Philadelphia dance group to perform at Lied

Philadanco, the Philadelphia-based modern dance company known for its innovative works by American choreographers and its highly skilled dancers, will perform 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Lied Center.

Founded by Joan Myers Brown, Philadanco has grown from a grass-roots, community-based performing arts group to one of America’s foremost dance ensembles. The company has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Duke Ellington Orchestra and other world-renowned artists and has been featured at major venues across the country, including the Kennedy Center and New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Philadanco will perform “Back to Bach,” choreographed by Eleo Pomare; “Labess II,” choreographed by David Brown; “Gatekeepers,” choreographed by Ronald Brown; and “Blue,” choreographed by Christopher L. Huggins.

Tickets range from $11.50 to $28 and are available by calling the Lied Center at 864-2787, University Theatre at 864-3982 and the Student Union Activities office at 864-7469.

String band to take musical voyage

Topeka — The Discovery String Band will perform “Lewis and Clark: A Musical Voyage of Discovery” at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Washburn University’s Andrew J. and Georgia Neese Gray Theatre.

The band follows the journey of Lewis and Clark from the Louisiana Purchase to the Pacific and home again. It has collected songs of the period to provide a musical context for the journey.

Instruments in the band include fiddle, mandolin, six- and 12-string guitars, harmonica, piano, piano accordian, autoharp, hammered dulcimer, lap dulcimer, mouth bow, Indian flute, banjo and jawbone.

Tickets are $10 per person and $8 for Kansas State Historical Society members.

For ticket information, call (785) 272-8681, ext. 276.

Topeka youth ensembles to present concerts

The Topeka Symphony Youth Ensembles will present their spring concerts at 2 p.m. Sunday at Washburn University’s White Concert Hall.

Debut Orchestra, which includes students from area elementary schools; the Youth Philharmonic, consisting of middle school-aged students; and the Youth Orchestra, primarily students in high school, form the ensembles.

Breta Bloomberg conducts the Debut Orchestra and the Youth Philharmonic. Steven Elisha conducts the Youth Orchestra.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for students and are available at the door the afternoon of the concert. The Topeka Symphony League and parents of Youth Ensembles members will be host to a reception after the concert.

For more information, call Kathy Maag at the Topeka Symphony office, (785) 232-2032.

Lawrence singers to perform at festival

Lawrence brothers Gabe and Isaac Lewis-O’Connor will be singing in the all-male Boys to Men Festival at 2 p.m. Saturday at Holy Trinity Church in Lenexa.

Gabe, an employee at Raintree Montessori School, is a member of the Kansas City Chorale. Isaac is a sophomore at Lawrence High School.

The Kansas City Chorale, Kansas University’s men’s chorus, high school students from Lawrence, Eudora, Shawnee, Mission and the Heart of America barbershop chorus will perform at the festival.

Admission is free. Holy Trinity Church is at 9150 Pflumm Road.

Theater group to stage murder mystery

Leavenworth Players Group, a professional theater group based in Leavenworth, will return to the Hereford House, 4931 W. Sixth St., to perform “Murder At Paddy Kelly’s Irish Tavern or A Saint Patrick’s Day To Die For.” The show is at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

Tickets for the murder mystery are $35.

For more information, call 842-2333.

Symphony to present “Songs of the Slave”

The Topeka Symphony will present Kirke Mechem’s dramatic cantata “Songs of the Slave” at 8 p.m. Saturday at White Concert Hall on the Washburn University campus in Topeka.

Derived from his opera “John Brown,” “Songs of the Slave” is based on speeches by Frederick Douglass, texts from hymns and a portion of the Declaration of Independence. It is being performed in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of John Brown’s arrival in Kansas.

Soloists for the performance are bass-baritone Wayne Shepperd, who will sing the roles of Douglass and another freed slave, and soprano Sheila Judson. She will sing “Dear Husband,” based on a letter from a slave woman to her husband who was of John Brown’s raiders.

For tickets and more information, go to TopekaSymphony.org or call (785) 232-2032.

Downtown sculpture show seeks entries

The 18th annual Outdoor Downtown Sculpture Exhibition is accepting entries. Deadline to enter is Monday. It is open to artists 18 and older. All entries must be original work and may not have been shown previously in the exhibition. The fee is $10. Entries should be sent to City Manager’s Office, Outdoor Sculpture, P.O. Box 708, Lawrence, KS 66044.

The opening tour and reception for the exhibition is 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. June 11 beginning at the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 N.H.