Briefs: Theater, music, more
Music
VANCOUVER SYMPHONY'S
PIANIST PARKER AT UNLV
Tonight's musical menu features Grieg and Prokofiev as the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, with pianist Jon Kimura Parker, performs at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas as part of UNLV's Charles Vanda Master Series.
Led by music director Bramwell Tovey , the orchestra will play Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major; Parker serves as soloist for Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor.
The Grammy-winning Tovey, who's also a composer and pianist, is entering his 13th year as the Vancouver orchestra's music director.
Parker, one of Canada's leading musical ambassadors, has twice performed for Queen Elizabeth II.
The concert will begin at 8 tonight in Artemus Ham Hall at UNLV, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. For tickets ($35-$75), call 702-895-2787 or go online to pac.unlv.edu.
Music
TWO JAZZ VIOLINISTS;
TWO LAS VEGAS VENUES
Music lovers can string along with two very different violinists this week.
First up: Italy's "Fiddler in the Loop," Luca Ciarla .
Fresh from a tour of China, Ciarla takes the stage at 2 p.m. Saturday at Winchester Cultural Center, 3130 McLeod Drive.
Creating audio loops in front of his audience, Ciarla then plays against them on violin, melodica, baritone violin and ocarina; video animation adds visual interest to original compositions, ethnic tunes, jazz melodies by Thelonious Monk and everything in between.
Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 the day of the show; call 702-455-7340 for more information.
At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, jazz violinist Karen Briggs headlines a benefit for the 20 Pearls Foundation at The Smith Center's Cabaret Jazz, 361 Symphony Park Ave.
As a "Soul-o-ist ," Briggs has performed with Yanni, Stanley Clark, Chaka Khan, Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Loggins and Diana Ross.
Her musical influences range from jazz, gospel, Latin, classical, African and Middle Eastern to combine in a melismatic, vocallike style.
A meet-the-artist reception will precede the performance.
20 Pearls Foundation is a local nonprofit service organization that supports community in various areas, including the arts and health services.
For tickets ($65-$70), call 702-749-2000 or go online to www.thesmithcenter.com.
Lecture
FUTURIST RAY KURZWEIL
DELVES INSIDE THE MIND
From the first print-to-speech reading machine for the blind to the first music synthesizer capable of re-creating the grand piano and other orchestral instruments, Ray Kurzweil's mind has been the starting place for numerous inventions.
No wonder Forbes magazine once described him as "the ultimate thinking machine."
This weekend at The Smith Center, Kurzweil shares his latest thoughts on thinking when he discusses his book "How to Create a Mind, The Secret of Human Thought Revealed."
Kurzweil takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. Sunday in The Smith Center's Reynolds Hall, 361 Symphony Park Ave. For tickets ($24-$59), call 702-749-2000 or go online to www.thesmithcenter.com.
Theater
'THIS MAN'S SON' SET FOR
WEST LAS VEGAS CENTER
A man struggles to cope with the knowledge that the son he raised is now in touch with his biological father - who's just been released from prison.
That dramatic realization sparks "This Man's Son," an original monologue of self-discovery to be performed by Alexander Mervin Saturday as part of the West Las Vegas Arts Center's Community Artist Series.
The presentation, which is recommended for adults, will begin at 3 p.m. Saturday at the center, 947 W. Lake Mead Blvd.
Admission is free, but tickets are required, and may be picked up in advance at the center. For more information, call 702-229-4800.
- By CAROL CLING
