SAT | APR 5
“SONGS IN THE KEY OF LOS ANGELES”
University of Southern California professor Josh Kun has done some digging to bring you little-known songs about, and from, our City of Angels. Using sheet music archives, Kun shares the evolution of song in our city and how those tunes actually shaped our city. From shout-outs to restaurants, to historical allusions, to identity anthems, L.A. has been singing out loud about itself for ages. Kun, co-founder of the nonprofit record label Reboot Stereophonic, specializes in popular music, cultures of globalization and Jewish-American musical history. Sat. 3 p.m. Free. LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. (323) 857-6010. ” target=”_blank”>musical.org.
SUN | APR 6
BENJAMIN WALLFISCH
The West Los Angeles Symphony is delighted to bring back guest conductor Benjamin Wallfisch for its 22nd anniversary Gala Concert: “Strudel and French Pastry.” Wallfisch, who has conducted the English Chamber Orchestra and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, is also a huge player in film scoring. His credits include “Anna Karenina,” “The Soloist,” “Eragon” and more. Soloist Eric Zuber will also be performing Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto in G Minor. Sun. 7 p.m. Free. Royce Hall at UCLA, 340 Royce Drive, Los Angeles. (310) 873-7777. ” target=”_blank”>icehousecomedy.com.
WED | APR 9
“BABY BOOMER ALERT: WE’RE NOT DEAD YET BUT WE MAY DIE SOMEDAY”
Don’t freak out. The Jewish Journal, Writers Bloc and Temple Emanuel host an opportunity to face and discuss the imminent. Memoirist and secular thinker Sara Davidson’s meeting with Jewish Renewal Movement leader Rabbi Zalman Schecter resulted in Davidson’s new book, “The December Project,” which explores feelings about mortality and ways to find fearlessness and joy in all your days. Rabbi Laura Geller and Jewish Journal executive editor Susan Freudenheim join her for a discussion on dignity, practicality and spirituality. Wed. 7:30 p.m. $15. Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills, 300 N. Clark Drive, Beverly Hills. Call Brown Paper Tickets at (800) 838-3006. THU | APR 10
“ ‘THE SNOWY DAY’ AND THE ART OF EZRA JACK KEATS”
Get inside the imagination of a groundbreaking Jewish-American author and illustrator. With his landmark “The Snowy Day,” Keats was the first to produce a modern, full-color book that featured an African-American protagonist. The exhibit celebrates the career and life of a man who identified with the downtrodden, and with that empathy, created images and stories of adventure and whimsy. Thu. Various times. Through Sept. 7. $10 (general), $7 (seniors and students), $5 (ages 2-12). Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 440-4500. ” target=”_blank”>sparcinla.org.
FRI | APR 11
“PETER BROOK: THE TIGHTROPE”
Not every son could make a captivating and significant documentary about his father, but when your dad is one of the most revolutionary directors of contemporary theater, you do just that. Simon Brook immerses audiences in the life and craft of his father, teacher and director Peter Brook. With a career influenced by Antonin Artaud, Jerzy Grotowski and Joan Littlewood, Peter Brook is not only an eminent force in his native England, but across the world. Fri. Various times. $11 (general), $8 (children and seniors). Laemmle Music Hall 3, 9036 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. (310) 478-3836.
