THURSDAY|01.12 |

[PERFORMING ARTS]
GETTING IT NOTE PERFECT

The women of Chamber Project St. Louis want you to come to practice tonight. Yes, really. At their first Very Open Rehearsal, the musicians will prep for their Saturday, January 21, concert by running through Walter Piston’s Three Pieces for Flute, Clarinet and Bassoon. You’ll witness how precision is honed as the musicians figure out the nuances of the music, and what they have to do to support both their piece of it and that of their fellow players. And because it’s rehearsal, if something goes wrong, you’ll be able to ask them, “What happened there?” Or maybe they’ll ask you, “How’d it sound out there?” An open dialogue between audience and performer is the goal, as well as a shared understanding of what Piston’s music is all about. The Very Open Rehearsal takes place at 7 p.m. at the Tavern of Fine Arts ( 313 Belt Avenue; www .chamberprojectstl.com). Admission is free.

— PAUL FRISWOLD

FRIDAY|01.13

[ART EXHIBIT]
THE FILTHY ARTS

Who says dirty fingernails are always a bad thing? Why not gather to admire and reward them? Dirty Fingernails Say A Lot III: A Celebration of Pure Printmaking, the new exhibition at the Foundry Art Centre (520 North Main Center; St. Charles), features art by printmakers who have all dirtied their digits in the name of their craft. Hellion artist Tom Huck (of Evil Prints fame) judges the show and also selects the five pieces that will receive cash prizes. Dirty Fingernails opens with a free public reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, January 13. The show remains up through Friday, February 17, and the gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday. For more information, call 636-255-0270 or visit www.foundryartcentre.org.

— KHOLOOD EID

[ART EXHIBIT]
INTO THE WILD

Humans and animals will always be intertwined no matter how far removed from nature we become, which may explain why sticking an owl on anything immediately makes it more appealing. Untamed is, as you might have guessed, an animal-themed sculpture exhibition is for those who appreciate the beauty of creatures beyond their adorable additions to sweatshirts, purses and notebooks. The stunning collection includes pieces from Carol Eckert, Sayaka Ganz, Geoffrey Gorman and Russell Wrankle, among others.
Ganz’s Plunge (ceiling-suspended birds) and Fogo (a big cat in mid-pounce) are of particular interest as they create striking illusions of movement and are entirely made of thrown-away plastics. Untamed opens with a free public reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, January 13, at the Craft Alliance gallery (6640 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-725-1177 or www.craftalliance. org). The work remains up through Sunday, February 26, and the gallery is open every day except Monday.

— NICOLE BECKERT

SATURDAY|01.14 |

[BASEBALL-ESQUE]
CATCH YOUR FAVORITE PLAYERS

Here’s your big chance to score some fleeting face time with the world-champion St. Louis Cardinals — and get your mitts on a piece of their prized penmanship. A dugout full of current and former players will be at the Hyatt Regency at the Arch (315 Chestnut Street) Saturday through Monday (January 14 through 16) to meet fans and sign autographs for the Cardinals Care Winter Warm-Up charity event. While some signings will be free, others will require a special autograph ticket, purchased for an additional donation to a local worthy cause. Specific player signing sessions may change before the event, so visit www.cardinals .com/winterwarmup to see who’s coming when and how much their autograph will require. Three-day passes are available for $40, while kids between five and fifteen pay just $10. Aspiring little leaguers younger than five are admitted for free.

— MARK FISCHER

[EAGLE-LITARIANTIMES]
TAKE WING

After all the hubbub of the holidays, what with the consumerism, overindulging and indoor family time, you might just want to break free, get away and breathe in the crisp outdoor air. The eagles are on the same page. As soon as they were done celebrating with their feathered families, they flew the coop and settled down in St. Louis for a little R&R. Sure, they’ll do some nestbuilding and some soaring while they’re here, and you’d better believe that they will spend plenty of time riding Mississippi River ice floes and fishing. Yessiree, this is going to be one lovely wintertime vacay for the majestic bald eagles! So why not take a chillaxing lesson from them? Just head to the Old Chain of Rocks bridge (10950 Riverview Drive) anytime from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday (January 14 and 15) for Eagle Days. At this outdoor, pet-free affair, organized in part by the Confluence Partnership (www.confluencegreenway.org), eagles will go on about their unwinding business, while you peer at them through scopes and learn about them and other birds, thanks to programs put on by the World Bird Sanctuary (every twenty minutes from 10 a. m. to 2:40 p.m. both days) and an exhibit presented by the St. Louis Audubon Society. In addition to the bird-focused fun, Lewis and Clark reenactors set up shop on either end of the bridge, sharing details about the expedition and that long-ago way of life, plus, there are warming-tent activities for the kids and more. Admission to Eagle Days is free; comfortable walking shoes and warm clothing (or feathers) are the suggested attire.

— ALISON SIELOFF

SUNDAY|01.15 |

[PERFORMING ARTS]
MOZART’S MERRIE MELODIES

Elmer Fudd’s chant of “Kill the wabbit’’ to the tune of “Ride of the Valkyries” has introduced countless tikes to the riches of Richard Wagner’s operas. Now that Looney Tunes is out of heavy syndication rotation, parents are faced with finding new ways to expose their kids to the classics. Great adult minds realize the importance of educating young ones early, or in no time it’ll be nothing but “Lady Gaga this” and “Katy Perry that.” Fortunately, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is here to help. Under the unflinching gaze of conductor Ward Stare, the SLSO and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Young Artists will present a special abridged performance of Mozart’s last great opera, The Magic Flute, at 3 p.m. today at Powell Hall (718 North Grand Boulevard; 314-533-2500 or www.slso.org). With its evil queen, captured princess and noble prince, The Magic Flute reads like a Disney fairy tale, designed to delight kids and adults alike. Tickets are $7 to $16.

— MARK FISCHER

MONDAY|01.16 |

[ART EXHIBIT]
TEAR DOWN THE WALLS

Back in October, Congregation Shaare Emeth and Washington University jointly presented an exhibition of modern sukkah, the traditional Jewish structure built to commemorate the Exodus. Art Saint Louis (555 Washington Avenue; 314-241-4810 or www.artstlouis.org) builds an extension to the project with its new exhibition, Sukkah City Annex: Defining & Defying Boundaries. Artists explored the sukkah’s purpose — that of a temporary dwelling — through twodimensional representations of the walls, finding a metaphor for life’s expanding boundaries in the image of a structure that exists to be torn down. Sukkah City Annex is on display Monday, January 16, through Thursday, February 23; the opening reception is Saturday, January 21. Art Saint Louis is open every day except Sunday, and admission is free.

— PAUL FRISWOLD

TUESDAY|01.17 |

[ART EXHIBIT]
THROWN FOR A LOOP

Teresa Hubbard and Alexander Birchler’s film Single Wide juxtaposes the known and the unknown using only a few elements — a woman, a pickup truck and a trailer home. Presented in an endless loop, the six-minute film is guaranteed to perplex, but it seems to reveal more information on each go round, stopping puzzled passersby dead in their tracks to piece together and ponder the meaning of it all. Teresa Hubbard and Alexander Birchler: Single Wide is part of the New Media Series at the Saint Louis Art Museum in Forest Park (314-721-0072 or www.slam.org). The film is on display in gallery 301 from Friday, January 13, through Sunday, March 25. The museum is open every day except Monday, and admission is free.

— MARK FISCHER

WEDNESDAY|01.18 |

[THEATER]
LET IT COME DOWN

Law-enforcement dramas in film and on TV are so prevalent for a simple reason: police work is fraught with all the classical elements of high drama — conflict, danger, tested loyalties, moral ambiguities and paradoxes. Any given day on the job could be your last, and the absolute life-or-death reliance on your coworkers (in the case of the patrol officer, your partner) results in bonds being forged that are stronger than those of more mundane and safer professions. Keith Huff’s play A Steady Rain tells the story of two Chicago cops, Joey and Denny, who are long-time partners and best friends. Their loyalty to one another is solid and unquestioned, until a bad decision throws everything into turmoil and sets the two against each other. The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents A Steady Rain Wednesday, January 18, through Sunday, February 5, at the Emerson Studio Theatre in the Loretto-Hilton Center (130 Edgar Road, Webster Groves; 314-968-4925 or www .repstl.org). There are no performances on Monday. Tickets are $37.50 to $58.

— ALEX WEIR

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