Satire at Smith's

 Satire-at-Smith’s by Shortis & Simpson at Smith’s Alternative, Saturday November 14, 2026.

Reviewed by Frank McKone

After setting aside their 2025 Satire last November while celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Gough Whitlam’s Dismissal by Royalty – which  occurred ironically on the date to end all wars, 11 November, in 1975, when Governor-General Sir John Kerr used his reserve powers to sack the Labor government – John Shortis and Moya Simpson’s revival this year could range more widely:

“In a world of poll tumblings and budget fumblings, the rumbling of discontent is everywhere. Artificial intelligence is rising as are prices and emissions. Democracy is being rattled, battles are raging.”

Here’s John Paul Young, on Youtube, singing Love Is In The Air in 1978, while this year our Prime Minister, Anthony Norman Albanese, has been all around the world, fighting political spotfires, singing in Satire’s finale song – Albo’s In The Air.

Things look very different now, in 2026.

But Shortis & Simpson still sound as good, even better, than when they began their career at the Queanbeyan School of Arts Cafe in 1996 as Shortis & Curlies.  I know because I was there.

27th in the program of 32 episodes, Learless Feeders, was as funny as ever, telling true political stories with the first letters of key names and words reversed– to an audience, many in my age-bracket, giggling and occasionally roaring with laughter.  It pertainly takes the ciss out of everyone (my eek wex armful, mever to natch John’s curve ball vapacity).

As ever, too, when political stories deserve genuine love, Satire takes a complete reverse turn, this year especially in our hopes for Helen Haines’ recovery.  Moya sings here with quiet strength of feeling.

Yet, for us perhaps soon seeking an Aged Care package, without the AI robot denying our real human needs, Moya roars into the startling jazz style of John’s touching song – The Algorithm Blues.

There’s too much for me to report on here, but never enough of Shortis & Simpson, even after the insistence of the audience on Saturday arvo for what turned out to be a very substantial encore.

The essence of the show was the key value of satire, when what’s funny rolls over, and the tickling stops.  The State of Democracy itself is indeed “being rattled” and is no longer a joke.

Shortis & Simpson will have a new show ready in February 2027, so keep your eyes open.

 

 

 

 

 

 

GO WEST, WITH LOVE, Canberra Qwire

 At The B, Queanbeyan, November 7. Reviewed by DAVID WHITBREAD

Qwire is indeed going west – to Perth next week – and they’re coming on strong with a diverse and fine program from The Berra. 

They’ll be performing their own Mixtape concert in Perth and also featuring in the Out & Loud Gala. This festival of LGBTQIA+ choirs celebrates community, inclusiveness and connection, as has Qwire itself over its 33 years.

Canberra Qwire – coming on strong

Musical director Callum Tolhurst-Close has trained them with a keen eye on interesting programming and attention to choral excellence. His direction is clear and focused. The unauditioned, all-age, 60-strong choir is super responsive. Their parts are secure, though the sopranos were occasionally harsh as they got higher. Their diction is excellent.

They started with Yuma, an unaccompanied musical acknowledgement of Country, followed by Marc Hayes’ excellent choral version of Over the Rainbow. Both had a warm and rich choral tone. Hayes’ harmonies were true and principal accompanist Hugo Temby’s sensitive support just right. Temby also played guitar in later works

Callum Tolhurst-Close conducting – clear and focused

The second in their accompaniment team was Sharwel Lei and they provided some spirited accompaniments, including Cyndi Lauper’s True Colours.

A strength throughout the program was the rhythmic clarity achieved, for example, with Qwire creating a vocal bed of rhythm underneath the lead lines. Or using repeated motifs to build their sound, or to increase their funk factor.

Qwire commissioned London-based Australian composer Alex Palmer to write a work which was given its world premiere at this concert. Palmer was present to introduce it. By interviewing Qwire members, the work began to take shape and became Find Your People.

It was unaccompanied and, through its four episodes, intoned words describing the character of supporters, then gave their names in a complex and fun sung recitation. A section of doubts and confronting thoughts, finally emerging with the original support: “ingenious, incredible, intuitive” into a space of joy. A lovely work.

Did I mention diction? Clarity is essential in new and unfamiliar works – and is seriously one of the strengths of this group.

The second world premiere was composed for Perth Pride’s choral competition by Meanjin/Singapura-based Cloud Tan. It employs complex moving lines, often descending at different rhythms and using a very wide vocal range. This clearly challenged the Qwire but was successfully traversed.

A quick mention of their exemplary MC Sarah Oakes, enthusiast with perfectly judged commentary.

Look, there was a great full program, but we only have room to select some for comment. Unexpected works included Sunday from Stephen Sondheim’s musical Sunday in the Park with George. It was beautifully performed, despite the notorious complexity of Sondheim’s lines and cross rhythms.

Eriks Esenvalds’ Stars was given a moving performance with synthesiser taking the place of tuned water glasses as accompaniment. There was magic here.

In terms of anthems, you can’t go past This is Me from The Greatest Showman, Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now and, appropriately, Village People’s Go West, featuring the tenors and basses. Qwire clearly delighted in presenting these works, and they were sung with gusto and infectious good cheer.

But I know you want gospel, too. It would be hard to go past I Sing Because I’m Happy arranged and conducted by assistant musical director Lenore Studdert. She also duetted the opening with Andrea Higgins. Then it broke loose with the full Qwire letting rip with a fabulous speedy, classic gospel vibe, with joyous accompaniment on synth and piano by Tolhurst-Close and Temby respectively.

Moving songs included Let Love Rule by Archie Roach, Feels Like Home, and Judy Small’s Let the Rainbow Shine featuring the altos. These were given fine performances. 

Watch out, Perth! Qwire’s coming west with lots to love. 

Photos by Peter Hislop

This review originally appeared in Canberra City News. Link here 

VERDI'S REQUIEM, Canberra Symphony Orchestra

 At Llewellyn Hall, November 5. Reviewed by DAVID WHITBREAD

A capacity audience held its collective breath while Jessica Cottis created an elongated silence at the conclusion of this glorious work. Then they erupted and rewarded all the performers with an extended standing ovation.

Jessica Cottis conducts Verdi Requiem

Conductor Jessica Cottis is in control. Such vast resources. Such dramatic material to work with. She gives clear direction and inspires orchestra, choir and soloists, shaping their sound. She is rewarded with impressive responsiveness.

There is even a moment in the famous Dies Irae when she crisply and decisively stopped the whole juggernaut midstream with a magic moment of silence.

Arguably, Verdi’s finest work, his Requiem exhibits all the drama of his operas for which he is justly famous. It has tunes. It is triumphant. It is delicate.

But most of all, it is colourful. Verdi employs a vast colour range to deliver the traditional Catholic Requiem Mass.

Canberra Symphony Orchestra clearly revelled in capturing those passing colours. Lustrous, rich, and shimmering.

From the opening horn solo by Robert Johnson offstage, playing Australian composer Liza Lim’s Dianna, written to celebrate the French horn’s history, from hunting calls to magpie song.

The Requiem segued with stillness and affecting warmth from the CSO strings. The enormous sound of the Dies Irae featured Veronica Bailey’s tremendous bass drum beats. And a completely wonderful moment with the trumpet section – where we were seemingly surrounded by trumpets from the gallery too.

Later an amazing high bassoon solo from Ben Hoadley with three vocal soloists. An ethereal solo from oboist Megan Pampling with high strings. A long sinuous first violin line into the Lacrimosa chorus.

The Offertory had stunning tremolos from both low and high strings and a sweet clarinet line against muted strings. Agnus Dei featured a delightful flute trio with the female soloists. Lux Aeterna a rich brass choir. Libera Me a stunning bassoon quartet.

Matching the orchestral palette with an impressive vocal palette, CSO Chorus was immaculately prepared by choirmaster Tobias Cole.

They sang with accuracy, strong clear lines and excellent diction throughout. But more than that was their dynamic control – from almost whispering warmth to the cataclysmic and thrilling Dies Irae.

That famous chorus was exciting and spectacular each time it returned. While the orchestra threatened to overpower the chorus at times, Cottis skilfully maintained balance.

The 75-strong chorus also showed nice vocal agility and tone in the demanding Sanctus.

Four visiting Australian soloists provided operatic gravitas with their impressive voices and equally impressive CVs.

Soprano Helena Dix was transcendent in Libera Me with unaccompanied chorus. One of the highlights of the entire night, this movement had sublime moments of great beauty and demonstrated her full vocal and dynamic range.

Mezzo soprano Deborah Humble shone in her Lux Aeterna solo line, but also shared a number of fantastic duets with Dix. The danger point here was the amazing unaccompanied octaves between soprano and mezzo in the Agnus Dei. The women blended their voices in true collaboration from their first pairing in Recordare.

Tenor Paul O’Neill showed his true operatic tenor tone from his solo in the Dies Irae. He seemed less certain of his lines in the vocal trios and quartets.

Bass Warwick Fyfe captured Verdi’s drama with some nice vocal acting in his solid solos.

What a magnificent event.

Photo by Arianne Schlumpp

This review originally appeared in Canberra City News. Link here

PART II, Bach Partita and Paganini Caprice Cycles, Daniel Röhn

 Wesley Music Centre. October 25. Reviewed by DAVID WHITBREAD

Wesley Music Centre doesn’t disappoint. 

When an artist with such an international reputation presents a solo recital, expectations are high. And Daniel Röhn exceeds them splendidly.

As he said, it started with the serious bit and moved into the fun stuff. What an understatement in both cases.

Daniel Röhn, violin. 

He began with JS Bach’s Partita No. 1 in B minor, an eight movement tour de force. It was not unlike the familiar solo cello suites, but for solo violin.

Bach followed the partita’s four movement form – allemande, courante, sarabande and gigue – but substituted the gigue for a bouree. The eight movements come from a ‘double’ (from the French) of each, elaborating on the chord progressions from the preceding work.

A grand theme began the opening allemande, performed with rhythmic firm vibrato, accurate trilling and turns. The double courante was performed at startling speed with nicely shaped lines. The sarabande was almost entirely in two distinct voices with multiple stopping throughout and quite incredible to hear – and see – it coming from only one instrument. The final double bouree demonstrated great dynamic contrast.

This is artistry rarely heard so distinctly and consistently. Röhn uses the full length of his bow – and maintains strength across its length. He achieves a mighty volume from his instrument, even in his secure double stopping.

All works in this recital were played from what must be a prodigious memory. And I’d have to say with a no-nonsense presentation style. Daniel is not ‘showy’ – his movement is contained and always in service to the composer. You witness him crafting the sound and shaping each line with intelligence and accuracy.

After a short break, he returned to the Wesley stage to perform four of the Paganini Caprices. ‘Fun stuff’ they certainly are – but they take the technical demands on the violinist up a notch.

It is masterful programming to pair them with the Bach Partitas. You witness almost a century of musical development from the Partitas of 1720 to the Caprices written over almost 20 years up to 1818.

Interestingly, for a solo violin, they feature many of the same techniques of rapid notes and double or multiple stopping. Spread chords across the four strings. Different lines on two adjacent strings. The difference being in the harmonic and melodic complexity – and the speed!

Paganini himself was a noted violinist of his age, so players are put through their paces by these works. Once again, Röhn meets the challenges with artistry and supreme musicality.

From the opening of No. 8 in E flat major, he demonstrated incredible dexterity, his left hand and fingers leaping along the neck and fingerboard, his bow reaching dazzling speeds.

No. 19 in E flat major continued the beautifully held long notes on one string which sang, while another string had light running passages played underneath. Fantastic descending and ascending sequences, often in parallel thirds or even octaves on occasion. Crystal clear harmonics.

No. 18 in C major started and finished with almost a horn call that seemed to be all on the G string. It featured delightful German folk-like dance rhythms with the bow fair hopping along.

No. 5 in A minor finished the recital with a flourish at simply incredible speeds and completed the drama of the set.

The small but appreciative audience, which included many violinists and violists from Canberra, were enraptured. Don’t miss the next parts in this inspired series.

Photo by Peter Hislop.

This review originally appeared in Canberra City News. Link here

WORLD WIDE WEBS, April Phillips

 At Megalo Print Studio, Kingston, until November 28. Reviewed by DAVID WHITBREAD

Immaculate hand-printed screen prints pay homage to both digital and analog worlds in an arresting exhibition playing with imagery of spider webs and The Web. 

One of April Phillips’ screenprints, installed on a wall. World Wide Webs Installation view.  

Photo: Kevin Miller

Wiradjuri-Scottish April Phillips lives and works in Canberra and the southern coastal region. In this exhibition, she was ably assisted by screen printer Alex Lundy. Megalo presents this small but mighty exhibition in partnership with Canberra Art Biennial.

Arachnophobes beware. All the imagery features spiders and/or webs. Sometimes like characters from early pixelated computer games. Sometimes naïve as if drawn by a child in crayon. Sometimes grand geometric constructs.

The major work of the exhibition is a massive six-metre wide and 1.5-metre deep screen print in 36 joined frames. Titled Spider Warrior, Girl Protector, Infinite Internet, it takes your breath away as you enter the Megalo exhibition space.

April Phillips, World of Webs, 2026

It cleverly uses striking blue subdivided (pixelated?) commercial dishwasher racks as frames for the imagery. But it reads as a whole – a magnificent spider at the centre of a web. Each pixel subdivides into a miniature artwork. Like a fractal. Mostly using a four by four or eight by eight grid. Simple geometric shapes create the patterns that undulate across the composition and read from afar as webs, in which smaller primary coloured compositions of pure red and yellow are caught. These tantalisingly tease as parts of potentially larger images, presumably already devoured by our spider.

The prints themselves are perfectly designed, printed and mounted. The matte black ink has a velvety depth and sits gloriously flat without stretching or rippling the white paper base.

In the other smaller works, Phillips plays with the textures of screens. Printed textures of dots like old comics. Pixelated line screens from early computer graphics. But anybody who lived through those pixelated wonders would quickly suss out that she is using them without the pixel boundaries – so they can lurch at different angles to each other in free form.

All those textures are beautifully realised in screen printing by Lundy’s excellent technique.

The imagery of computers within the prints features familiar keyboard layouts, and what we would consider retro software windows from early paint programs and early drawing tools. The limited print colour palette mimics the limited colour palettes in early computing too.

This is clever referencing and invites the viewer into the images. As you look closer, there’s more to enjoy.

There is a set of three prints titled Internet Spider Girls: Yellow, Red and Blue immaculately printed and double framed in colourful frames to complement the imagery.

These spiders with their crazy coloured hair bows are powerful female images and remind me of early Grrl imagery where early women adopters wanted recognition that women were working in the Internet space, but were largely invisible due to male domination. That is the clear politics here too.

Girlhood Computer Time features young women caught in a web of presumably conversations and interactions with computers and each other. Each interaction in the web net blooming. It is probably the most complex of the images and the polemic. 

A thought-provoking graphic exhibition that showcases the craft of screen printing. 

This review originally appeared in Canberra City News. Link here

‘illuminate ’26

 Visual Arts Exhibition Review – Brian Rope

‘illuminate ’26 - Friends of the Gardens Photographic Group

Australian National Botanic Gardens Visitors Centre Gallery

5 - 29 November 2026

The Friends of the Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) Photographic Group has been in existence since 2011. It brings together people interested in photographing the natural world. Their emphasis is on capturing images of native plants, birds, animals and fungi, especially those found in the ANBG. The more experienced photographers in the Group share their knowledge and experience with other members, through individual mentoring and workshops.

The ‘Illuminate’ annual photography exhibition is an opportunity for Group members to display and offer for sale their photos in the ANBG Visitor Information Centre Gallery. Members also provide merchandise such as calendars for sale. Sales help support the operation of the Gardens.

Exhibitions in the Gallery explore the Australian environment through diverse creative forms. This annual exhibition is of photographic artworks, using light to illuminate the subjects in a variety of ways.

Yet again the standard of the works in this year’s exhibition is high – both technically and creatively. The imagery is what we expect in nature exhibitions – focussed absolutely on nature, fauna and flora, depicted authentically, and capturing the highly valued essence of nature. There are portraits of native plants, close-up images of Australian flowers, birds and insects, and intimate landscapes in the gardens.

This year’s judges selected images by four entrants as winners, runners up and highly commended entries. The winner of the David Cox Memorial Award (which honours and celebrates the contribution made to the Photographic Group’s activities by the late David Cox) for images of flora and fungi was Simone Slater, for her fine image of rain droplets on a plant known as Eucalyptus pulverulenta or ‘Baby blue’.

Baby Blue after the rain, Simone Slater

The runner up in this category was Pam Rooney for her image of an actinodium cunninghamii (or swamp daisy) and a highly commended award went to Debbie Howard for her image of a homoranthus darwinioides (or fairy bells) plant.

Swamp Daisy, Pam Rooney

Fairy Bells, Debbie Howard

In the fauna category, Pam Rooney was again successful, this time taking out the top spot for a delightful image of a mother Australian wood duck with her oh so cute ducklings.

Australian Wood Ducks, mother and ducklings, Pam Rooney

Simone Slater again featured too. This time her image of a spiky bird dropping spider (Calaenia calotoides) was runner up. And Narelle Aldridge’s image of a Thread-waisted Wasp (Sphecidae on Calandrinia ememaea) “drinking it in” was highly commended.

Spiky!, Simone Slater

Drink It In, Narelle Aldridge

In addition, the rangers at ANBG also selected one work for their Ranger award. They are experienced educators who specialise in bringing the stories of the Gardens to life. So it is most appropriate to allow them the opportunity to select an award.

They selected a very different image to those already mentioned. It shows a group of eucalyptus rossii, commonly known as inland scribbly gum or white gum, a species of small to medium-sized tree that is endemic to New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. They are alongside one of the quiet pathways in the gardens where visitors regularly wander.

The Quiet Path, Emily Erwich 

Other works which particularly attracted my attention included a pleasing shot of white everlasting daisies, a most interesting circular presentation of a Banksia Epica flower spike, and a vibrantly coloured portrayal of the spikes on a Philotus manglesii (Pom-Pom).

White Everlasting Daisies, Brenda Runnegar 

Banksia Epica, Karin Neufeld 

Pom Pom, Narelle Aldridge 

And finally, I must mention an image of the gardens’ wonderful Grass Trees by Steven Playford. Yes, there are male photographers in the exhibition! In fact, by my count, the exhibitors are 9 men and 10 women. 

Grass Trees in the fog, Steven Playford

This is an exhibition well worth visiting if you can - to see all the artworks, not just the ones I have shown and/or spoken about here. You would also have an opportunity to pick up some delightful Christmas gifts for friends or family whilst you are there.

This review is also available on the author's blog.

 

MOVIE MAGIC - NATIONAL CAPITAL ORCHESTRA

Louis Sharpe, Conductor and Artistic Director

Snow Concert Hall November 8

 

Reviewed by Len Power

 

Providing an opportunity for people to listen to movie music from favourite films live without the movie, the National Capital Orchestra showed that movie music can stand on its own and still wow an audience.

The program contained popular favourites amongst the musical items, but they were interspersed with other items from the classical repertoire that have also had a life at the movies.

Conducted by Louis Sharpe, the orchestra were clearly in a festive mood wearing an assortment of hats and headgear reminiscent of various movies. There were even a couple of dinosaur head skeletons grinning hungrily at the audience.

Sharpe gave particularly informative introductions to each work, many of them amusing and all showing his enthusiasm for the movies and their music. He really set the tone for a relaxed afternoon full of great music.

Louis Sharpe, conductor

Music from the movie, Chicken Run, composed by John Powell, was a good choice to open the show. This spoof of the music in films such as The Great Escape and The Dirty Dozen, sounded epic but still witty and cheerful. The orchestra gave it a strong and exciting performance.

Completely different, the next item was On the Nature of Daylight, an atmospheric, brooding classical work composed by Max Richter. It has been used extensively in both television shows and the movies, most recently in Hamnet.

National Capital Orchestra

There were a number of other musical works from popular films, such as 007 Through The Years, featuring music from the Bond films, Golden from the Kpop Demon Hunters movie and two works by composer, John Williams from the films E.T. and Jurassic Park.Hearing the music live and away from the films gave the audience a chance to discover things they had not noticed before. The brief piano solos in the works by Williams were a surprise. These works were played with all the drama and colour the music demanded, while your imagination filled in remembered moments of the films.

Those items were interspersed with other pieces of classical music that had found its way into films. Elgar’s Nimrod from the Enigma Variations was heard in The Matrix, Elizabeth and Dunkirk. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 – Allegretto has appeared to great effect in films such as The King’s Speech, Immortal Beloved and even 1974’s Zardoz.

There was also the majestic Adagio from the ballet, Spartacus, by Khachaturian, which conjured up images of sailing ships from television’s past with The Onedin Line. The orchestra met the challenge of playing music in different styles extremely well.

The concert concluded with music from Pirates of the Caribbean, composed by Klaus Badelt and arranged by Ted Ricketts. Orchestra members and the conductor donned pirate hats and gave it a rousing performance full of swash and buckle.

 

Photos by Peter Hislop

This review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 9 November 2026.

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs and published in his blog 'Just Power Writing' at https://justpowerwriting.blogspot.com/.

Len Power also presents the weekly Concert Hall program on Artsound FM, playing recordings of some of the best concerts from in and around Canberra. Concert Hall can be heard on Sundays at 8pm and is repeated on Wednesdays at 2pm.