Jan 4, 2013 6 min read

PGH Photo Fair, through the auspices of Fugitive Vision, LLC, will sponsor six talks on photography at a variety of venues in Pittsburgh. The talks will be held on the second Wednesday of every month leading up to the fair this spring. The series aims to augment the already rich art and photography scene in Pittsburgh with speakers who will focus on the state of the art, collecting and connoisseurship.

The next talk will be 6:30 p.m. Jan. 9 at The Mattress Factory museum on the North Side. Guest speaker will be Deborah Bell, vice president specialist of the Photographs Department at Christie’s Auction House in New York City.

Bell will share highlights from recent and upcoming sales at the auction house, compare her experiences working as a dealer with her new challenges at Christie’s, and shed light on big changes that are presently reshaping the business of buying and selling art photography as collections from the 1970s and 80s appear on the market.

The event is free and open to the public.

Italian conductor Gianandrea Noseda returns to Heinz Hall for a second weekend of BNY Mellon Grand Classics concerts in January, featuring music from and inspired by his homeland.

The “Concert Italia” performances will begin at 8 p.m. Jan. 18-19, and at 2:30 p.m. Jan. 20. Tickets at $20 to $35 can be purchased by calling the box office at 412-392-4900, or visiting the PSO online at www.pittsburghsymphony.org.

The ToonSeum, Pittsburgh, will hold “An Evening with Jim Shooter” from 6 to 9 p.m. Jan. 19. The event with the outspoken and sometimes controversial writer and former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief will begin with a 6 p.m. VIP reception at the ToonSeum, followed by an on-stage interview at 7:30 and a Q&A session conducted by Wayne Wise, the ToonSeum’s resident comics historian.

Tickets for “An Evening with Jim Shooter” are available at jimshooter.eventbrite.com. The cost is $25 for nonmembers and $20 for ToonSeum members. VIP tickets, which include a reception meet-and-greet, signed comic and admission to “An Evening with Jim Shooter” are $50 for nonmembers and $40 for ToonSeum members.

Register early, through Jan. 31, for a discount on tickets to Pittsburgh’s 15th IAYC International Yiddish Conference & Retreat, which will be held April 26-29 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Green Tree.

This year’s theme, A Feast of Yiddish, features academic presentations in Yiddish and English, and live entertainment including klezmer music, folk dancing and new this year, a “Yiddish in Slippers: a Dream Sequence” retreat each night.

The conference includes Yiddish classes, workshops, programs, a showcase of films, Eastern European cooking demonstrations, interactive historical characters, exhibitors, translators and vendors, large scale art projects and individual instruction in Yiddish on the Internet.

More than 40 speakers in Yiddish and English, including Harvard Professor Rush Wisse; ethnomusicologist Yale Strom, founder of the Yiddish Farm Naftali Ejdelman; Yiddish Forverts Editor-in-Chief Boris Sandler; and Dr. Harry Bochner, editor of The New Yiddish-English Dictionary, will be part of the event.

There will be performances by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra trio of Noah Bendix-Balgley, Aron Zelkowicz and Rodrigo Ojeda, and world-renowned klezmer musicians and performers from New York to California.

For details, contact Fishl Kutner at 650-349-6946 or fishl@derbay.org, or Nina Kaplan at 412-302-2410 or njkndk527@aol.com, or visit www.derbay.org/pittsburgh.

The Carnegie Performing Arts Center will hold auditions Jan. 19 for the ballet “Snow White” based on the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. Performances will be at the newly renovated Andrew Carnegie Music Hall in March. Director Monica Ryan choreographs the production and rehearsals will take place on Saturday afternoons. Ages 5-12 are invited to audition at 1 p.m., and ages 13 and up are invited to audition at 2 p.m. at the studios of the Carnegie Performing Arts Center located on East Main Street in Carnegie. For information, call the school at 412-279-8887 or visit www.carnegieperformingartscenter.com.

The Meadows Racetrack & Casino announces its entertainment line-up for January, which features a variety of local and national talent. All concerts are free admission.

Entertainment in the Silks Lounge includes: Walk of Shame (pop/rock), 8 p.m. Jan. 11; House of Soul (dance/soul), 8 p.m. Jan. 12; Smokin Section (rock), 8 p.m. Jan. 18; Idol Kings (rock-Journey/Mellencamp Tribute), 8 p.m. Jan. 19; Yolanda & Co. (Seen on “The Voice”), 8 p.m. Jan. 25; Chris Higbee (country), 8 p.m. Jan. 26.

Entertainment in the Pacers Lounge includes: Shari Richards & Rick Purcell (variety duo), 9 p.m. Jan. 4; DJ Michael Joseph, 9 p.m. Jan. 5; Eugene & Coleman (variety duo), 9 p.m. Jan. 11; DJ AJ Fresh (video mix disc jockey), 9 p.m. Jan. 12; Twice as Nice (dance/funk trio), 9 p.m. Jan. 18-19; Short Brothers (classic rock duo), 9 p.m. Jan. 25; DJ AJ Fresh, 9 p.m. Jan. 26.

Jim McNutt, a 42-year photojournalist with the Observer-Reporter will be this month’s speaker at the Western Pennsylvania Lensshooters Camera Club meeting at 7 p.m. Jan. 9 at the Peters Township Public Library.

Jim began his career as a photojournalist in the Army. His first assignment? Photograph the Vietnam War. In 1970, Jim joined the O-R and hasn’t put his camera down since.

Bring cameras – Jim will conduct a workshop on photographing by window light and how to shoot silhouettes with correct exposure for dramatic shots. His results will be projected on a big screen, and attendees will have a chance to try, too.

Renaissance & Baroque will present the Four Nations Ensemble performing Court and Concert, a program of French chamber music, at 8 p.m. Jan. 12 at Synod Hall, Oakland.

For tickets, call 412-361-2048 or visit www.rbsp.org.

Cameron Mackintosh’s new 25th anniversary production of “Les Misérables” will premier at the Benedum Center Jan. 15-27.

The all-new production of “Les Misérables” features new staging and reimagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo.

Performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets at $26-$79 are available by calling 412-456-4800 or at www.trustarts.org.

While there is snow on the ground, children are encouraged to make a snowball and save it in the freezer.

On the first day of summer, June 21, visitors can take the snowballs to the Carnegie Science Center on the North Shore and be able to name their admission price. And, weather permitting, every person who brings a snowball to the Science Center will be able to launch it into the Ohio River.

For more information, call 412-237-3400 or visit www.carnegiesciencecenter.org.