A program of free events titled The Musical Offering will begin on Tuesday evening to celebrate Canberra's centenary year.

ACT residents are being encouraged to pack a picnic and enjoy the first performance of the program which will be at 7pm from the Carillon.

Musicians Lyn Fuller, president of Carillon Society of Australia, and her student Thomas Laue will perform more than a dozen pieces of music over the course of a one-hour show.

''It will be a beautiful evening of music held before the setting sun,'' Ms Fuller said.

''The program for January 1 is called A Carillon Rendezvous which opens and closes with a duet.''

Audiences will hear the strains of Stranger in Paradise from the 1953 musical Kismet and Nocturne from String Quartet No 2 by Alexander Borodin.

''People should come and enjoy the beautiful music of the bells as they float out over the water from the island,'' Ms Fuller said.

''It is a free event and people are welcome to come and enjoy the lovely January evening.''

Helen Moore, who is one of the organisers of The Musical Offering series, said the program was a gift to Canberra.

''We think that music in Canberra is incredibly vibrant and there is a lot of talent in this town,'' she said.

''We want music performers of all kinds to give a gift for the centenary.

''We think that whether you are paid bucketloads for performing or you busk on a street music is always a gift because you always give something of yourself and it's always more than you are paid for or not paid for as a the case may be.

''We think it is a wonderful way for musicians to build their profile and the profile of Canberra as a city of music.''

Ms Moore said the program was being arranged by a group of volunteers and supported by four sponsors: The Canberra Times, ANU School of Music, Pro Musica and Canberra CBD Limited.

''We are looking for more people to come forward to volunteer to be part of it,'' Ms Moore said.

To volunteer email: danbee@grapevine.com.au.