FRIDAY
Tunes for a cause
MUSIC SUMMIT|Boulder’s marimba band Kutandara will help raise money to resettle Sudanese refugees. The band has invited the Community of Sudanese and American Women/Men to participate in its upcoming Kutandara LIVE! Dance and CD-Release Party. CSAW will have a table at the event to raise funds. |7 p.m. Friday|Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St. in Boulder; $13 over 21, $8 students, 5 and younger free; 303-786-7030 or bouldertheater.com.
Body Worlds hours
MUSEUM EXHIBIT|The Denver Museum of Nature & Science will extend its hours starting today because of the popularity of its Body Worlds exhibit. The exhibit teaches viewers about anatomy, physiology and health by viewing real human bodies that have been preserved through the process of plastination, a process that conserves human body parts. Denver has had the highest daily attendance of any North American Body Worlds venue to date. |8 a.m. to midnight Friday through July 20|The Denver Museum of Nature & Science at 2001 Colorado Blvd.; $6-$10 until 5 p.m., $11 to $15 after 5 p.m.; through the museum at 303-322-7009 or dmns.org.
SATURDAY
Maestro’s birthday
CLASSICAL MUSIC|A galaxy of classical luminaries will pay tribute to David Zinman, music director of the Aspen Music Festival, on his 70th birthday. Participants in the gala celebration will include violinist Gil Shaham, pianist Leon Fleisher, cellist Truls Mork and bassist Edgar Meyer.|7:30 p.m. Saturday|Benedict Music Tent, Aspen festival grounds; $65-$600; call 970-925-9042 or visit aspenmusicfestival.com.
Go with the flow ARTS FESTIVAL|EcoArts, an 11-day multidisciplinary festival merging art and science, incorporates more than 40 activities across Denver and Boulder. Among the events during the opening weekend will be “River,” the first of three performances by the famed meditative dance duo Eiko & Koma. For a complete list of offerings, consult ecoartsonline.org.|8:45 p.m. Saturday|South Platte River, Confluence Park, near 15th and Platte streets; free; call 303-298-7554 or visit mcartdenver.org.
THE WEEK END
Wee bit o’ the West
IRISH FESTIVAL|The 12th annual Colorado Irish Festival’s theme is “Green Roots & Cowboy Boots,” emphasizing the Irish influences on the new frontiers. There will be a few more cowboy hats in sight as Cowboy Celtic, David Coe and Liz Masterson, and the Corn Beef Wranglers perform on stage. New this year will be the addition of the Cultural Village, which will include workshops, presentations on genealogy, Irish Brigade Civil War re-enactments and an Irish Wolfhound Rescue. The festival also includes sports, films and dancing. |6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday|Robert F. Clement Park at the corner of South Pierce Street and West Bowles Avenue; $10 in advance, $12 at gate, kids free; coloradoirishfestival.org.
Sculpture exhibit
ART|This is the final weekend to view the 23rd North American Sculpture Exhibition. This year’s version, which features works by 40 artists from 10 states, was juried by George Neubert, former director of the San Antonio Museum of Art and a noted sculptor in his own right. |10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday|Foothills Art Center, 809 15th St., Golden; free; 303-279-3922 or foothillsartcenter.org.
Look! Up in the sky!
HOT-AIR BALLOONS|Forty-two hot-air balloons will take off at Steamboat’s 26th annual Hot Air Balloon Rodeo. The crafts will compete in two airborne events. One competition is the Rodeo Roping, which involves a fake steer head placed in a stack of hay in the middle of a blue tarp, as hot-air balloon pilots attempt to lasso the steer from the air. The other competition is the Hound and Hare competition, during which balloons designated as “hounds” try to track “hare” balloons. On Saturday night at 9, the festival presents the Balloon Shine, weather permitting, as pilots light their airborne balloons.|7:15 a.m. to 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday|
Wildhorse Meadows Field at the corner of Mount Werner Road and Pine Grove Road in Steamboat Springs, about 160 miles northwest of Denver; free; 970-879-0882 or steam boatchamber.com.
Live pirates
OPERETTA|There’s a reason why we still love the operettas of Gilbert & Sullivan. They’re timelessly witty and entertaining, with plenty of insights about human behavior. Colorado Light Opera, a program of CU-Boulder’s College of Music, will present two of the duo’s most beloved classics – “The Pirates of Penzance,” today through July 30, and “Iolanthe,” Saturday through July 29.|”Pirates,” 7:30 p.m. today, 2 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 p.m. Thursday; “Iolanthe,” 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday|Music Theatre, Imig Music Building, 18th Street and Euclid Avenue, Boulder; $22, $28; 303-492-8008 or cuconcerts.org.
THE WEEK
Clarinet soloist
CHAMBER MUSIC|In a review last year, New York Times music critic Bernard Holland called Jon Manasse “an absolutely first-rate clarinet soloist.” This week, Manasse will make the first of two appearances at the Strings in the Mountains Music Festival, performing in two chamber works, including Schubert’s “Shepherd on the Rock,” Op. 129.|7 p.m. Wednesday|Music Festival Park Tent, Steamboat Springs; $22; 970-879-5056, ext. 105; or stringsinthemountains.com.
A bash for the birds
CHARITY AUCTION|Denver’s Botanic Gardens hosts the 12th annual Birdhaus Bash garden party and auction. More than 150 decorated and creatively designed birdhouses will be auctioned to the public. Prizes will be awarded in categories such as best in show, best children’s and best celebrity birdhouse. The collection includes autographed birdhouses from Robert Redford, Mayor John Hickenlooper and other local celebrities. Attendees will enjoy live music from reggae band Jubal and the Rude Boys, plus complimentary food and drink. There will be special entertainment for kids, including live birds of prey from HawkQuest.|
5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday|1005 York St.; $5 children, $20 artists, $30 members, $40 nonmembers; through Botanic Gardens at 720-865-3533 or botanicgardens.org.
