MUSIC
The Kai Lin Art gallery will host the Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta for a free concert Saturday that will feature a four-hands piano performance of Debussy’s Petite Suite by gallery owner Yu-Kai Lin and William Ransom, the society’s founder and artistic director. Also on the program is a performance by the Vega Quartet. The 8 p.m. concert is free, but registration is required.
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The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra opens its 2023-24 season Thursday and Saturday. Music Director Nathalie Stutzmann returns to the Symphony Hall stage for her second season with the ASO following a summer stint at the prestigious Bayreuth Festival in Germany. She will conduct a program of Tchaikovsky, featuring his Symphony No. 4. Guest harpist Xavier de Maistre will join the orchestra for Mosolov’s Harp Concerto. Tickets start at $38. (Photo above by Raftermen)
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The City Winery will host the 8-year anniversary show of Poetry Vs Hip-Hop that celebrates 50 years of the music genre. The show will feature live music by Philippia Williams, a hip-hop feature by Translee and comedy by “B Tuck.” Then comes a contest hosted by Queen Sheba between poets and MCs for a $1,500 prize. Tickets start at $25.
THEATER
Based on the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, CULLUD WATTAH, on stage at Actor’s Express, gives audiences a personal look at the high price one Black family is forced to pay. ArtsATL reviewer Rachel Garbus wrote: “The stellar cast is well-directed by Amanda Washington, who never lets the tragedy leash the humor that bursts through irreverently at every turn, keeping the pacing fresh and the emotions vivid.” Through October 15. Tickets start at $40.
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Passing Strange kicks off the Theatrical Outfit’s 2023-24 season. Directed by Thomas W. Jones II, with words and music by Stew. The Tony Award-winning musical is about sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, and an artist in search of meaning. ArtsATL reviewer Alexis Hauk praises Christian Magby in the main role for his “leaps, swoops and swirls across the stage, seamlessly shifting from one phase of this developing artist’s identity and adopted persona to another.” Through October 22. Tickets start at $50.
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Dad’s Garage is putting a twist on spooky season Sunday starting at 1 p.m. by inviting kids to scare monsters during an interactive special event called Halloween Spooktacular. The afternoon will include live music, crafts, games, a magician and two showings of Dad’s Garage’s kid-friendly improv show, Wowie Zowie. Atlanta’s Gateway Drug to the Arts will convert the mainstage theatre into a reverse haunted house. Tickets are $10.
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Walk with Little Amal, the 12-foot Syrian puppet, at the Woodruff Arts Center Sunday at 3 p.m. The event includes “We Have a Dream,” a skit that features Atlanta activist and author Yolanda Renee King sharing a message of hope with Little Amal inspired by her grandfather, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Free.
ART+DESIGN
The Georgia Tech Arts’ visual art exhibit NI DO TO was scheduled to open in the Ferst Center for the Arts lobby the same night that the dance work Out of the Dust was performed in the theater. But the lobby flooded (remember that huge rain storm?) and the visual art part of the event was washed out. Now everything is dry and visitors can see NI DO TO. It consists of four works of art in mixed-reality, classical and digital interactive technology, and visual art as well. The presentation offers reflective activities addressing xenophobic and racist policies, with an emphasis on the Japanese internment camp established in California during World War II. If you missed the dance performance, a film of Out of the Dust is also showing in the lobby. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through October 27 (closed October 21.) Free.
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Black Art in America is one of the local galleries not participating in Atlanta Art Week, but it launches a new exhibit this weekend. Give Us The Sun, a solo exhibit of works by multimedia artist Traci Mims, opens Friday. Reception will be on Saturday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Free.
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As part of its renaissance as an art and culture destination, Underground Atlanta has collaborated with Living Walls and Atlanta Fashion Week on a mural that will be unveiled on Friday. It was created as part of the 3rd annual Living Walls Abroad exchange program between Atlanta and Ciudad Satélite, Mexico. Atlanta artist Jasmine Nicole Williams painted a mural with Satélite-raised Daniel Villela in August in Mexico. Villela came to Atlanta to create a second mural with Williams at Underground. The gallery will be open from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Friday and is part of Underground’s First Friday event. Mural unveiling will be at 8 pm. Reception at 9 p.m. Tickets for Atlanta Fashion Week, which includes entry into the unveiling, start at $50. The event is free after 10 p.m.
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The second Atlanta Art Week kicked off on Monday and continues through Sunday which means there are dozens of art openings, panel discussions, artist talks and events throughout the city, way too many to list here. Check out the event’s website, and the ArtsATL preview about the event. Georgia-born Kendra Walker, an art advisor, came up with the concept last year and Atlanta’s art community has embraced it. Most events are free.
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DANCE
The Atlanta Chinese Dance Company will present a one-hour interactive program on Saturday morning during the Smyrna Culture and Spirit Festival. Their participation will include performances, props demonstrations and information about the culture and history of Chinese dance. It’s part of the City of Smyrna’s 151st birthday celebration. 11:45 a.m. at the City Hall Stage. Free. (Photo by Trish Lawrence)
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Georgia Ballet is known for presenting traditional, family-friendly ballets such as Cinderella, which the company will perform Thursday through Sunday at the Jennie T. Anderson Theatre in Marietta. Choreography is by Artistic Director Daet Rodriguez and ballet mistress Margit Peguero. Children are encouraged to dress up for the occasion. Thursday’s 7 p.m. performance is designed for audience members with sensory sensitivities. Other performances are Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets start at $15.
