April | UNESCO City of Music - 10-year anniversary
Adelaide: Your Guide to our City of Music - 2025 edition
Re-released with bonus features to coincide with Record Store Day on Saturday 12 April 2025! Adelaide: Your Guide to our City of Music is the perfect backstage pass to our independent record stores, live music venues and music experiences in our city. We're celebrating our 10th anniversary as a UNESCO City of Music in style. Pick up a copy at our libraries, community centres, customer centre and businesses around town and North Adelaide.
Yurikurringa Ngadluku Paltirna: Listen to Our Songs
A special exhibition in the City of Adelaide ART POD extends our celebration of the launch of the Kaurna songbook Yurikurringa Ngadluku Paltirna: Listen to Our Songs by the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music (CASM) at the University of Adelaide on Kaurna Day.
Created by the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music (CASM) and supported by the City of Adelaide, Yurikurringa Ngadluku Paltirna: Listen to Our Songs shares songs in language, from nursery rhymes and lullabies to contemporary music. CASM is the only devoted university-based centre for studies in Australian Indigenous music and a national Hub for First Nations excellence, boasting Electric Fields, No Fixed Address, Coloured Stone and Us Mob as alumni.
Curated by Anna Goodhind, this ART POD exhibition will showcase behind-the-scenes footage from the recording and launch of the songbook, a unique animated artwork by artist Gabriel Stengle, musical instruments, and a collection of images, objects, artwork, and songs that tell the story and history of the songbook.
“This songbook is a contemporary reworking and extension of the original ‘Kaurna Paltinna: a Kaurna song book’ (1999) and the earlier ‘Narrunga, Kaurna & Ngarrindjeri songs’ (1990). While it offers a modern take, it stays true to the essence of the songs our elders created. In doing so, it feels as though the voices of those that came before us are singing through us, passing down their wisdom culture and language.” - Jaylon ‘Pila’ Newchurch
Cringetrender - Take Your Meds Album Launch
Join us for a powerful night of music to celebrate the launch of Cringetrender's debut album, Take Your Meds! This special event blends raw emotion with high-energy performance.
This night celebrates the launch of Kaurna and Ngarindjerri artist and musician Bedlam Rigney's debut album. Cringetrender reclaims and redefines the term ‘transtrender’, celebrating non-binary identity and the power of being unapologetically authentic
This Gig is proudly supported by a City of Adelaide Arts and Cultural Grant.
Strings in the Square
Join us for a delightful afternoon of live music at Strings in the Square - a free outdoor event celebrating the beauty of string music in the heart of North Adelaide.
Immerse yourself in a captivating blend of classical and contemporary string performances, perfect for music lovers, residents, and students alike. Experience ‘Bridgerton-style’ pop covers, timeless classical masterpieces from legends like Haydn and Beethoven, and mesmerising ambient soundscapes that fuse traditional strings with sleek electro-acoustic elements.
Curated by the acclaimed Leah Zweck and performed by some of Adelaide’s most esteemed and dynamic musicians, this event promises a captivating musical experience.
Sounds of our Youth
Be entertained and inspired by a group of young performers from the School of Chinese Music and Arts as they showcase their talents across a variety of western and Chinese instruments.
These free events have been made possible through a City of Adelaide Cultural Strategic Partnership and are presented as part of the City’s 2025 Youth Week Calendar of Events.
Adelaide Jazz Festival
Adelaide Jazz Festival, supported by the City of Adelaide through the Cultural Strategic Partnerships program, celebrates the art of jazz, showcasing the abundance of talent here in South Australia. 2025 is Adelaide’s 10th anniversary as a UNESCO City of Music, to celebrate Adelaide Jazz Festival presents an expanded 9-day program from 24 April to 2 May, incorporating a mix of curated, free to attend and open-access performances.
Celebrate UNESCO International Jazz Day on 30 April with a concert at the Adelaide Festival Centre and a special international jazz relay, with musicians around the world performing a composition by Adelaide’s own Mark Ferguson. Check out some highlights below and explore the full program online.
Adelaide Jazz Festival Opening Night – Sabor a Cuba
Vibrant Afro-Cuban jazz ensemble Sabor a Cuba, led by Cuban trumpeter Lazaro Numa, blend traditional Cuban classics with original compositions. With infectious rhythms and Lazaro’s electrifying trumpet playing, this promises to be an unforgettable experience that will transport you straight to the lively streets of Old Havana.
Adelaide Town Hall Jazz Community Concert
Adelaide Town Hall presents jazz quartet Tanghalian, performing a combination of songs from the great American songbook, from swing to Latin jazz as well as contemporary originals.
Jazz in the Square
Join us for a free twilight concert featuring some of Adelaide’s finest jazz musicians with performances from Victoria Katsoulis Quintet, Daniel Isler Quintet and The Collective: Adelaide Jazz Supergroup. Bring your family and friends, get toasty by the firepits, grab a drink and enjoy something to eat from the food trucks at Jazz in the Square.