Weekend Preview Weekend Preview (October 19, 2005)

THURSDAY

"Off the Chain" displays oil paintings by Robert Chiarito at the Thomas Welton Stanford Art Gallery, located at 419 Lasuen Mall at the Department of Art and Art History. The exhibit runs through Oct. 30, and gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. Call (650) 723-3404 or go to www.stanford.edu/dept/art/directions.html.

"Baby Taj," a play at TheatreWorks about a modern American travel writer pondering having a baby on her own, closes this weekend. Show times are Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m. It's at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts at 500 Castro St. Tickets range from $20 to $54; call (650) 903-6000 or go to www.theatreworks.org.

Julia Geist of Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco will speak at 7 p.m. about the new de Young Museum in San Francisco as part of a series of lectures by arts educators. The event takes place at the Community School of Music and Arts at 230 San Antonio Circle in Mountain View. Call (650) 917-6800, extension 335, or go to www.arts4all.org.

SPUR Projects, a new contemporary art gallery at 888 Portola Road in Portola Valley, opens with a reception from 5:30 to 8 p.m. for an exhibit of new photography by Robert Buelteman. He captures images of plants and flowers using camera-less techniques. Call (650) 529-2040 or go to www.spurprojects.com.

"Revolutionary Tides" is an exhibit of political posters from various cultures and countries at the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University. The exhibit runs through Dec. 31, and the museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended hours until 8 p.m. on Thursdays. Call (650) 723-4177 or go to www.stanford.edu/dept.ccva.

FRIDAY

"How to Eat Fried Worms" will be performed by Peninsula Youth Theatre as a 45-minute theatrical adaptation of the kids' book, intended for young audiences. Show times are 9:30 and 11 a.m. on Friday and 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday in the SecondStage of the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts at 500 Castro St. tickets are $6 on Friday and $7 on Saturday. Call (650) 903-6000.

Author Paul Dorrell will speak about his book "The Artist's Life," a guide to succeeding in the art world, at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Art League at 668 Ramona St. in Palo Alto. He's also scheduled to talk on Oct. 22 in San Francisco. Go to www.livingtheartistslife.com for more information.

The Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra plays music by Luigi Boccherini and Juan Crisostomo de Arriaga at an 8 p.m. concert at the First United Methodist Church at Hamilton Avenue and Webster Street in Palo Alto. Tickets range from $28 to $62. Call (415) 252-1288 or go to www.philharmonia.org.

Bassist Stefano Scodanibbio plays works including "Oltracuidansa (1997/2002)" in a free 8 p.m. concert at the CCRMA Stage on campus at Stanford University. For information about this and other Stanford Department of Music concerts, call (650) 725-2787 or go to music.stanford.edu.

SATURDAY

"Oh Mr. Sousa!" presents a musical biography of John Philip Sousa with the help of singing actors, waltzes, marches, ragtime and comic opera at 8 p.m. at the Palo Alto Art Center auditorium at 1313 Newell Road. This world premiere show was written by San Francisco composer Ken Malucelli. Tickets are $14 general and $12 for students and seniors. Call (650) 463-4940 or go to www.ohmrsousa.com.

The California Bach Society opens its season this weekend, performing cantatas and motets by Bach and Buxtehude. A Palo Alto concert is scheduled for 8 p.m. at All Saints' Episcopal Church at Hamilton Avenue and Waverley Street. There will also be concerts on Friday in Berkeley and Sunday in San Francisco. Call (415) 262-0272 or go to www.calbach.org.

Singer Kurt Ollmann, a baritone, and pianist Fred Weldy will perform Schubert's "Winterreise" at 8 p.m. in the Campbell Recital Hall at Stanford University. Tickets are $20 general, $10 for students and $19 for seniors. Call (650) 725-2787 or go to music.stanford.edu.

The Valparaiso Singers perform folk songs and spirituals including "Battle of Jericho" and "O Danny Boy" at a 7:30 p.m. concert at the annex of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1105 Valparaiso Ave. in Menlo Park. Admission is free. Call (650) 854-3079.

Family Math Day includes math games, puzzles, and logic and strategy activities from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at the Museum of American Heritage, 351 Homer Ave., Palo Alto. The free event is intended for students in grades 2 through 8 and their parents. Call (650) 321-1004 or go to www.moah.org.

"Timeless Baroque Treasures" is the theme of a Schola Cantorum concert tonight at 8 p.m. at First United Methodist Church at 625 Hamilton Ave. in Palo Alto. The program will include music by Pachebel, Bach, Caldara and Vivaldi; tickets are $22 for adults and $18 for students and seniors. Call (650) 254-1700 or go to www.scholacantorum.org.

Free docent-led tours of the current exhibits at the Palo Alto Art Center, which include porcelain vessels and old-time photography techniques, are every Saturday at 2 p.m. The center is at 1313 Newell Road; call (650) 329-2370 to arrange a private tour.

The Ragazzi Boys Chorus will perform at an outdoor afternoon of hors d'oeuvres, a petting zoo and games from 4 to 6:30 p.m. to benefit Ragazzi's programs for boys from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. The event will be at 100 Manzanita Way in Woodside. Tickets for adults are $75. Call (650) 342-8785.

SUNDAY

The El Camino Youth Symphony holds a 7:30 p.m. concert at Spangenberg Theatre, 780 Arastradero Road in Palo Alto. This performance of the Senior Symphony, the organization's highest level, follows an Oct. 16 show at the California Theatre in San Jose. Timothy Yu and Kenric Tam will be the featured soloists, and the program includes music by Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Prokofiev and Hindemith. Tickets are $10 general and $5 for students and seniors. Call (650) 327-2611 or go to www.ecys.org.

"Have Music, Will Travel" is the theme of this 3 p.m. concert by the Palo Alto Philharmonic. Held at the Cubberley Theatre at 4000 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto, the performance includes music by Rossini, Haydn and Rimsky-Korsakov. Tickets are $16 general, $14 for seniors and $7 for students. Call (650) 988-6600 or go to www.paphil.org.

"Spooktacular" is a special Halloween family show by the Peninsula Pops Orchestra, scheduled for 3 p.m. at Spangenberg Theatre at 780 Arastradero Road in Palo Alto. Music will include selections from the Broadway shows "Wicked" and "Phantom of the Opera," as well as the music of Alfred Hitchcock. Many concert-goers come in costume. Tickets range from $10 to $18, and children are free when accompanied by their parents. Call (650) 856-8432 or go to www.peninsulapops.org.

Soprano Dawn Upshaw, contemporary ensemble eighth blackbird, and guitarist Gustavo Santaolalla will perform Osvaldo Golijov's "Ayre," a mix of songs with roots in 15th-century Spanish folk music, at 2:30 p.m. at Memorial Auditorium at Stanford University. Tickets are $50/$42/$30 for adults, with student discounts available. Call (650) 725-ARTS or go to livelyarts.stanford.edu.

COMING UP IN FRIDAY'S WEEKEND EDITION:

Music
The Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra marks 40 years of inspiring young people to love chamber music.

Theater
A review of "Cloud 9" by Dragon Productions and Theatre Q.

Movies
Reviews of "Dreamer," "North Country," "Stay" and "Doom."

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