HELEN MUSA’s off to the circus, the theatre and everywhere else in this week’s “Artsday” column.

SUITCASE Circus will be visiting town as part of Canberra Circus Festival, a season of professional circus, clown, magic, and sideshow performances open to the public, combined with a national youth circus development training camp hosted by Warehouse Circus. May Wirth Big Top, Chifley Oval, April 18-23. Details at warehousecircus.org.au

AUSTRALIAN Decorative and Fine Arts Society Molonglo Plains has David Banney and a grand piano explaining how the histories of art and music are linked, Bicentennial Hall, Queanbeyan, 2pm, April 13.

GINNINDERRY’S Inspire Festival is a family day of inspiration and fun for the whole family, Ginninderry GX Display Village, 10am-4pm, April 15.

AN afternoon conversation with Jessica Cottis, chief conductor and artistic director of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, will be hosted by flautist Sally Walker in Gandel Hall, National Gallery of Australia, 2pm, April 16. It’s free but registrations essential to cso.org.au

THE CSO is taking applications for the CSO Chorus, to sing for upcoming CSO performances of “St John Passion” on June 29-30, directed by Tobias Cole. Details at cso.org.au

On stage

• BELL Shakespeare, “Macbeth”, The Playhouse, April 14-22.
• JAZIDA Productions has the Haus of Fabulous dancers at Bom Funk Theatre, Shop, 2/5 High Street, Queanbeyan, April 15.
• “SHOWMEN – The Ultimate Magic Spectacular” is a family-friendly spectacle of live magic, illusions and stunts by a supergroup of conjurers, tricksters, comedians, illusionists, and daredevils. Canberra Theatre, 2pm & 6.45pm, April 15.
• “Prima Facie” by Suzie Miller will be here with Sheridan Harbridge playing Tessa, a criminal lawyer at the top of her game, The Q, Queanbeyan, April 19.
• NINA Stevenson’s Piper Productions is staging “Shrek, the Musical Jr”, running through the school holidays at Canberra College Performing Arts Centre, Phillip until Friday, April 21.

Concerts

• PHOENIX Collective Quartet performs Kodály, Sculthorpe & Balakrishnan, All Saints Church Ainslie, 7pm, April 14.
• ORIANA Chorale’s “Utopia Triumphans” (European renaissance music) will be in the Chapel at Canberra Girls Grammar, 6pm, April 15.
• FORMER singer with Luminescence Chamber Singers, Jack Stephens, is now director of music at St Paul’s College, University of Sydney. He’s bringing his choir to Canberra with a program of choral anthems. St Paul’s, Manuka, 3pm, April 15.
• TO mark the 10th anniversary of Croatia’s membership of the EU, a musical evening at the Croatian embassy will feature students from the ANU School of Music, 7pm, April 18. Bookings essential via TryBooking until April 16.
• CANBERRA Bach Ensemble, directed by Andrew Koll, is holding a post-covid relaunch and fundraising concert to support its planned return to Germany in 2024. St Christopher’s Cathedral, Manuka, 7pm, April 19. 
• PIANIST Robert Schmidli will perform a program of Bach’s Theme and 10 Variations in the Italian Style BWV 989 and works by Chopin, Debussy and Liszt. Wesley Music Centre, 12.40 to 1.20pm, April 19.

Around the galleries

• “PETER Maloney The Mirror: Angles of resistance”, curated by Mark Bayly examines painter Peter Maloney’s practice from the perspective of the artist’s queer sexuality in a single project, for the first time in his 40-year career. Canberra Contemporary Art Space , Lakeside, opening 6pm, April 14, then until June 3.
• M16 Artspace in Griffith has three new exhibitions: “Light Jelly Sweet” by Henry Hu Gallery; “ Whether World” by Susan Bruce; “Dialogue” by Nicola Knackstredt, Saskia den Brinker, Jonathon Zalakos and Cathy Zhang; and in Chutespace “Mustering the Madness” by Claude Jones. Opening April 13.
• UNESCO World Art Day will be celebrated at Rusten House Art Centre, Queanbeyan, April 15.
• “JI Chen, Under The Australian Sky” at Nancy Sever Gallery, above O’Malley’s Pub in Civic, April 16-May 14.