July 17 2025 | CanberraDigest

Hello Canberra,

📆 Today: It's Tuesday, June 17.

⛅️ Weather: 12° and partly cloudy. A low of -3° tonight.

This is a previous issue of Canberra Digest. Get Canberra news, events, culture and more sent to your inbox every morning. Subscribe for free.

Something to do: 🔭 Mt Stromlo Public Astronomy Nights 2025

The next public astronomy night at Mt Stromlo is coming up on June 27. Come and spot craters on the moon, distant planets, and beautiful star clusters and nebulae. There'll also be talks inside the Visitor Centre, plus warm drinks and food available at the café. Details here.

Something to do: 💃 Brindabella Winter Dance Weekend

Historic Dance Delights is a Canberra-based group that brings historical dance to life. They're hosting the Brindabella Winter Dance Weekend, with a variety of workshops where you'll learn dances spanning from the Renaissance to the Victorian era. In the evenings, celebrate with a themed ball. All dances will be taught, so whether you're a complete beginner or a seasoned dancer, you'll be warmly welcomed. Details here.

🎨 Arts Around Canberra

This week's arts wrap:

Meteor Shower: Written in 2016 by Steve Martin, Meteor Shower is a laugh-out-loud comedy. Mockingbird will be performing the play at Belco Arts from June 26. Details here.

Oriana Chorale: Ever wondered what your work-from-home day would sound like in choral form? Wonder no more—join Oriana Chorale as they explore the music of the mundane. Details here.

The Beauty Queen of Leenane: Free-Rain Theatre brings this darkly comic play to the ACT Hub. In a small, rural cottage in Connemara, County Galway, plain, middle-aged Maureen and her ageing, manipulative mother, Mag, live their isolated existence. It opens next week. Details here.

Taglietti's Songbook: CMAG is hosting this special concert performed by the National Opera, featuring music and songs inspired by the renowned mid-century architect Enrico Taglietti's Italian cultural heritage, as well as those enjoyed by his family. Details here.

Expanse: An immersive exhibition of abstracted works that reimagine the landscape, mythological symbolism, and the role of humanity in the meeting of earth and sky. It's showing at the Yale–Columbia Dome, Mount Stromlo, from 20–22 June.

Over and Around, A Poem, A Sculpture: An exhibition by Julia Higgs with Peter Searles. This collaborative show explores the aesthetics of line and fosters new inquiries into multimodal forms of expression and response, using both visual art and poetry. A poetry reading will be held in the gallery on Sunday, June 29, at 2pm. Details here.

Drill Hall Gallery: Two new exhibitions are opening this week at the Drill Hall Gallery. Material Nature explores the power of materials to engage our multi-sensory experience of the natural world. Jacqueline Stojanović: Units showcases the folk traditions of her dual Serbian and Vietnamese heritage through weaving and drawing. Details here.

Fulcrum: Opening at the Glassworks this week, Walgalu/Wiradjuri artist Aidan Hartshorn explores the ongoing colonial disruptions to Walgalu connections with the land. Using industrial glass and elements, the exhibition reflects his journey of crafting cultural objects while examining the degradation of his ancestral landscape. Details here.

The Australian Haydn Ensemble: Erin Helyard joins AHE to perform Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 6 and his early Concerto No. 3 after J.C. Bach, along with the LinzSymphony. Details here.

MIDWINTER: The Canberra Community Chorale's MIDWINTER program explores the season through choral works. Happening this Sunday at the Wesley Music Centre. Details here.

Canberra Qwire: For the first time, Canberra Qwire joins forces with some of the ACT's finest musicians in a landmark performance, These Precious Hours: Purcell's Dido & Aeneas Reimagined. Qwire reinterprets Purcell's 1689 opera, exploring themes of queer love, loss, and heartache with music that transcends generations. Details here.

Looking Ahead: 🎸 Russell Morris

Australian music icon Russell Morris is stopping by Canberra on August 21 as part of his farewell tour. Expect all the classic hits—from The Real Thing and Sweet Sweet Love to his celebrated blues trilogy. Details here.

Kids: Curious Corner

Each month, the National Gallery hosts a free talk for parents and carers with babies in arms. Let your baby play with tactile materials on the rug and encourage their sensory curiosity while you connect with other parents and carers through discussions with National Gallery curators about art and ideas. The July session is booked out, but there are still spots available for August. Details here.

Classifieds

🍲 Dinner Delivered: Dinner Ladies makes ready-to-heat homely meals delivered to your door. Stack your freezer with their crowd-pleasers, and any time you need it, you're just a hot step away from a belly full of comfort. New customers can use code 'CANBERRADIGEST20' to get $20 off their first order. Details here.

—

Classifieds support Canberra Digest