Arts events planned for January face an uncertain Christmas with NSW reporting record COVID case numbers.

What have our opera and dance companies programmed this year?

Important premieres, revivals of loved repertoire, national and international tours, a new season for independents and more add up to a busy year for SDC.

Programming the 2022 Sydney Festival felt a bit like playing Kerplunk, given the pandemic, but Olivia Ansell is still in her element as the new Director, and believes the arts can help communities recover after a tough couple of years.

Olivia Ansell's first Sydney Festival includes stunning installations, music in boatsheds and at The Cutaway in Bangaraoo, musicals, outdoor theatre, a strong dance component and more.

Features this month include summer reads for music lovers, the Limelight Artists of the Year for 2021, the transformation Simone Young will bring to the SSO, and Henry Handel Richardson's love of music and her treasure trove of songs.

The musical Girl from the North Country, featuring around 20 songs by Bob Dylan, will open at Sydney's refurbished Theatre Royal in January.

The artist and designer, whose work is well known to Sydney Festival and Bangarra Dance Theatre audiences, took up the newly created role this month.

Australian producer and former dancer Olivia Ansell will take up the position in November and present her first festival in January 2022.

Hofesh Shechter's Grand Finale was one of Limelight's top dance shows for 2019. Olivia Ansell, the Sydney Opera House's Head of Contemporary Performance, reflects on the choreographer's rich body of work ahead of the Sydney season.