December 16 and 18, “An Italian Christmas”, December 17 and “Christmas in Ukraine”, December 18. 

“CLOUD Country” is an inspiring exhibition by Canberra artist Caroline Reid intended to honour and document the rich water resource of the country south of Canberra to the Victorian border. The works were painted in 2021 and 2022 during an extended La Nina weather event that brought replenishing rains to the catchments of the Thredbo, Snowy and Murrumbidgee rivers. At Raglan Art Gallery, Cooma, until January 21.