Here’s HELEN MUSA’s weekly Arts in the City column.

Celebrated Italo-Croatian pianist Ida Pelliccioli returns to Australia with a program spanning Baroque to early Romantic works, guiding audiences musically from southern Europe to Vienna through composers including Scarlatti, Mozart and Schubert, as well as the rarely performed Blasco de Nebra. Wesley Music Centre, April 22 and 24.

Nine significant recordings have been newly added to the National Film and Sound Archive’s Sounds of Australia collection, celebrating moments that have shaped the nation’s cultural memory. Highlights include Rosie Batty’s 2015 address, Marcia Hines’ song You, Missy Higgins’ Scar, and Joe Dolce’s iconic Shaddap You Face, alongside the instantly recognisable sound of the PB/5 pedestrian crossing button, preserved on a newly launched website. 

Finalists for the 2026 Gallipoli Art Prize have been announced, including familiar local names Margaret Hadfield for My Father’s Secret, Luke Cornish for No Rest (The Vandalism of Deir Al Balah) and Ross Townsend for Beaches of Liberation. The winner will be decided ahead of Anzac Day.

The global dance phenomenon The Next Step brings its Legacy World Tour to life on stage, translating the excitement of the TV series into live theatre. Canberra Theatre, April, 19.

A new acquisition on show at the National Portrait Gallery is the portrait by Lisa Reid of Jason Donovan, reimagining the cover of his 1989 hit Sealed with a Kiss.

Singer, songwriter and producer Richard Marx, about to start filming on The Voice, brings his After Hours Australian tour to the stage, offering an evening of hits and storytelling. Royal Theatre April 20.

First Nations pop artist Mitch Tambo takes to the stage for Smith’s@Belco with a blend of contemporary sounds and traditional Gamilaraay language and culture, joined by Voice of Lele and local support act Call Me Sugarplum. Belco Arts, April, 25.

Craft + Design Canberra presents STAUNCH, an exhibition by seven Blak artists, showcasing works that explore cultural strength. Craft + Design Canberra, until May 23.