Wine and radio
BENEFIT|Community radio station KGNU, at 88.5 FM in Boulder and 1390 AM in Denver, will hold a delicious benefit tonight for lovers of their diverse programming. The wine tasting will pair “mellow jazz with mellow whites, merlot and Mozart, and sweet wine with romantic ballads.” Supporting community radio never tasted so good.|Tonight|Foothills Wedding Chapel, 1950 Ford St. in Golden; 7-9 p.m.; $30; 303-449-4885 or kgnu.org.
New Orleans flavor
ROOTS ROCK|The Subdudes’ live show has taken on a new meaning in this post-Hurricane Katrina world. The band has Colorado connections, but they’re still Louisiana through and through – and their last record, “Behind the Levee,” is a potent musical remembrance of their New Orleans childhoods. The band’s shows are still very feel-good and upbeat. But there’s something else there now, and it only makes the evening that much more special. | Tonight.|Ogden Theatre, 935 E. Colfax Ave.; 8 p.m.; $25; nipp.com
Argentine composer
TANGO|Tango is enjoying a burst of popularity in the United States. Helping to fuel this surge is the increasingly popular music of Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla, who reinvigorated and stretched the style. The Playground Ensemble, which is in residence at the University of Denver, is set to perform a diverse lineup of his music.|Tonight|St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 6853 S. Prince St., Littleton; 7:30 p.m.; $15; 720-283-4739 or experi
mentalplayground.org.
French horns
CHAMBER MUSIC|Last year’s appearance by the Colorado Symphony’s French horn section was among the best-attended concerts presented by
Englewood Arts, so, naturally, an encore appearance was in order. The five musicians, led by principal Michael Thornton, will perform an eclectic program of small works for the instrument.|2 p.m. Saturday|Hampden Hall, Englewood Civic Center, 1000 Englewood Parkway; $10 adults and $5 for students younger than 18; 303-806-8196.
River North
ART|The River North Art District will celebrate its one-year anniversary with the same kind of open house that launched it. More than 40 galleries, studios and art-related businesses will be open for tours and viewing. The event will conclude at 4:30 p.m. Saturday with a casting demonstration at Ironton Studios & Gallery, 3636 Chestnut St.|6 to 9 p.m. today and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday|40 locations, northeastern Denver; free; 303-308-9345 or
rivernorthart.com.
VaVoom and more
BURLESQUE|Your graduation never kicked like this: Vivienne VaVoom will introduced the newest graduates of her “Burlesque as It Was” academy for their first public performance, helped along by a few veterans. The 10 women spent the last few weeks working on their burlesque moves and history, and now’s their chance to show the world their, er, knowledge.|Sunday|Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret, 1600 Arapahoe St.; 7:30 p.m.; $12; 303-293-0075;lannies.com.
“Lear” and more
SYMPOSIUM|Former United Nations ambassador Ken Adelman, who originally said the war with Iraq would be a “cakewalk” but now thinks it has been “grossly mishandled,” is the featured speaker of a three-day symposium surrounding the opening of the Denver Center Theatre Company’s “King Lear.” Led by artistic director Kent
Thompson, panelists include Colorado Shakespeare Festival artistic director Philip Sneed|Sunday|
Donald R. Seawell Grand Ballroom, Denver Performing Arts Complex; 1-3 p.m.; free, RSVP 303-446-4881 (Call 303-492-1423 to learn of additional events)
Danse Etoile
BALLET|Danse Etoile’s inventive “Legends from Abroad” presents four world premiere ballets that draw from colorful international folk tales. You may be familiar with “The Ugly Duckling” or Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Match Girl,” but what about “The Widow and the Magic Brocade” from China, or “Nasha” from Africa? See for yourself this weekend at the Dairy Center for the Arts.|Tonight-Sunday|2590 Walnut St. in Boulder; 7:30 p.m. today-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; $12-$18; 303-444-7328 or thedairy
.org.
Feathers fly
COMEDY THEATER|The Avenue Theatre has logged nearly 800 performances for 57,000 laugh-seekers since its first production of “Murder Most Fowl.” This silly, venerable audience-participation murder mystery is a pun-stuffed whodunnit about a windbag actor who gets bagged just before his opening performance of “Macbeth.” This weekend, Barbara Gehring joins regulars John Ashton and Robert Wells in the role of diva Holly Pharme.|Thursdays-Saturdays through Feb. 24|417 E. 17th Ave.; 7:30 p.m.; $20, 303-321-5925 or
avenuetheater.com
Souls on ice
ICE SKATING|Olympic champions often find a fertile post-competition career in traveling ice shows, and the long-running “Stars on Ice” program is overflowing with them. Two-time Olympic gold medalist Ekaterina Gordeeva, pair Jamie Salé and David Pelletier, Alexei Yagudin and other world champions will converge on the Pepsi Center next week for the event. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.|Wednesday|Pepsi Center, 1000 Chopper Circle; 7 p.m.; $21-$106; Ticketmaster.
Hip-hop happening
FILM SCREENING|Socially conscious hip-hop fans have a hard time reconciling their love of the genre with its sometimes violent, misogynistic subject matter. The new documentary “Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes” explores this issue through interviews with Mos Def and Russell Simmons, and by tracing the history of an art form with a complex and controversial past. A discussion panel will follow the film, presented by Rocky Mountain PBS and the Denver Film Society.|Wednesday|Starz Film Center, Tivoli Student Union at the Auraria campus, 900 Auraria Parkway #325; 7 p.m.; free;
rmpbs.org/events.
Violin and piano
CLASSICAL MUSIC|If violinist Benny Kim is not exactly a classical music star, he is certainly one of the form’s admired performers. He will be in Colorado this coming week for two concerts under the auspices of the Strings in the Mountains Music Festival and Lakewood Cultural Center. The program, with pianist Anne Epperson, will include works by such composers as Camille Saint-Saëns and Franz Schubert.|7 p.m. Tuesday and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday|Tuesday, St. Paul Episcopal Church, Steamboat Springs, $25, 970-879-5056 or strings
inthemountains.com; Wed-
nesday, Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway, $26, 303-987-7845; lakewood.org.
