Best Bets: Violinist Samuel Vargas joins Elgin Symphony Orchestra for Tchaikovsky concerto

ESO welcomes violinist Samuel Vargas

Award-winning violinist Samuel Vargas joins the Elgin Symphony Orchestra to perform Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major. The program also includes Jean Sibelius’ nature-inspired Fifth Symphony and “Fiesta!” by composer Jimmy López. Performances take place at the Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin. Tickets start at $20 for adults, $10 for students. (847) 888-4000 or elginsymphony.org. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 5, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 6

Giordano Dance fetes Nan Giordano

Giordano Dance Chicago salutes artistic director Nan Giordano and her four decades as leader of the acclaimed jazz dance ensemble this weekend at the Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph St., Chicago. “SOARING: Life, Light, and Legacy” celebrates Giordano, her father — company founder Gus Giordano — and her son, Keenan Giordano Casey. The program includes the premieres of “Sana” by resident choreographer Al Blackstone, set to music by Stahv Danker, and “333,” a solo piece for company member Erina Ueda by Nan Giordano and Cesar G. Salinas, along with works from the company’s repertoire. $27-$97. (312) 334-7777 or harristheaterchicago.org. 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 4, and 6 p.m. Saturday, April 5

Operatic fable in concert

Chicago Opera Theater presents the concert premiere of an opera produced through its Vanguard Initiative, “Remedios Varios para las Aflicciones del Cuerpo y el Espíritu (Remedios Varios)” by composer Carlos R. Carrillo and librettist Stephanie Fleischmann. Inspired by the imagery of Spanish-Mexican surrealist painter Remedios Varo and set in a world without color “where a lone tree holds within its rings the memory and possibility of music, poetry and art,” the operatic fable is about renewal and potential. The performance takes place at The Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture, 2936 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. $50. chicagooperatheater.org. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 5

Chicago welcomes new museum

Joining Chicago’s many illustrious museums is The National Public Housing Museum, which opens this weekend at 919 S. Ada St., Chicago, in the last remaining building of the Jane Addams Homes. Founded by public housing residents, the museum is the first of its kind dedicated to “interpret the histories and policies that have shaped the experience of public housing across the United States.” Opening weekend festivities include special programs and panels. General admission is free, but reservations are encouraged. Guided historic apartment tours are $25 for adults, $15 for seniors, students and kids 6-18. nphm.org. Grand opening hours: 2-6 p.m. Friday, April 4, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 5-6

Chamber concerts at the Driehaus Museum

The Driehaus Museum and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra partner for a three-part chamber concert series in the Murphy Auditorium at the Driehaus Museum, 50 E. Erie St., Chicago. The concerts feature works inspired by Driehaus exhibitions, including the current exhibit “A Tale of Today: Materialities,” featuring site-specific installations by contemporary musicians. The first concert includes Philip Glass’ contemporary string quartet “Quartet Satz”; Ludwig van Beethoven’s Serenade for Flute, Violin and Viola; and George Chadwick’s String Quartet No. 4 in E Minor. $50, $25 students, includes admission to the exhibit. driehausmuseum.org/programs. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 8

‘Golden Girls’ at The Genesee

The Genesee Theatre, 203 N. Genesee St., Waukegan, presents “Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue,” an adults-only, all-male send-up of the 1980s sitcom “The Golden Girls.” $39-$69. geneseetheatre.com. 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 9

CSO, Joffrey Ballet collaboration

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra welcomes The Joffrey Ballet for a performance that includes the premiere of two newly commissioned ballets to be presented at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago. “Second Nature,” a new ballet by choreographer Amy Hall Garner, is set to Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson’s Sinfonietta No. 1. Nicolas Blanc’s new ballet “Les Bœufoons” is set to Darius Milhaud’s “Le Bœuf sur le toit (The Ox on the Roof).” The program also includes Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 45 (“Farewell”) and the CSO’s first performance of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges’ Symphony No. 1. $55-$399. cso.org. 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, April 10-11, and 3 p.m. Sunday, April 13