Critic’s pick
Ars Nova Singers take on Mozart’s Requiem
Today and Saturday. One of the most popular and storied of all of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s creations is his Requiem in D minor, K. 626. The work, which was famously left unfinished at the time of the composer’s death in 1791, offers his take on the traditional Catholic Mass for the dead. The Boulder-based Ars Nova Singers, augmented to 60 voices, will join conductor Bahman Saless and the 30-member Boulder Chamber Orchestra for two performances of the work this weekend. Concerts are set for 7:30 p.m. today in St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, 1350 Washington St., and 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the First United Methodist Church, 1421 Spruce St., Boulder. $12-$25. 303-583-1278 or . Kyle MacMillan
“Trick or Treat Street” lasts three days
Saturday-Monday. The Children’s Museum of Denver turns into spook central for the three-day “Trick or Treat Street” festival. Activities will be happening all over the museum, inside and out — storytellers, magic shows, a “Mad Monster Lab” and lots of arts-and-crafts activities. Kids are encouraged to wear their costumes, naturally, and go on a trick-or-treat run at “treat houses” throughout the fest. Activities are included with museum admission, except for rides on Vern’s Mini Train — they’re $2 each. 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Children’s Museum of Denver, 2121 Children’s Museum Drive; 303-433-7444. Activities: $8 for guests ages 2 to 59, $6 for 1-year-olds and seniors age 60 and older.
Dia de los Muertos at Botanic Gardens
Saturday. Celebrate El Día de los Muertos — and check out the fall foliage — at the Denver Botanic Gardens. Everyone’s invited to mark the occasion with live music, food, dancing and craft vendors. Face-painting will be free, with complimentary photos available as well. Make sugar skulls and papel picados (paper cut-out art), or join in a game of lotería. $1 off admission for costume and skeleton face paint. 5-8 p.m. Saturday. Denver Botanic Gardens, 1007 York St.; 720-865-3500. Admission is $8 for adults; $7 for students and seniors; $6 for children. Gardens members receive a $1 discount on admission. Also: This is the last weekend for the gardens’ corn maze, through Sunday at the Botanic Gardens at Chatfield.
Celebrate Halloween in a most scientific way
Tonight. Formulate some Halloween fun at “Mad Scientist Halloween,” presented by the Colorado State University Chemistry Club. Club members will scare up concoctions like liquid-nitrogen ice cream, plus perform a science-based Mad Scientist show. Youngsters can wear their costumes, join in craft activities and trick-or-treat. 6:30-9 p.m. tonight. Chemistry Building, Colorado State University, near Lake Street and Centre Avenue. Admission is free; donations are accepted.
Early boo for kids, later brew for adults
Saturday. It’s a boo-tiful block party at the fifth annual Boo and Brew on East Colfax Avenue. The daytime portion is family friendly, feauturing trick-or-treating at businesses up and down Colfax. Find special treats like made-to-order candy bars, pumpkin decorating and live music. After dark, the “Brew” portion begins at neighborhood bars with live music and drink specials. Family party: 1-4 p.m. Saturday. Grown-up fun: 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Family activities begin at GroundSwell, 3121 E. Colfax Ave. Admission is free.
This costume party is sure to be a real zoo
Saturday-Sunday. Halloween gets wild at the Denver Zoo’s “Boo at the Zoo.” The 27th annual fall freakout lets kids trick-or-treat around the zoo, with more than 25 stops along the way. Take public transportation or ride a bike to the Boo and get $2 off the admission price — a free shuttle will be available from the East 30th Avenue and Downing Street light-rail station. Motorists can park in City Park or at the Stapleton Park-n-Ride and hop a free shuttle to the zoo. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, 2300 Steele St.; 303-376-4800. Activities included with zoo admission: $13 for guests ages 12 to 64, $10 for seniors age 65 and older, $8 for kids ages 3 to 11.
Art
High-style photographs from low-tech cameras
Today. Some photographers insist on the most up-to-date equipment possible, but others prefer a more low-tech approach. An exhibition at the Business of Art Center, 513 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs, focuses on the latter, featuring works by 20 photographers who use a variety of toy cameras and achieve rich variety of sometimes unexpected imagery. The show, titled “Low Tech/High Art,” opens with a public reception from 5 to 8 p.m. today and runs through Dec. 31. Free. 719-685-1861 or . Kyle MacMillan
Navajo weavings sale benefits CU museum
Thursday. More than 100 historical and contemporary works will be on view as part of the 26th Annual Joe Ben Wheat Navajo Weaving Silent Auction and Benefit. The event, coordinated by the Toh-Atin Gallery of Durango, supports the textile collections at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History. The event runs from 1 to 7 p.m. Thursday in the lobby of the Denver Post building, 101 W. Colfax Ave., and includes free weavings evaluations and a lecture on the history of Navajo weaving. 303-492-6892 or . Kyle Mac Millan
Storytelling
“Reinventing Radio”: Ira Glass in Fort Collins
sunday. Ira Glass, host and creator of the public-radio program “This American Life,” will appear at 3 p.m. for a program called “Reinventing Radio: An Afternoon With Ira Glass,” at the Lincoln Center in Fort Collins. “This American Life” is heard on more than 500 radio stations each week by more than 1.7 million listeners. The show is mostly true stories of everyday people who have the right to remain silent — but choose not to. Tickets $45-$65 ($100 seats include a private reception). or 970-221-6730
Two views of Chinese cultural history on display at Denver Art Museum
The Denver Art Museum, West 13th Avenue between Broadway and Bannock Street, offers two complementary looks at Chinese cultural history in a pair of exhibitions opening Sunday.
The most prominent of the two offerings, “Xu Beihong: Pioneer of Modern Chinese Painting,” surveys the career of the best known of the first Chinese artists to merge Western and Eastern painting traditions in the 20th century.
This unprecedented retrospective features 61 paintings and drawings (most never before shown in the United States) on loan from the Xu Beihong Memorial Museum in Beijing, which is under renovation.
On view concurrently is “Threads of Heaven: Silken Legacy of China’s Last Dynasty,” an opulent show drawn exclusively from the museum’s textile collection, which includes a strong, little-known holding of more than 600 objects from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
It ranges from elaborately adorned Manchu court robes, with dragon motifs and complex religious and imperial iconography, to a pair of wall hangings showcasing characters from traditional Chinese opera.
Both shows will be on view through Jan. 29. They are free with regular museum admission. 720-865-5000 or . Kyle MacMillan
