IN “Haydn’s Esterhazy Orchestra” the Australian Haydn Ensemble recreates the era when Joseph Haydn was composer at the Esterházy Palace and created his early symphonies “Le Matin”, “Le Midi” and “Le Soir”.

THE Haydn Ensemble performs at  Albert Hall, at  7pm, Thursday December 17, bookings to 1800 334 388 or australianhaydn.com.au or at the door.

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Festivals and events:

CANBERRA International Music Festival organisers are suggesting it’s a good time to buy the Festival Pass, which offers entry to 22 ticketed concerts at the 2016 event. Bookings to trybooking.com

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LOCAL industrial designer Tom Skeehan is leading the “Making as Mediation” workshop where participants make chopsticks by hand from salvaged wood while listening to a gentle reading of Jun’ichir? Tanizaki’s ‘In Praise of Shadows’, an essay on Japanese aesthetics. Includes a drink and a nibble. At Hotel Hotel, 9am to 1pm, Saturday January 16. Bookings essential to hotel-hotel.com.au

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Arts Business:

THE director of SoundOut contemporary music festival, Richard Johnson, is looking for volunteer ticket-sellers, ushers, stage managers, sound and lighting assistants, media people and drivers for the 2016 event on January 30 and 31. Inquiries to 439 045 365 or vortexrec@aapt.net.au  To support the funding, visit paypal.me

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Film:

IMB Bank Sunset Cinema, is back at the Australian National Botanic Gardens until December 19 for 4 sessions per week, with a mix of blockbusters, dramas, thrillers and family films, live music, beanbags, food and a fully licensed bar. Bookings to sunsetcinema.com.au

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Dance:

FLAMENCO dancer and teacher extraordinaire, Tomás Dietz, is inaugurating Peña Flamenca of Canberra, a flamenco social club filled with music, open to the general public. At Smith’s Alternative, 76 Alinga Street, Civic, 4-6pm, Saturday, December 19. Just turn up, he says.

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Theatre:

46 ACROBATS, musicians, singers and actors will present a showcase of spectacular aerial feats, astonishing human agility, and emotion in “Quidam” by Cirque du Soleil, at AIS Arena, until Dec 20. Bookings to ticketek.com.au

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“CARA Carissima” is Geoff Page’s new verse play. The   world premiere season is at  The Courtyard Studio, Canberra Theatre Centre, December 17-20. Bookings to canberratheatrecentre.com.au or 6275 2700.

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TEATRO Vivaldi, at the ANU Arts Centre has a pre-Christmas show, “Baby Boomers the Musical”, a revue written and directed by Louise Rostron that tracks, musically, the decades since World War II. Vivaldi’s, until December 19, bookings to 6257 2718. Dinner and high-tea shows available.

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Concerts:

THE Llewellyn Choir plans to celebrate Christmas with a constant featuring soloists Greta Claringbould, Christina Wilson, Michael Martin, and Dominic Harvey, at Wesley Uniting Church, 6pm, Saturday, December 19. Bookings to trybooking.com or tickets at the door.

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Exhibitions:

THE National Portrait Gallery’s new show ‘Sideshow Alley’ featuring bushrangers, oddities, true crime and scandal, will be on display to the public until Sunday February 28.

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SCIENCE  meets art in “Magnified: 12 years of the Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize”.  It’s a retrospective of the winners over many years, complete with scientific drawings and specimuns related to the art. At the National Archives of Austral(Gallery 2) Queen Victoria Terrace, Parkes, daily until March 28. Free entry.

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DANIEL Vukovljak’s new exhibition “The Traveller Shrugged” seeks a ‘playful conversion of rational or irrational thought into form’ in a series of mini artistic experiments, at CCAS City, Canberra City Framing Gallery Hobart Place, until Jan 16.

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GALLERY@BCS is presenting “Fowl Play,” a group exhibition on the theme of animal welfare. “Chickens live in a world that is far from ideal,” the artists’ statement begins. At Belconnen Community Centre, (not Belconnen Arts Centre) Swanson Crt Belconnen, until Jan 8.

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“HOME in Time”, at Canberra Museum and Gallery, concerns Canberra architecture from 1913 to 2013 written as a centenary project.

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THE “TOM Roberts” blockbuster is open to the public at the NGA and runs until March 28, bookings to Ticketek.com.au

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“GALLIPOLI Then & Now: Bonds Forged by War”, photographs by Vedat Acikalin, are on show at the Lalezar Hall, Turkish Embassy, 6 Moonah Place, Yarralumla, until December 18.

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ARTIST-collaborators Ken + Julia Yonetani’s installation exhibition, “The Last Temptation: the art of Ken + Julia Yonetani,” chandeliers made from uranium glass is now featured at NGA Contemporary on the lakeside.

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NANCY Sever Gallery is taking a break from Dec 21 to January 12, but she has an exhibition of works by artists Guan Wei, Ruth Waller, Tim Johnson, Michael Taylor, Janet Dawson, Janenne Eaton, Byrd, Carole Henderson, Kate Stevens, Annie Franklin and Greg Daly at 4/6 Kennedy Street Kingston, which will continue to run until Jan 31, after the break.

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IN the Canberra Potters’ Christmas Fair, running at Watson Arts Centre, Aspinall Street, and Watson daily 10am – 4pm until December 23, local potters and ceramicists have created a selection of ceramic artworks, jewellery, functional and sculptural items.

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CELEBRATING M16’s 30th Birthday, the M16 Drawing Prize is at 21 Blaxland Crescent Griffith, at 7pm Friday December 11. The prize, which has been running since 2006, includes an array of works produced on paper or other surfaces using either traditional or non-traditional drawing materials or techniques and the show runs until 5pm on Dec 20.

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FOURTEEN members of Belconnen Artists’ Network are exploring aspects of Australia’s living heritage in an exhibition of sculpture, painting, drawing, photography and textiles at Australian National Botanic Gardens, daily 9:30am to 4:30pm until January 17.

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ALEX Freeman is a Canberra-raised designer of resin jewellery and homewares, sold under her label Polka Luka. She has a pop up exhibition of her latest range, ‘Island’ 2015-6, at The Front Cafe and Gallery in Lyneham, until December 22.

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THE exhibition ‘Oh me, oh my!’ sees the gallery for contemporary metal and glass decorated and filled with rings, bracelets, pendants, objects and brooches from artists new and old, at Bilk Gallery Palmerston Lane Manuka, runs until December 24.

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“BEHIND the Lines 2015: the year’s best political cartoons”, is running again with a selection of 80 cartoons from 39 cartoonists and some of Australia’s most controversial cartoons. At MoAD, Old Parliament House, 18 King George Terrace, Parkes, daily 9am–5pm (closed Christmas Day).

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IN “Wendy Saddington: Underground icon” artist Peter Maloney uses his own archives to follow the development of Saddington’s career as a cult celebrity singer and a key figure in Australian popular music history. Canberra Museum and Gallery open collection gallery Square until April 17. Also, “Exhibition, Capital and Country: the Federation years 1900–1914” is now at CMAG, Civic Square.

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CANBERRA emerging artist and ANCA EASS Award recipient, Ruby Berry, has a solo show, “Cocoon” at ANCA Gallery, 1 Rosevear St Dickson, until December 13.

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BRAIDWOOD artist Kate Carruthers returns to X Gallery, Bungendore for the fourth time with her exhibition ‘At the River’. At X Gallery, 32 Gibraltar St Bungendore until Feb 8. Open Friday to Monday 11-5 or by appointment.

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BEAVER Galleries “Small Works 2015” exhibition, paintings, works on paper, sculpture, glass, ceramics is at 81 Denison Street, Deakin, until December 24.

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THE final Canberra Glassworks exhibition for 2015, “Borland + Borland”, is an exhibition celebrating the work of sister artists photographer Polly and glass artist Emma.

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ART in Miniature’s 2015 exhibition of 170 tiny art works in watercolour, acrylic, oil, gold leaf, embroidery, mixed media, will be at Yarralumla Gallery, near the nursery, until January, 10 am – 5pm Mon to Fri and 8:30 am – 5pm Sat & Sun.

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Nicola Dickson’s current installation is seen in the glass-walled Gallery 4 of Canberra Museum and Gallery facing Civic Square, visible 24 hours of the day until February 13.

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STRATHNAIRN’S Christmas exhibition “Conviviality” will be themed around food, festivity and friendship. It runs at 90 Stockdill Dr Holt, 8.30 – 8pm Saturday 8.30pm – 4pm Sunday, until December 20.