Guest conductor to lead city band at next concert

The Lawrence City Band will present “A Concert Showcase” at 8 p.m. Wednesday in the gazebo at South Park, 11th and Massachusetts streets.

The band is conducted by Robert Foster. Guest conductors are retired Col. Arnald D. Gabriel and David Holsinger.

The program includes “Bombasto,” a circus march; the overture of “The Tsar’s Bride” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “Valdres,” arranged by Loris Schissel; “Dance of the Comedians” by Bednarek Smetana; “The Sinfonias” by J. Clifton Williams; “On the Mall” by Edwin Franko Goldman; “Rolling Thunder” by Henry Fillmore; “Scossa Electrrica” by Giacomo Puccini; “The Saints,” arranged by Richard W. Bowles; “The Typewriter” by Leroy Anerson; and “in the Storm and Sunshine” by J.C. Heed.

The concert will be broadcast at 6 p.m. Thursday on KLWN-AM 1320.

Small paintings resemble icons, serve as symbols

“Lyrical Expressionist Paintings” by Bernie Re Jr. is being exhibited through July 5 at La Prima Tazza Cafe, 638 Mass.

Re has been painting for more than 30 years. His most recent paintings, like “The Legacy,” above, have taken on the nature and size of icons, which symbolize mental and spiritual pictures of real and fantastical places, people and concepts.

Re, who is online general manager at the Journal-World, attended the New England School of Art and Massachusetts College of Art. He has shown his works in Connecticut, in Boston as a member of the Copley Society of Artists, in the New York Soho gallery district and in Montreal, Canada, as part of an international art exhibition. While living in Sioux City, Iowa, he was a founding member of the Fourth Street Gallery Artist Cooperative.

Jam session welcomes acoustic musicians

Ottawa An American Roots Music Workshop and Jam Session will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Carnegie Cultural Center, Fifth and Main.

The event is an attempt to provide a forum for acoustic musicians of all ages. If the session goes well, the Ottawa Community Arts Council hopes to continue the event on a monthly basis.

Shakespeare festival features rotating plays

Kansas City, Mo. The Heart of America Shakespeare Festival kicks off its 10th season with “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “The Taming of the Shrew” in rotating repertory.

“Midsummer Night’s Dream” runs on odd-numbered dates Tuesday through July 21 and July 6. “Taming of the Shrew” runs on even-numbered days Wednesday through July 20 and July 5 and 7. Performances are at 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays at Southmoreland Park, 47th Street and Oak.

The pre-performance show at 6:15 p.m. will feature the Green Show, a program of dance, music and revelry.

All performances are free and open to the public.

Comedy show to broadcast finale at KC theater

Right Between the Ears, the award-winning comedy show produced by Kansas Public Radio, will perform its season finale at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday at the American Heartland Theatre in Crown Center, 2450 Grand Ave., Kansas City, Mo.

The 8 p.m. show will be broadcast live on KANU-FM 91.5 and at http://kanu.ku.edu.

The finale will likely include spoofs of President Bush’s war on terrorism; the newest Star Wars movie; the glut of summer movies; the television show “Pet Psychic” and the troubles of Enron. The show also will include episodes of “Fishing with Dwayne,” “Incompetents Hospital” and “The Legion of Stupid Heroes.”

Tickets are $12 and are available at the American Heartland Theatre box office or by calling (816) 842-999.