Weekend Preview Weekend Preview (October 26, 2005)

THURSDAY

Batik paintings on silk by Krishna Kopell and sculptures in clay and glass by Lidja Tkalcevic are on display at Gallery House at 320 California Ave. in Palo Alto through Nov. 12. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Call (650) 326-1668 or go to www.galleryhouse2.com.

"Barred From Life," a show exploring the issue of wrongful conviction, includes dance, video imagery and excerpts from interviews with people who were exonerated. The free event takes place at 7:30 p.m. at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts at 500 Castro St. Call (650) 903-6000 or go to www.mvcpa.com.

Herbert Matter's photography and graphic design are on display through February in the Peterson Gallery on the second floor of the Bing Wing of Green Library at Stanford University. The late Swiss-born artist helped shape the photography and graphic design program at Yale University and is also known for the 1930s posters he created for the Swiss National Tourist Office. The free exhibit has its cases illuminated open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 6 p.m. Call (650) 723-0931.

"Cloud 9," a play dealing with sexual politics by Caryl Churchill, runs through Oct. 30 at the Pear Avenue Theatre, 1220 Pear Ave., Unit K, Mountain View. The show is presented by Dragon Productions and Theatre Q. Tickets are $10-$20; call (650) 493-2006 or go to www.dragonproductions.net.

FRIDAY

"Gogo the Blue Gorilla," a musical by Michael Olmstead and Peter Derge, opens tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Palo Alto Children's Theatre at 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto. Tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for children, and the show runs through Nov. 5, with Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances. Call (650) 463-4970.

Ozzie Kotani, a slack-key guitarist who plays Hawaiian music, performs at 8 p.m. in the Campbell Recital Hall at Stanford University, playing music from his latest CD, "Paka Ua (Raindrops)." Tickets are $20 general, $19 for seniors and $10 for students. Call (650) 725-2787.

"Bloodletting: Life, Death, Healthcare," a film following two people living without health care in the United States, will be shown at 7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church at 505 E. Charleston Road in Palo Alto. The 67-minute film by Lorna Green will be followed by a discussion. Suggested donation is $5 to $10. Call (650) 328-8837.

SATURDAY

The fall concert of the National Association of Composers/U.S.A. takes place at 8 p.m. at the Palo Alto Art Center at 1313 Newell Road. Guitarist Michael Bautista, soprano Kathleen Nitz and flautist Diana Tucker will perform. Music will include compositions by John Beeman, Nancy Bloomer-Deussen and Steve Etinger. Call (408) 269-2301.

"Lamento," a new dance and musical work presented by Theatre Flamenco, will be staged at 8 p.m. at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts at 500 Castro St. Artistic director Miguel Santos created the work, which is an expression of grief and a mixture of newer steps and the traditional sound of the castanets. Tickets are $30 for adults and $26 for students, seniors and children. Call (650) 903-6000 or go to www.mvcpa.com.

Master Sinfonia performs a concert entitled "Stravinsky and Dance" at 8 p.m. at Valley Presbyterian Church at 945 Portola Road in Portola Valley. The program will be repeated Sunday at 3 p.m. at the United Methodist Church at 655 Magdalena Ave. in Los Altos Hills. Tickets are $18 general, $15 for seniors and $5 for children under 18. Go to www.mastersinfonia.org.

SUNDAY

The Picasso Ensemble will play music by Bach, Haydn, Debussy, Ibert and others through the Palo Alto Performances Series at the Palo Alto Art Center Auditorium, 1313 Newell Road. Tickets for the 3 p.m. concert are $14 general and $12 for students and seniors. Call (650) 463-4940.

The Silicon Valley Chorus explores traditional and modern Chinese cultures in its annual performance, which is set to include folk classics and contemporary Asian pop songs. The free concert is at 3 p.m. in the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts at 500 Castro St. Call (650) 903-6000 or go to www.mvcpa.com.

The Gunn Concert Choir and the Treble Choir and Chamber Singers from Gunn High School sing Renaissance madrigals, music from "La Traviata," and world music from Russia, Kenya and Hungary at 7:30 p.m. The concert is at Grace Lutheran Church at Waverley Street and Loma Verde Avenue. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students and seniors. Call (650) 354-8287.

Alexander Kobrin, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Gold Medal winner, makes his Bay Area debut through Stanford Lively Arts at 2:30 p.m. His program is at Dinkelspiel Auditorium and includes music from Haydn, Schumann and Chopin. Tickets are $38/$34 for adults, with discounts available for young people, students and groups. Call (650) 725-ARTS or go to livelyarts.stanford.edu.

Ilan Pappe, a historian of Israel and the Arab-Israeli conflict, will speak at 3 p.m. in Building 20, Room 105, at Stanford University. Pappe is an author and director of the International Relations Division at Haifa University.

A poetry slam hosted by Melissa Rose and Lee Knight Jr. is set from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at the ART21 gallery at 539 Alma St. in Palo Alto. Call (650) 566-1381.

"The War of the Worlds" comes to Woodside at 7:30 p.m., marking the anniversary of the 1938 radio show by having actors from Woodside Community Theatre recreate the broadcast. It takes place at Woodside Village church at 3154 Woodside Road, and admission is free. For more information, go to www.woodsidetheatre.org.

COMING UP IN FRIDAY'S WEEKEND EDITION

Photography
Digital isn't for everyone. Some photographers are enamored with a variety of processes, such as daguerreotypes or Van Dyke prints.

Music
Jeff Whittier plays and teaches Indian classical music on the bamboo flute -- and makes 300 flutes a year.

Movies
Reviews of "Prime," "The Weather Man," "The Legend of Zorro" and "Nine Lives."

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