It’s a party at Mickey’s place
Saturday-Sunday. Touring TV. “Playhouse Disney” throws open its doors in “Playhouse Disney Live!” in Broomfield. Characters from the popular Disney Channel preschool programs take the stage in an interactive musical adventure. Fans of “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” “Little Einsteins,” “Handy Manny” and “My Friends Tigger and Pooh” will have a lot to cheer about as characters from each show make their way to Mickey’s place for a party. 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday. Broomfield Event Center, 11450 Broomfield Lane; 303-410-0700. Tickets are $15-$60 and are available at or by calling 303-830-TIXS. Kathleen St. John
Visual art
Today. New media. The Plus Gallery, 1490 Delgany St., teams with its subsidiary space, Object + Thought, to present the New Media Salon. The event, 6-10 p.m. today, features the presentation of works by student artists in the University of Denver’s graduate program in electronic media arts. Included will be video works, as well as “Signal to Noise (Untitled Analog No. 17),” an “immersive audio-visual environment” by David Fodel and Brian Kane. Free. 720-394-8484 or plus or . Kyle MacMillan
Sunday. Southwestern art. A sweeping exhibition, which will come to a close Sunday at the Denver Art Museum, West 13th Avenue between Bannock Street and Broadway, sets aside preconceptions and offers a fresh, engaging look at Ernest Blumenschein (1874-1960). Accompanied by a 400- page catalog, the exhibition makes a powerful case for Blumenschein not just as a pivotal artist of the Southwest but as an essential figure in the totality of 20th-century American art. With 66 works, including most of his signature paintings, it is the largest and most comprehensive retrospective ever devoted to Blumenschein. Free with regular museum admission. 720-865-5000 or denverartmuseum . Kyle MacMillan
Classical music
Monday. Recital.Claude Sim, the Colorado Symphony’s associate concertmaster, leads one of the busiest, most multifaceted lives of any member of the orchestra. Besides his duties with the symphony, he teaches at Colorado State University, performs regularly with the tango band Extasis, and even does a few jazz gigs here and there. Audiences will have up-close opportunity to experience his talents when he joins his wife, pianist Natalia Sim, for a recital at 7:30 p.m. Monday in Griffin Concert Hall at CSU’s University Center for the Arts, 1400 Remington St. in Fort Collins $10, $5 CSU students and youths. 970-491-4849 or . Kyle MacMillan
Today. Recital. For her recital at 7:30 p.m. today, violinist Joyce Yang will mix works by such familiar composers as Mozart and Sarasate with little- known ones by Chinese-born composers Chen Yi and Bright Sheng, both likely regional premieres. Wang made her debut at age 9 with conductor Zubin Mehta and the New York Philharmonic. She is an associate professor of violin at the University of Denver, where her concert will take place in Hamilton Recital Hall in the Newman Center for the Performing Arts, 2344 E. Iliff Ave. $18, $16 for seniors and free for students. 303-871-6412. Kyle MacMillan.
Sunday. Vocal recital. While studying in Denver, bass-baritone Stephen West performed several times with the chancel choir at Trinity United Methodist Church, 1820 Broadway. Now an internationally known artist who has appeared with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City and Opera National de Paris, West will return for a concert at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. The benefit performance marks the church’s 150th anniversary. The program will include Jacques Ibert’s “Chansons de Don Quichotte,” Aaron Copland’s “Simple Gifts” and the Broadway favorite “Impossible Dream.” $31, $21 seniors and $11 students 18 and younger. 303-839-1493 or . trinityumc. Kyle MacMillan
Family fun
Saturday. Cheerleading! Get those pigtails perked up and your spirit fingers ready for the Rocky JAM cheerleading and dance event at the Denver Coliseum. The all-day competition features more than 100 teams from Colorado, New Mexico and Montana flipping, jumping, yelling and dancing to win awards in five separate “JAM sessions.” Everyone gets a little something, but the big winners can qualify for a spot at the U.S. Nationals contest. 8 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. Saturday. Denver Coliseum, 4600 Humboldt St.; 720-865-2475. Admission is free for spectators. Kathleen St. John
Saturday. Classical for kids. Budding musicians can take a “tour” of the orchestra when the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra presents “Peter and the Wolf” and “Carnival of the Animals” in Broomfield. In Sergei Prokofiev’s “Peter,” instruments represent characters in the tale — for instance, the Wolf is a trio of horns, and Peter is portrayed by string instruments. For Camille Saint-Saens’ “Carnival of the Animals,” a humorous poetry reading augments the animal personalities in the music. 1 p.m. Saturday. Arvada Center for the Arts, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd.; 720-898-7200. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for children 14 and younger. Call or visit . to purchase seats in advance. Kathleen St. John
Saturday. Candy fest. Prepare for bliss at the Eighth Annual Chocolate Affair in Arvada. Chocolatiers, chocolate lovers and the generally sweet- toothed will descend on the Olde Town district for hours of fudgy fun. For $5, visitors can sample all kinds of chocolate treats at the Taste of Chocolate! exhibition at the D Note, 7519 Grandview Ave. The Creative Chocolate Chip Cookie Contest will have local bakers displaying their best recipes, and families can go on a free quest for chocolate in the Chocolate Treasure Hunt around Olde Town. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Olde Town Arvada, West 57th Avenue and Olde Wadsworth Boulevard. Attendance is free. For more information, call Historic Olde Town Arvada at 303-420-6100. Kathleen St. John
Thursday. Frozen fun. The next Winter Olympics aren’t until 2010, but skating fans get an early fix at the Smucker’s Stars on Ice’s “On the Edge: The Heart of the Champion.” Olympians Sasha Cohen and Ilia Kulik, plus Olympic pairs team Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao, will take to the Pepsi Center ice alongside other world and national champions. Expect a playful musical mix and plenty of daring feats. 7 p.m. Thursday. Pepsi Center, 1000 Chopper Circle; 303-405-1100. Tickets are $21-$116 for adults, $8.50-$18.50 for children age 12 and under, and $16-$66 for seniors age 65 and older. Purchase seats by calling 303-830-TIXS or visit . Kathleen St. John
Pop music
Tonight. Southern hip-hop. There’s simply not enough Southern gal-power hip-hop out there — and that’s where Yo Majesty comes into the picture. This Florida rap trio is all about the hardcore hip-hop — unedited and unadulterated. You might have heard about the band’s explicit legacy: One of the female MCs sometimes ends up shedding her T-shirt and sports bra and dancing across the stage to the outfit’s dirty beats. And after seeing the group a couple of times, I’m here to tell you that it’s all true. Yo Majesty headlines the Marquis Theatre tonight, and opening the show is Natalie “the Floacist” Stewart (from Floetry). Tickets, $10, are available via soda . Ricardo Baca
Wednesday.Rock. It’s surprising that the Delta Spirit has been playing together for just three years. One listen to the band’s “Ode to Sunshine” and you’ll hear a level of maturity and comfort that typically can be found only in bands that have been recording and touring together for a decade or more. It’s easy to fall for this Southern California band. Singer Matt Vasquez’s lyrics are as intoxicating as his voice is comforting. Delta Spirit plays the Hi-Dive on Wednesday with Other Lives and Dawes. Tickets, $8-$10, at hi-dive.com. Ricardo Baca
Thursday. Prog rock. Can you believe that Yes will celebrate its 41st anniversary this year? Of course you can. It seems like this British prog-rock powerhouse has been around forever. And sure enough, Chris Squire, Steve Howe and Alan White are still touring the world and making records. Yes will play the Paramount Theatre on Thursday. Tickets, $49-50-$85. are available at . Ricardo Baca
