BEST BETS
SLIPPERY ROCK — Five Slippery Rock University string music students and the 50-member SRU Concert Choir will join with Richard Elliott, principal organist for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in Salt Lake City, to perform with the St. Paul's Episcopal Church Chancel Choir.
The concert will begin at 7 p.m. April 17 at St. Paul's Episcopal, 1066 Washington Road in Pittsburgh.
The concert will feature works by composer Maurice Duruflé.
A $10 donation is suggested.
LYNDORA — A murder mystery dinner theater featuring "Death and Taxes, or the Peasants are Revolting!" is planned for April 30 at Tanglewood Center, 10 Austin Ave.Doors open at 5 p.m. with dinner served at 5:30 p.m. The show starts at 6 p.m.Tickets are $18 for nonmembers and $16 for members and are available until April 27.Call 724-287-0021.
BUTLER TWP — An event featuring the Easter Bunny will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Butler Township Park Building, 468 S. Duffy Road.The Easter Eggstravaganza will have crafts, pizza, Easter eggs, goodies and photos with the Easter Bunny.The event is designed for children from toddler through age 10. Cost is $7 per child; those age 1 and younger are admitted free.Registration is required. Call 724-284-5383.
SLIPPERY ROCK — Learn bat facts and myths from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. April 10 at Jennings Environmental Education Center, Route 528 near the intersection of Routes 8 and 173.Participants will work in teams to build several bat boxes, then have a chance to win one to take home.This Adult Field Learning Experience is designed for participants age 16 and older. The fee for the program is $15. Participants should take a bag lunch.Enrollment is limited. Register no later than Friday by calling 724-794-6011 or online at the Web site, http://intradcnr/calendar/list.asp.
CRANBERRY TWP — Five area rock bands will perform at a benefit Rock Autism Concert April 10 at the Elks Lodge, 20720 Route 19. Doors open at 4 p.m.Bands will include Eyes Flashing Fire, Leviathan, Klaymore, Eli Knebel and Fubar.Tickets cost $5 in advance or $7 at the door.Proceeds will benefit Parents in Toto, the Autism Resource Center in Zelienople.For more information or for tickets, call 724-452-7321.
PITTSBURGH — The second annual Art in Bloom will take place from April 8 to 10 featuring favorite works of art, fresh flowers and an array of festivities, as presented by the women's committee of Carnegie Museum of Art, 4400 Forbes Ave.Exotic and imaginative floral displays inspired by great works of art are on view in the museum's galleries.The three-day event includes a preview gala themed "April in Paris" and a lecture and luncheon featuring internationally renowned floral designer Chris Giftos as well as activities for children and families. Families, Fun, and Flowers, featuring Monet's "Water Lilies," is free with museum admission from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 10.Call 412-622-3325 for admission to other events.
CABOT — Concordia Haven Apartments will host the Children's Festival Chorus of Pittsburgh at 3 p.m. April 10 in the Haven I dining room.A premier children's chorale ensemble, the group has performed with artists such as Marvin Hamlisch, the Harlem Spiritual Ensemble, the New York Voices and other national and international acts.Tickets are $10 and are available by calling 724-352-1571, Ext. 8518.
PITTSBURGH — Eighty-four artists from 14 countries are represented in the 2010 Fiberart International, an exhibition of contemporary fiber art, opening April 16 at both the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, 6300 Fifth Ave., and the Society for Contemporary Craft, 2100 Smallman St.Opening receptions will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. April 16 at both locations."Fiberart Forum: A Dialogue with the Artists" is planned for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 17 at Phipps Garden Center at Mellon Park.The exhibition, which continues through Aug. 22, is presented by the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh. For more information, visit the Web site, www.fiberartinternational.org.
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh CLO will host the world premiere of "'S Wonderful," a new all-singing, all-dancing musical revue celebrating George and Ira Gershwin, from June 17 through Sept. 5 at the CLO Cabaret, 655 Penn Ave.The Gershwin families have authorized the use of the Gershwin songbook, making "'S Wonderful" a brand new, all-inclusive Gershwin musical.Incorporating five mini-musicals inspired by the real events occurring in and around the lives of the Gershwin brothers, this new musical theater revue illustrates the impact of their songs both then and now.Curtain is at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. There are also some shows scheduled at 1 p.m. Thursdays.Tickets range from $34.50 to $44.50. Call 412-456-6666.
BOALSBURG — Boal Mansion, in partnership with Penn State University, will host "Music at the Boal Mansion" with champagne, hors d'oeuvres and a classical music concert by faculty members of Penn State's School of Music.The evening's selections will include works by Mozart, Poulenc, Vivaldi and Saint-Saëns, among others, and will be performed by the Pennsylvania Quintet, the Chihara Trio with Enrico Elisi, Svetlana Rodionova on the mansion's Steinway grand piano and other faculty members."Music at the Boal Mansion" is a seated concert in the 1898 ballroom of the Boal Mansion but with two intermissions so patrons can enjoy champagne and hors d'oeuvres in the 1798 dining room.The event takes place at 8 p.m. May 1 at the Boal Mansion, 163 Boal Estate Drive. Tickets are $75 and benefit both historic preservation and Penn State's "Music at Penn's Woods" program in June. For reservations, call 814-466-6210 or send e-mail to office@boalmuseum.com.
PITTSBURGH — Tracy Letts' 2008 Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning play "August: Osage County" starring Academy Award winner Estelle Parsons comes to Pittsburgh April 6 to 11 at the Benedum Center, 719 Liberty Ave.The funny play tells the story of the Westons, a large extended clan that comes together at their rural Oklahoma homestead after the alcoholic patriarch disappears. Forced to confront unspoken truths and astonishing secrets, the family must also contend with Violet, a pill-popping, deeply unsettled woman at the center of the storm.Tickets range from $21 to $55 and are available by calling 412-456-6666 or online at www.pgharts.org.
SEWICKLEY — The Sewickley Spring Gallery Walk will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. April 23 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 24.More than 20 venues will host a public reception from 5 to 9 p.m. April 23, with free metered parking beginning after 4 p.m.The exhibitions will be on display through "Sewickley Unleashed," a street fair on Broad Street to benefit Animal Friends on Saturday. Free metered parking is available on Saturdays throughout the year.
PITTSBURGH — PNC Broadway Across America — Pittsburgh announces its 2010-11 season of musicals.The venues are Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Ave., and the Benedum Center, 719 Liberty Ave.The season will feature:• "South Pacific," Nov. 2 to 7 at the Benedum Center.• "Rock of Ages," Nov. 23 to 28 at the Benedum Center.• "Mary Poppins," Jan. 5 to 23, 2011, at the Benedum Center.• "Hair," Feb. 15 to 20, 2011, at Heinz Hall.• "Shrek the Musical," March 15 to 20, 2011, at the Benedum Center.• "Next to Normal," April 5 to 10, 2011, at the Benedum Center.• "West Side Story," May 17 to 22, 2011, at the Benedum Center.Subscription packages range from $101 to $456, and information is available by calling 412-456-1390 or 800-828-9200, or by visiting www.pgharts.org.
PITTSBURGH — Ahmad Jamal with the MCG Jazz Orchestra will perform big band arrangements and compositions at 8 p.m. April 9 at the Byham Theater, 101 Sixth St., as part of the Cultural Trust's National Jazz Appreciation Month.The celebration will continue all month long with "grooveMODERN," a series of Tuesday night jazz performances at the Cabaret at Theater Square. Featured will be Soul Cycle, Dwayne Dolphin and Sean Jones, the Orrin Evans Trio, and the Jeff "Tain" Watts Quartet.Tickets for Ahmad Jamal with the MCG Jazz Orchestra range from $25.50 to $45.50 and all of the "grooveMODERN" performances from $20 to $25. Tickets are available by calling 412-456-6666 or online at www.pgharts.org.
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh International Children's Theater presents Fred Garbo's Inflatable Theater Co. for three performances at the Byham Theater, 101 Sixth St.Shows begin at 2 p.m. April 10 and 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. April 11.Tickets are $11. Call 412-456-6666 or visit www.pgharts.org.
