Jan 15, 2013 6 min read

American Pie will perform a free concert from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 16 at the Peters Township Recreation Center. The group has been entertaining audiences in the tri-state area for the last 23 years. Their repertoire includes hits from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s.

The Peters Township High School Music Boosters will sponsor Meatballs & Music from 3-8 p.m. Jan. 19 in the high school cafeteria. A spaghetti dinner is planned and members of the music department will perform. Basket auctions are planned.

Tickets, which are $8 for adults and $4 for children, ages 11 and under, are available at the door.

Applications for the PSO’s Orchestra Training Program for African American Musicians (OTPAAM) must be postmarked on or before Jan. 18. Auditions will be held March 6-7 at Heinz Hall.

Created in 2007, the PSO’s Orchestra Training Program for African American Musicians (OTPAAM) is dedicated to preparing young African American musicians for careers in a professional orchestra. Fellows’ time with the PSO will include practice time, education and community engagement opportunities, and audition training. The fellowship, awarded to one fellow every two years, includes an annual stipend, as well as additional payment toward health insurance, audition expenses and professional development.

To be eligible for OTPAAM, applicants must be African American musicians between the ages of 18-30 at the start date of the fellowship, and must also play a standard orchestral instrument (no keyboard). Applicants can get more information, as well download an application form, at www.pittsburghsymphony.org/OTPAAM. Applications and a one-page resume can be sent by mail, email or fax to: Assistant Personnel Manager, 600 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. The fax number is 412-392-4910; the email address is auditions@pittsburghsymphony.org.

Off The Wall Theater, Carnegie, presents “Flight from Himself” at 8 p.m. Jan. 18, 19, 25 and 26, and 3 p.m. Jan. 20.

A workshop will be held at 3 p.m. Jan. 27 and is open to the public.

With movement and music, a few props and a few words, Mark C. Thompson tells the story of a man who looks back on his life and discovers a way to escape his fear. Thompson is an actor, dancer and mime.

For tickets, visit www.insideoffthewall.com.

The Center for Theater Arts presents “Godspell!” Jan. 31-Feb. 2 in the main auditorium at Mt. Lebanon High School.

An ensemble of 46 CTA High School students from communities throughout the South Hills will present a one-of-a-kind production of one of the most enduring musical theater shows of all time.

Tickets are $12. Call 412-563-5080 for details.

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 412-392-4900, or visiting 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 are $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. Tickets are available at jimshooter.eventbrite.com.

Register 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 Saturdays. 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 on East Main Street in Carnegie. For information, call 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.

Entertainment in the Silks Lounge includes: 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: 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.

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

The all-new production of “Les Misérables” features new staging and re-imagined 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.

The national tour of SISTER ACT is coming to the Benedum Center Feb. 5-10.

Performances are 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 $20 to $62 are currently on sale at the Box Office at Theater Square on Penn Avenue, online at www.TrustArts.org, or by calling 412-456-4800.