Music on the Terrace back in 2021 with indoor, outdoor and intimate soiree events at Government House, Perth

Local talent and an intimate setting are hallmarks of Music on the Terrace for 2021.

Continuing uncertainty over travel has thrown the focus on WA acts under the banner #YayWA.

And after Restart the Arts at Government House Ballroom provided a safe haven for artists during lockdown, the venue will close mid-year for renovations, prompting a move to outdoor and more select indoor events.

Noongar duo Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse return with the Perth Festival in February for a night under the stars and the second instalment of their song cycle in language and English.

Koort (Heart) follows Williams’ story as a child of the Stolen Generations, a powerful and compelling testament to art in adversity. The evening performance on February 13 is a picnic event.

The next weekend, Freeze Frame Opera bring their production of Dvorak’s Rusalka – The Little Mermaid – to the ballroom, after forced cancellation of this lyrical gem due to COVID-19 this year.

Shows are at 11am and 2pm on Saturday, February 20, and Sunday, February 21, with the additional attraction of pedal cars, face painting and refreshments for the young and not so young.

Government House then moves into a Soiree Series as the ballroom goes dark, with three Sunday afternoons during April, June and August in the Green Room, a select space where kings and queens look down.

The Darlington Quartet — violinists Semra Lee-Smith and Zak Rowntree, violist Sally Boud and cellist Jon Tooby — are first on April 18, with works by Ravel and Tchaikovsky.

On June 20, baritone James Clayton, violinist Akiko Miyazawa and pianist Jonathan Bradley, in concert with commentary by WA composer Lachlan Skipworth, present Schubert and Friends, recreating the salon society of 19th century Vienna.

And on August 29, Government House Foundation artistic director and mezzo soprano Fiona Campbell joins soprano Sara Macliver and pianist Tommaso Pollio for Divine Duets, featuring Mozart, Bellini, Delibes, Handel, Mendelssohn and Brahms.

All soirees are at 4pm and include bubbles and canapes.

Two outdoor events rock out the year, with Baroktoberfest on October 24, 12.30pm to 5.30pm, combining UWA Conservatorium musicians inside and outside Government House with German-style food and craft beer.

Varied ensembles include DJ Baroque Beats, traditional brass, and a special set by Sara Macliver and Cecilia Sun of the Irwin Street Collective.

Finally, jazz diva Libby Hammer features in Jazz on the Lawn on November 14, at 4pm, her debut show with Music on the Terrace.

For details, go to www.perthconcerthall.com.au. Tickets to Koort are available at www.perthfestival.com.au.