Friday / February 17
Look for good deals on clothes, books, shoes, and assorted odds and ends—and feel good about yourself in the process—at tonight’s Rummage Sale for Darfur Relief, sponsored by Amnesty International, the Muslim Students’ Association, and Givingtree. Proceeds from the event benefit Oxfam relief efforts. (6–11 p.m., free, 5706 South University Avenue)
Mozart’s 250th birthday party continues with the Takacs Quartet’s Mandel Hall concert tonight. With guest violist James Dunham, the quartet performs Schubert’s String Quartet in A Minor, Bartok’s String Quartet No. 2, and Mozart’s Quintet for Strings in C Major. (8 p.m., $11 for students, 5706 South University Avenue)
Stop by the Smart Museum to sample paintings, photos, drawings, sculptures, and video by U of C students at the Smart Museum Activities Committee’s fifth annual U of C student art show. (6-–9 p.m., free, 5550 South Greenwood Avenue)
A week after Suicide Prevention Day, you can check out a free and fascinating-sounding conference on rituals surrounding death from Neolithic to Roman times, Performing Death: Social Analyses of Funerary Traditions in the Ancient Mediterranean, today and tomorrow at the Oriental Institute. (9 a.m.–5 p.m. today, 10 a.m.–noon tomorrow, free, 1155 East 58th Street)
Saturday / February 18
The SSA hosts the Bayard Rustin Community Breakfast, honoring gay African-American civil rights leader Bayard Rustin. John D’Emilio, who authored Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin, will speak. (9:30 a.m.–noon, free, 969 East 60th Street)
The Chicago Historical Society has organized a symposium in honor of the 100th anniversary of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle. Ann Durkin Keating, Encyclopedia of Chicago co-editor-in-chief, moderates a panel including Chicago Tribune feature writer Patrick Reardon and editors of two editions of the book. Advance registration is required, so act fast. (9:30 a.m., $10, Clark Street at North Avenue Chicago)
Take William Byrd’s Mass for Four Voices, works by his Spanish contemporary, Phillippe De Monte, and readings of the letters they wrote to one another. Mix in scenes from Shakespeare, and what do you get? “The Caged Bird Stille Sings,” presented by the Motet Choir this evening in Rockefeller. (8 p.m., free, 5850 South Woodlawn Avenue)
Chicago Filmmakers and Women Make Movies present Troop 1500: Girl Scouts Behind Bars. It’s the parents who are in prison, not the Girl Scouts themselves, but aren’t you intrigued? (7 p.m., $8, $7 with student ID, $4 for Chicago Filmmakers members, 5243 North Clark Street)
Sunday / February 19
The Black Angels play at the Empty Bottle with the Sleepers and the Danger as part of the Hawk Winter Music Festival, a celebration of Chicago’s music scene that ran its course from Friday to today. (9:30 p.m., $8, 1035 North Western Avenue)
Join Hillel for the 10th annual Rabbi Daniel I. Leifer Memorial Program, “Jewish Identity and Expression in Movement and Word.” The event features artists Linda Kahn and Claire Shulman, dancing, drumming, creative writing, discussion, and munchies. (2–5 p.m., free, 5715 South Woodlawn Avenue)
Monday / February 20
Three acclaimed musicians—computer-music pioneer Carl Stone, koto player Yoko Nishi, and bass clarinetist Gene Coleman—convene for a concert at the Renaissance Society. Come back tomorrow (same time, same place) for another listen. You’ll also get to enjoy a presentation by some members of Ensemble Noamnesia. (8 p.m., free, 5811 South Ellis Avenue)
Tonight at the Abbey Pub, two writers come together to talk about books they didn’t write in A New Life: Malamud Today. Alexander Hemon, author of Nowhere Man and The Question of Bruno, and Jonathan Lethem, author of The Fortress of Solitude and Motherless Brooklyn, read from novels by Bernard Malamud and discuss his relevance in today’s world. Alex Koffman provides live music. (7 p.m., $8 regular admission, $6 for students and those under 25 with ID, 3420 West Grace Street)
Tuesday / February 21
It isn’t often you come across a Harvard Law grad with a Ph.D. in medieval history. Law School professor R.H. Helmholz, who was a Fulbright scholar and Guggenheim Fellowship recipient, gives a talk this afternoon. Come by Classics 10 for “The Church and the Coming of the Civil War: New Evidence from the Church Courts,” part of the Nicholson Center for British Studies lecture series. Be sure to stick around for the reception. (4:30 p.m., free, 1115 East 58th Street)
Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, a mostly male re-imagining of Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet, makes its Chicago debut today at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, ending its limited run on Sunday. (times and prices vary, $15 to $72.50, 8 p.m. today, 151 West Randolph Street)
Wednesday / February 22
Go see UT’s production of Tom Stoppard’s hilarious play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, directed by Will Fulton with Sarah Fornace and Fleming Ford in the lead roles. The show runs through Saturday in the Reynolds Club third-floor theater. (8 p.m., $5 with student ID, 5706 South University Avenue)
Thursday / February 23
Head to Boystown for U of C improv comedy group Occam’s Razor’s Special College Night Show at Oracle Theater. They’re competing with the Cosby Sweaters—an improv group from DePaul—so be sure to give them mad applause. Call 773) 244-2980 for reservations. (10:30 p.m., $7 at the door, $6 with reservation, 3809 North Broadway Avenue)
At tonight’s Wine and Dumpling Fundraiser, Chicago Tribune writers Bill Daley and Monica Eng put forth their recommendations for wine and dumplings, respectively. Monica’s sister, Magan, a wine consultant, will demonstrate how to pick and pair wine and dumplings at a tasting. All proceeds benefit 826CHI, a non-profit that provides students between the ages of 6 and 18 with writing programs. (6:30 p.m., $20, 1331 North Milwaukee Avenue)
Have an event you’d like to see in STD? Send an e-mail to htyoo@uchicago.edu
