Diesel takes requests, the Japanese Film Festival turns 30 and the Sydney Symphony makes a long-awaited Canberra return in arts editor HELEN MUSA’s latest “Artsweek” column.

Classical pianist Simons Tedeschi performed a request program last week, and now Diesel is presenting his popular show, By Request. Part concert, part conversation and part musical lucky dip, he puts the audience firmly in control, with fans submitting the songs they want to hear before each show. The B, Queanbeyan, September 25.  

The Japanese Film Festival marks its 30th anniversary with a rich program of Australian premieres, animation, horror, samurai classics and contemporary drama from some of Japan’s most acclaimed filmmakers. Palace Electric and National Film and Sound Archive, September 26-October 13.

A free Family Fun Day promises activities and entertainment for all ages at Tuggeranong Arts Centre, September 26.

ANU Meet the Author welcomes Mark Cully in conversation with Alan Gamlen discussing Waves of Plenty: Immigration and the Making of Australia. Lowitja O’Donoghue Cultural Centre, September 28.

Stage

• Suzie Miller turns her attention to Australian Rules football and the AFLW in her new play Strong Is The New Pretty, exploring contemporary issues through her trademark dramatic lens. Playhouse, September 24-26.
• Dance director Miranda Wheen leads All In, featuring Western Sydney’s Dance Makers Collective alongside Canberra performers Project Dust, Apsaras Arts Canberra and Quantum Leap Australia, with music by Fiona Hill. Belconnen Arts Centre, September 24-26.
• Hawker College students present the whimsical fantasy adventure Peter and the Starcatcher, the imaginative prequel to Peter Pan. Murranji Theatre, September 25-26.
• Vivienne Rogis revisits her solo dance work The Whole Cake, reimagined for Canberra audiences a decade after its original Victorian premiere. Hall Pavilion, September 27 and Badimara Scout Hall, Fisher, October 4.
• Children aged three and over are invited into a magical world of music, storytelling and play with Shiny Heart Productions’ Especially on Birthdays, featuring audience participation, physical theatre and a score by Mulan composer Matthew Wilder. Tuggeranong Arts Centre, September 30.

Concerts

• The Grevillea Quartet makes its Belconnen Arts Centre debut with Danza and Debussy, celebrating the ensemble’s continuing commitment to bringing chamber music to Canberra audiences. Generator Gallery, Belconnen Arts Centre, September 23.
• Harpist Alice Giles brings her evocative performance Alice in Antarctica to the National Museum, drawing on her experiences in Antarctica and blending music with storytelling. National Museum of Australia, September 24.
• Richard Tognetti directs the Australian Chamber Orchestra in Mozart’s Last Symphonies, featuring the composer’s final three symphonic masterpieces, including the celebrated Jupiter. Llewellyn Hall, September 25.
• The Sydney Symphony Orchestra returns to Canberra after a 13 year absence, conducted by Benjamin Northey in a dance inspired program featuring Kodály, Debussy, Holly Harrison and Stravinsky; the evening also launches Snow Concert Hall’s 2027 season. Snow Concert Hall, September 25.
• Jazz vocalist and pianist Leisa Keen leads her trio in the latest Lakeside at 5 concert. Tuggeranong Arts Centre, September 25.
• Coro joins guest conductor Roland Peelman and students from Canberra Girls Grammar School Music Academy for a program featuring Whitacre’s Cloudburst, Tallis’ Lamentations of Jeremiah, works by Caroline Shaw and Kate Rusby, and the premiere of a newly commissioned work for choir and handbells. All Saints Anglican Church, September 26.
• Canberra Choral Society presents Wanderlust, highlighted by the premiere of Arboretum, a new work by music director Dan Walker for choir, flute and piano, featuring Sally Walker and Anthony Smith. Wesley Uniting Church, September 26.
• Canberra bandoneon player Rodolfo Caivano hosts SUMMIT: 50 Years of Piazzolla & Mulligan, featuring celebrated Argentine saxophonist Jorge Retamoza and the Canberra Tango Quintet. The Street Theatre, September 26.
• The Australian Voices arrives in Canberra with a national tour showcasing contemporary Australian choral repertoire and new vocal works. Wesley Uniting Church, September 26.
• The ANU School of Music launches a week of Keyboard Institute concerts with faculty members Sophie Min and Edward Neeman joined by violinist Chris Latham in a program spanning Bach, Beethoven and reimagined jazz standards. ANU School of Music, September 29.
• Young pianist Shreyas Sunkaraneni returns to the Wesley Music Centre Lunchtime Concert series with works by Haydn, Chopin, Brahms and Debussy. Wesley Music Centre, September 30.

Galleries

• Julie Bradley and ceramicist Susan Buret collaborate in Chroma, a vibrant spring exhibition where paintings and ceramics respond to one another in an ongoing creative dialogue. Q Gallery, Ainslie Shops, September 25-October 8.
• Artist Lizette Richards explores memory and adornment in Carried Moments, transforming everyday experiences into wearable landscapes. Tuggeranong Arts Centre, September 24-October 17.
• Fast Furniture by Georgia and Ben Claridge examines contemporary design and making through an inventive visual arts exhibition. Tuggeranong Arts Centre, September 24-October 17.
• M16 Artspace unveils a new suite of exhibitions, led by NatureArt Lab’s community biodiversity showcase See What I See!, featuring works by tutors, students and community artists, alongside Olivia Gates’ Imagining Here from Elsewhere, Beyond the Palette, Wilay Designs, Jazz + Kristal Matthews and The Scope of Touch by Elise Stanley, and CHUTESPACE, offering visitors a broad survey of contemporary artistic practice. M16 Artspace, September 24-October 18.
• The National Portrait Gallery unveils a new commissioned portrait of bestselling children’s author Andy Griffiths by Ronnie van Hout, accompanied by an immersive display inspired by Griffiths’ imaginative world. National Portrait Gallery, September 26.
• Gallery of Small Things celebrates its ninth birthday with Homage to the Bird, featuring eight prominent Australian artists responding to birdlife through their distinctive artistic practices. Gallery of Small Things, September 26-October 18.
• Ray Monde’s major exhibition The Places that Shape Us, seen earlier by more than 30,000 visitors in Maitland, arrives in Queanbeyan for its regional showing. The Q, Queanbeyan, September 30-November 6.
• Entries are now open for the 2026 M16 Artspace Drawing Prize, one of the ACT’s major drawing awards. M16 Artspace, October 4.

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