Here’s the latest Artsweek column by arts editor HELEN MUSA on everything that’s happening in and around Canberra for arts and entertainment lovers. 

Canberra Jazz Orchestra presents a live concert celebrates music from the James Bond films in The Sound of Bond. From by Monty Norman’s unmistakable James Bond theme to the  sophisticated scores of John Barry and the modern edge of David Arnold, this concert brings together the defining sound of 007 performed by 21-piece band. Harmonie German Club May 23.

The 2026 Sign on Screen Festival will celebrate the representation of sign languages in media, highlighting Deaf and Hard of Hearing perspectives in filmmaking. National Film and Sound Archive, Acton, May 22-24.

A Day Well Spent, an indie music event, will take place in Berry, NSW south coast, on May 21-24.

The Australian National Eisteddfod features bands and orchestras, showcasing vibrant young musical talent in jazz, brass, youth concert bands, and school orchestras. This event runs at Melba Copland Secondary School College Theatre and Llewellyn Hall, May 21-24.

Canberra Wool Expo will be held at the Old Bus Depot Markets in Kingston, May 23-4.

Stage

• Queanbeyan Players present Les Misérables at The Q, Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, May 22 – June 6.
• Playback (or, a Play About But Not Starring A Famous Politician), a new play inspired by former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, is set in a podcasting studio on the day of his valedictory speech. It runs from May 22 (preview) to May 31 at The Street Theatre.
• Promise and Promiscuity: A New Musical by Jane Austen and Penny Ashton, Street Two, May 23-24.
• Bangarra Dance Theatre presents three works, Keeping Grounded, Brown Boys, and Sheoak, honouring its past and future. Canberra Theatre, May 23-27.

Galleries

• The National Portrait Gallery presents Power Suits: The Fit Within the Frame, an exhibition exploring the significance of tailored suits from the 1930s to today, featuring portraits of famous Australian figures, Johnny O’Keefe, Lowitja O’Donohue, Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Michael Hutchence and Nicole Kidman. Free.
• At 93, Barbara O’Ryanhas painted and drawn most of her long life. She explores diverse styles inspired by nature, her garden, and travels in an exhibition at Q Gallery, Ainslie, May 22-28.
• The ANU Drill Hall Gallery has partnered with Perth Institute of Contemporary Art to present Painting Itself, curated by Jonathan Nichols. Due to renovations at the Drill Hall, this exhibition will be at ANU School of Art & Design Gallery, Acton, May 22-June 28.
• Five new exhibitions open at Belconnen Arts Centre on May 22 continuing through to July 5. Featured exhibitions include works by Kerry McInnis and Mike MacGregor, Brian Hincksman, Barbara Dawson, Elizabeth Dau, and Steve Roper.
• Aarwun Gallery’s annual art auction will showcase Australian paintings, sculptures and  mixed media. Gold Creek, May 24.

Concerts

• Selby & Friends tour includes Alexandra Osborne, Clancy Newman, and Kathryn Selby playing works by Elena Kats-Chernin and Beethoven in Fairfax Theatre, National Gallery of Australia, May 22.
• Romantics by the ANU Choral Society (SCUNA) features Schubert’s Mass in G and Brahms’s Three Folksongs, plus works by Fauré, Mendelssohn, and Schumann. Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest, May 23.
• The Big Chillout is a celebration of timeless classics by artists like Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Aretha Franklin, and many more. The B, Queanbeyan, May 23.
• Heinrich Schütz’s Der Schwanengesang, with sixteen voices including The Song Company’s core ensemble, directed by Roland Peelman, will be performed at St Paul’s Church, Manuka, May 23.
• Singer-songwriter Ami Williamson returns with a blend of folk, classical, and storytelling traditions at Smith’s Alternative, Civic, May 23.
• Bass Alasdair Stretch from Luminescence Chamber Singers, is making his debut for Art Song Canberra. From Thomas Morley to Tim Minchin, his recital with Zac Hamilton-Russell on piano will explore song writing from its early Elizabethan roots all the way to the riffs of song writers here and now. Wesley Music Centre, May 24.
• Wesley Lunchtime Concert series will celebrate the Austrian Harmonie Choir as members draw from a blend of 45 years of the Choir’s broad repertoire, accompanied by Linus Lee on the Wesley pipe organ and grand piano. Wesley Music Centre, May 27.
• Lady’s Mantle presents New Worlds, New Ways of Being, performing sacred and traditional music. Yarralumla Uniting Church, Denman Street, May 24. Entry by donation.