Best bets: ESO in concert, Bluey on stage
ESO’s ‘Ode to Joy’
The Elgin Master Chorale joins the Elgin Symphony Orchestra to perform Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, the composer’s last and one of the best known in the classical canon. The first major composition scored for voices, its fourth movement is the famous “Ode to Joy,” which features four vocalists and choir. Music director Chad Goodman conducts the program, which also includes Mozart’s “Ave Verum Corpus” and Jessie Montgomery’s “Hymn for Everyone.” The concerts take place at the Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin. Tickets range from $20-$65; $10 for students. elginsymphony.org. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 5
Guitar great graces Hey Nonny
Internationally acclaimed Japanese guitarist Hiroya Tsukamoto headlines Hey Nonny, 10 S. Vail Ave., Arlington Heights, in a performance that combines instrumentals with stories from the guitarist’s life. “Hiroya Tsukamoto isn’t your standard fingerpicker,” said Hey Nonny co-owner Chip Brooks in a prepared statement. “His style is more delicate, soulful and eclectic, which is what makes this show so special.” $12-$30. (224) 202-0750 or heynonny.com. 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 3
Bluey on stage
“Bluey’s Big Play,” the stage version of the Emmy Award-winning animated preschool television series, comes to the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive, Chicago, for a brief run. Launched in Australia in 2018, the series centers on Bluey, a 6-year-old Blue Heeler dog, who turns daily activities into extraordinary adventures. The stage adaptation features Bluey and her friends Bingo, Bandit and Chilli and incorporates live actors, puppetry, new music by composer Joff Bush and a story by Bluey creator Joe Brumm. $36.50-$81.50. broadwayinchicago.com. 6 p.m. Friday, May 3; 11 a.m. and 2 and 5 p.m. Saturday, May 4; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 5
Dance ensemble examines gun violence
Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble’s 22nd season continues with “Panther in the Sky” in the auditorium at Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 1650 W. Foster Ave., Chicago. Written by Lani Montreal, with music direction by Chip Payos, the theatrical piece is about four mothers who lost their teenage sons to gun violence. $10-$30. danztheatre.org. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 3-4, 10-11 and 17-18
Antonia Bennett in concert
Antonia Bennett, daughter of the late crooner Tony Bennett, performs selections from the American songbook along with her original compositions at Club Arcada, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles, as part of its Legends and Legacies Series. On tour in support of her upcoming album, Bennett will share stories about growing up with her father, their time together on the road and memories of her father’s friends Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Dean Martin, among others. “It's an honor to continue the legacy of my dear father and share the stage with The Todd Hunter Trio,” said Bennett in a prepared statement. “This evening will be a journey through the songs that have shaped the American musical landscape, as well as some of my own compositions close to my heart.” $25. (630) 962-7000 or clubarcada.com. 9 p.m. Friday, May 3; 3 and 9 p.m. Saturday, May 4; and 6 p.m. Sunday, May 5
Celebrating Black love
Praize Productions Inc., a not-for-profit company that consists of a professional dance company, youth ensemble and performing arts academy, presents “Black Love Reigns Supreme” at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St., Chicago. The multidisciplinary production “sheds light on all aspects of love: Eros (romantic), Philia (friendly) and Agape (selfless) across all ages and generations.” $45-$125. praizeproductions.com. 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 3-4
Art in Wilder Park
The Elmhurst Art Museum kicks off its free family art festival — Art in Wilder Park — at 150 S. Cottage Hill Ave., Elmhurst. In addition to artisans selling jewelry, paintings, sculptures, ceramics, prints, fiber arts and food from local vendors, the mini-fest includes a newly commissioned installation by artist/illustrator Dave Pryor titled “Monsters in Wilder Park: A Kid-Powered Art Show,” consisting of six large-scale, cutout sculptures inspired by drawings by local kids. Pryor designed puppets for the museum’s upcoming “Designing Donkey Hodie: From Make-Believe to Someplace Else” exhibition. The fest includes a scavenger hunt and hands-on kids’ activities. Free. elmhurstartmuseum.org. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 4-5. Installations on view through July 31
New MCA exhibition
The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 220 E. Chicago Ave., presents “Virginia Jaramillo: Principle of Equivalence,” the first major retrospective of the Texas-born artist whose abstract paintings and handmade paper works center on the relationship between the earthly and metaphysical realms. Chicago residents: $19 adults, $10 students, seniors, teachers. Nonresidents: $22 adults, $14 students, seniors, teachers. (312) 280-2660 or mcachicago.org. Saturday, May 4, through Jan. 5, 2025
Magical Cinco de Mayo
The Rhapsody Theater, 1328 W. Morse Ave., Chicago, celebrates Cinco de Mayo with back-to-back Spanish and English language shows by physician magician Dr. Ricardo Rosenkranz, a Mexico City native. $30-$75. (888) 495-9001 or rhapsodytheater.com. English performances at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4, and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 5; Spanish performances at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 4, and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 5
Exhibition examines genocide
The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center’s “Spagat Family Exhibition: Voices of Genocide” examines how genocide persists across time and geography. The exhibition includes profiles of survivors and descendants of genocides in Armenia, Guatemala, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Rwanda and Burma, who discuss the conditions that can lead to genocide and efforts toward intervention and prevention. The museum is at 9602 Woods Drive, Skokie. Timed/dated admission is $6-$18 for special exhibitions, virtual reality exhibitions and the holographic theater show. Free for general admission. (847) 967-4800 or ilholocaustmuseum.org/. Ongoing