Worth a Look

The performance by TOPAZ chamber ensemble happens at All Saints' Episcopal Church at 555 Waverley St. in Palo Alto, and benefits the outreach programs at the church.

A reception with the musicians follows the performance, and there will also be art by Harry Cohen and Leonard Cohen on display.

Tickets are $25; call (650) 380-0962 or go to www.topazmusic.org.

Choir of Westminster Abbey

Accompanied by the historic pipe organs at Stanford University's Memorial Church, the boys of the Choir of Westminster Abbey will sing at 8 p.m. on Oct. 26.

Under the direction of Master of the Choristers and organist James O'Donnell, the choir will perform a liturgical program including compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach, Benjamin Britten, Orlando Gibbons and Francois Couperin. This is part of the choir's fifth North American tour.

Tickets are $50 for adults, with student discounts and half-price tickets for those under 15. Call (650) 725-ARTS or go to livelyarts.stanford.edu.

ART

Painting and sculpture

Two very different artistic techniques -- batik paintings on silk and sculptures in clay and glass -- will get the spotlight from Oct. 18 through Nov. 12 at Gallery House, 320 California Ave. in Palo Alto.

India-born artist Krishna Kopell has been working in batik since coming to California in the 1960s. The displayed paintings focus on people taken from photographs and memory. And sculptor Lidija Tkalcevic, a native of Croatia, seeks to capture "funny and sad moments of everyday life" in her work.

The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. A reception is set for Oct. 21 from 6 to 8 p.m. Call (650) 326-1668.

BOOKS

Book Arts Jam

For the fourth year, Bay Area Book Artists present the Book Arts Jam, an event including bookmaking demonstrations, panel discussions and exhibitions.

The fair, which takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday at Foothill College, will include demonstrations of papermaking, letterpress printing and binding. A panel discussion will explore such topics as partnerships between writers and artists.

The college is at 12345 El Monte Road in Los Altos Hills. Go to www.bookartsjam.org for more information.

FILM

'The Californians'

A movie premiere of "The Californians" this evening won't be just about comedy or romance -- the event has been organized by Corte Madera School in Portola Valley to benefit villagers living in Lalander, Afghanistan.

Tickets are $25 and include popcorn and a soda. Proceeds will go to Trust in Education, a nonprofit group that has helped the village put together a women's sewing program, small business loans and a farming program with irrigation projects.

Filmmakers Jonathan Parker and Catherine Di Napoli will host a question-and-answer period after the film, which will be shown at Spangenberg Theatre at Gunn High School in Palo Alto.

Call (650) 851-4545 or go to www.trustineducation.org.

OPERA

'Norma' lecture

With the San Francisco Opera's production of Vincenzo Bellini's "Norma" scheduled to open Oct. 23, the South Peninsula Opera Guild is planning a preview lecture on Oct. 18.

The regular lectures seek to give opera lovers a deeper understanding of the productions, dealing with such topics as plot complexities and historical background. Alexandra Amati-Camperi will speak on Oct. 18.

The lectures are at 7:30 p.m. at Little House at 800 Middle Ave. in Menlo Park. Guild members pay $8 and non-members pay $10. Call (650) 329-1374.

THEATER

'Cloud 9'

Issues of gender, race and family fill the 1970s play "Cloud 9" -- and each actor gets to play parts of both sex.

The Caryl Churchill play runs through Oct. 30 at the Pear Avenue Theatre at 1220 Pear Ave., Unit K, in Mountain View, presented by Dragon Productions and Theatre Q. The itinerant Dragon Productions is also working on setting up a performance space on Alma Street in downtown Palo Alto for later plays.

Show times are 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Call (650) 493-2006 or go to www.dragonproductions.net.

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