Here’s the latest burst of Artsweek, HELEN MUSA’s weekly column that rounds up what’s happening where on the local arts scene.

The Braddon Busking Festival and Artist Gathering will be filling the streets of Braddon (Lonsdale, Mort, Elouera and Girrawheen) for an all-day celebration of local musical and artistic talent on March 30.

Meantime, the Viva Italia in Canberra Festival kicks off at Commonwealth Place on March 28 and will be running all around Parkes until April 13.

Billy Wilder’s vicious satire of fame, manipulation and the Hollywood star system was the model for the music Sunset Boulevard, NFSA, March 27. Then, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid sees rakish outlaws Butch (Paul Newman) and the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford) range across the American West and Bolivia, NFSA, March 29.

Palerang Regional Council art awards have expanded to a total prize pool of $25,000, and a top award of $7000. Registrations open at qprc.nsw.gov.au on March 31.

Stage

• The Pirates of Penzance, The Playhouse, April 2-6.

Exhibitions

• Five new exhibitions are opening at Belco Arts: Bountiful Botanicals: A Botanical Art Worldwide Exhibition 2025; Botanical Systems by Paul Summerfield; Circumnavigating Bush Capital from the (bike) saddle by Sophie Baker; Study for Stars by Nana Saab; and Through the Small Window. Belconnen Arts Centre, March 28 -May 18.
• In conjunction with Jonas Balsaitis: Analogue at the Drill Hall Gallery, there’ll be a satellite exhibition of paintings by Jonas Balsaitis from the 1990s, #LIVEWIRE, Civic Art Bureau, Melbourne Building, upstairs Smiths Alternative, until April 13.
• Looking Up and Looking Down, by artists Lucy Chetcuti and Eve Fairhall, is at ANCA Gallery, Dickson, April 2-17.

Concerts

• Resonant Spaces series kicks off with David Bridie and pianist Sophie Hutchings, Canberra Museum + Gallery, March 28.
• Kasey Chambers is touring Backbone, her 13th album, Canberra Theatre, March 28.
• The Grigoryan Brothers are bringing their new album Amistad to Four Winds’ Windsong Pavilion, Barragga Bay, March 28.
• Connexion Big Band’s 64-Bit Big Band Videogame Music Night, Belconnen Community Theatre, March 28.
• Luminescence Chamber Singers will perform Carlo Gesualdo’s Tenebrae Responsories, directed by Roland Peelman. Wesley Uniting Church, March 29.
• Germany’s Freiburg Baroque Orchestra comes to Canberra for the first time, presenting Mozart’s most popular works with Australian fortepiano soloist Kristian Bezuidenhout. Snow Concert Hall, March 29.
• Stuart Long performs piano masterpieces; from Piazzolla, Satie, and Glass to film themes from The Piano and Schindler’s List. Wesley Music Centre, March 30.
• Canberra International Music Festival is assembling its biggest choir to join in the festival finale, Finlandia. Registrations of interest to cimf.org.au by March 31.
• Wesley Lunchtime concert series has Linus Lee performing on piano and the fabulous Wesley organ. Wesley Music Centre, April 2.
• Geoff’s Jazz At Smiths has James Luke, Wayne Kelly and Nick McBride, Smiths Alternative, Civic April 2.