The week begins and there’s lots to enjoy in and around the arts. HELEN MUSA lays it out in her latest “Artsday” column.

TO coincide with the 50th Anniversary of Neil Diamond’s album “Hot August Night”, 25 Neil Diamond songs will be performed by Hugh Sheridan and 20 artists in “Solitary Man”. Canberra Theatre Wednesday, 7pm, October 19.

PETER Alwast, head of painting at the ANU School of Art and Design will join Eugenia Lim, Honey Long and Prue Stent, and Steven Rhall, the exhibiting artists for “Conflated”, for a discussion of the works presented in the exhibition. School of Art and Design Gallery, 5.30pm, Wednesday, October 19.

CONCEIVED by Pip Thompson, a CSO string quartet will perform a live chamber concert inspired by “Sidney Nolan: Search for Paradise” at Canberra Museum and Gallery, 7.30pm, Wednesday, October 19.

WESLEY welcomes back pianist Robert Schmidli, to perform the first three of Bortkiewicz’s Fantasiestϋcke Op. 61 followed by Prokofiev’s Sonata no 8 in B flat Major Op. 84. Wesley Music Centre, Forrest, 12.40pm-1.20pm, Wednesday, October 19.

IN “Haydn Speaks”, John Bell joins Skye McIntosh and the Australian Haydn Ensemble to tell the story of the rise of the composer. Directed by Damien Ryan, the script by Rachel McDonald sees Bell as Haydn recounting his life, commenting on his posthumous reputation and revealing some “bedroom secrets”. Albert Hall, 7pm, Thursday, October 20.

ANU School of Music students and alumni will perform works by Shostakovich, Bruch, Reinecke, Weber and Goossens in the ANU Orchestra Concerto Gala, Llewellyn Hall, 7pm, Thursday, October 20.

THE Mandy Martin Art and Environment Award honours the late Canberra artist who was a lecturer at the Canberra School of Art from 1978 to 2003 and went on to an international reputation. The award, hosted by CAPO, is now open, details here 

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