Weekend Preview Weekend Preview (October 05, 2005)

THURSDAY

Daniel Pearl Music Day, an annual event, celebrates the life of Stanford University graduate Daniel Pearl, who was murdered in 2001 in Afghanistan. Co-sponsored by the Stanford Department of Music and the Office of Religious Life, the free event begins at 8 p.m. in Memorial Church and includes choral and instrumental works about mysticism. Go to music.stanford.edu for more information.

"Life on the Edge: A Matter of Balance" is the theme of a new show at the Pacific Art League. It's an exhibition of league members working in various media. A reception is scheduled for Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. at the gallery at 668 Ramona St. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call (650) 321-3891 or go to www.pacificartleague.org.

"Baby Taj," a world-premiere production by TheatreWorks, follows a modern American travel writer going to India after failed relationships and pondering having a baby on her own. It's at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts at 500 Castro St. and runs through Oct. 23, with tickets ranging from $20 to $54. Evening shows are Tuesday through Sunday, with additional matinee performances on Saturdays and Sundays. Call (650) 903-6000 or go to www.theatreworks.org.

Fall exhibitions at the Palo Alto Art Center take a look at styles of photography from the past and delicate porcelain vessels. Exhibits run through Dec. 23. The center is at 1313 Newell Road in Palo Alto and open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Call (650) 329-2370.

ArtsIndia West is showing the creations of seven contemporary artists from India through Oct. 16. The gallery is at 535 Bryant St. in Palo Alto and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Call (650) 321-4900 or go to www.artsindia.com.

FRIDAY

"Tango Flamenco" is the title of a show by Madrid's Compañía Talent Danza Ballet Español, set for 8 p.m. in Stanford University's Memorial Auditorium. This Stanford Lively Arts performance includes dance, music and a fusion of Spanish flamenco and Argentine tango. Tickets are $44/$38/$26 for adults and $22/$19/$13 for Stanford students. Call (650) 725-2787 or go to livelyarts.stanford.edu.

Live jazz music by the Jeff Rosner Trio and a show of jazz-themed paintings by Harry Cohen will be at ART21 Gallery & Framing tonight from 6 to 9:30 p.m., as part of Palo Alto's monthly First Friday Art Walk. The gallery is at 539 Alma St.; call (650) 566-1381 or go to www.art21.us.

George Barth and Kumaran Arul, two chamber-music pianists, will take part in a two-piano Stanford University Department of Music program of compositions by Rachmaninoff, Franck and Brahms. The event begins at 8 p.m. in Dinkelspiel Auditorium, and tickets are $10 general, $9 for seniors and $5 for students. Call (650) 725-2787 or go to music.stanford.edu.

"Classic, Country, Cosmopolitan," a show on decorating with antique prints, opens with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. at Lyons Limited Antique Prints at 10 Town and Country Village in Palo Alto. Styles will include turn-of-the-century English roses and black-and-white lithographs of California seashells. A brief discussion of the works is set for 7 p.m. The show runs through Jan. 31. Call (650) 325-9010 or go to www.lyonsltd.com.

The Community School of Music and Arts is holding a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. to inaugurate its exhibit of ceramic works by Lori Coan, installations and mixed-media drawings by Bryn Pennington and lithographic prints by Hua Tao Zhang. The artists will be on hand at the school, which is located at 230 San Antonio Circle in Mountain View. Gallery open hours are Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call (650) 917-6800 or go to www.arts4all.org.

Bruce Conner's multimedia collages are the center of an exhibition at Smith Andersen Editions at 440 Pepper Ave. in Palo Alto through Nov. 9. Hours are by appointment only; call (650) 327-7762.

SATURDAY

The United Nations Association Film Festival is having a special screening of some of its films starting at 2 p.m. at Eastside Theater at 2101 Pulgas Ave. in East Palo Alto. The movies include "Omar & Pete," about social and economic barriers faced by low-income African-American men, and "Boxers and Ballerinas," about life in Miami and Cuba. Tickets are $5 for the full program; call (650) 853-3140 or go to www.unaff.org.

Trios for flute, cello and piano are the theme of the night when Stanford University Department of Music faculty lecturers Alexandra Hawley and Stephen Harrison perform with San Francisco conservatory pianist Paul Hersh. The 8 p.m. event is at Dinkelspiel Auditorium and includes music by Haydn, Weber, Francaix and Rorem. Tickets are $10 general, $9 for seniors and $5 for students. Call (650) 725-2787 or go to music.stanford.edu.

SUNDAY

"A 17th-Century Celebration" by the Stanford University Department of Music includes early chamber works by Biber, Buxtehude, Frescobaldi, Schmelzer and Uccellini. Faculty members John Dornenburg and Elaine Thornburgh will play with guest violinist Carla Moore at 2:30 p.m. in Campbell Recital Hall. Tickets are $10 general, $9 for seniors and $5 for students. Call (650) 725-2787 or go to music.stanford.edu.

Cello performances by Gugene Kang and Warren Wu, covering compositions by Gyorgy Ligeti, Robert Conrad and others, are set for 8 p.m. in the Palo Alto Art Center auditorium at 1313 Newell Road. The Fortnightly Music Club is hosting the event; go to www.fortnightlymusicclub.org for more information.

MUSIC
Despite still being without a general director, West Bay Opera is kicking off a full new season while celebrating its 50th birthday.

THEATER
A review of TheatreWorks' production of "Baby Taj."

MOVIES
Reviews of "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" and "In Her Shoes."

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