Here’s HELEN MUSA’s latest Arts in the City column, leading with news about The Whitlams. 

The Whitlams join the Canberra Symphony Orchestra for a huge orchestral collaboration, the first of its kind for an Australian indie band. The concept has evolved over some years as new albums have been written and released and the concert moves across The Whitlams’ catalogue. It features two arrangements by the late composer Peter Sculthorpe, a nod to his friendship with Freedman. Canberra Theatre, May 8-9.

Taiwanese-Canberran indie singer-songwriter Kim Yang, who rose to fame with her 2020 bushfire tribute Garden of Eden, will release her debut studio album Turn On The Lights on May 7. This follows two years spent in Beijing from 2023 to 2025.

Lose to Win tells the story of Mandela Mathia through storytelling, music and dance, tracing his journey from South Sudan through Egypt to Australia by the person who lived it. The Q, Queanbeyan, May 2.

David Mamet’s sardonic take on the Hollywood film industry’s obsession with money over art, Speed-the-Plow, arrives in a new production directed by and starring Jay James-Moody alongside Lexi Sekuless and Joe Pike. The Mill Theatre, Dairy Rd Fyshwick, May 6–9 in preview, then May 13–30.

In the ANU Meet the Author series Caitlin Vincent will be in conversation with Helen Musa on her new book Opera Wars. Inside the World of Opera and the Battles for its Future, which received extensive media coverage in the United States and UK on publication earlier this year. Cinema, Cultural Centre Kambri, May 7.

Three-time Grammy-nominated blues artist Eric Bibb brings the One Mississippi World Tour, with his trio band comprising Staffan Astner on guitar, Glen Scott, musical director and bass, and drummer Paul Robinson. The Street Theatre, May 9.

Fatima Killeen’s exhibition Never The Twain Shall Meet: East is East & West is West reflects on the environmental and human toll of war, examining the impact of conflict on landscapes and lives through her artistic lens. ANCA Gallery, Dickson, May 1–24.

The Little Birdy frontwoman Katy Steele will perform for Smith’s@Belco, presenting her Undressed tour, singing reimagined Little Birdy favourites, new solo material and bold covers. Belco Arts, May 9.

An upcoming exhibition titled BEYOND brings together four artists—John Pratt, Kati Gorgenyi, Toni Hassan and Ujala Afta—who explore the impact of living in an age saturated with constant news and rapid environmental and political change by drawing on newspapers and visual elements like digital codes. Chapel Gallery, Charles Sturt University, May 7–23.

Hop In! An Immersive World of Play is a new interactive exhibition for children aged 3–12 and their families, transforming familiar home and backyard spaces into playful, large-scale environments. Highlights include Bunny Dearest, a giant soft sculpture by Melbourne artist Beci Orpin. Canberra Museum + Gallery, April 18–October 11.