Week in Preview 2/23 - 2/28 (Part 2)

The halls are alive with "The Sound of Music", the halls of Middletown High School, that is. The final work of the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, the musical tells the story of the Trapp Family Singers and their escape from the Nazi occupation of their native Austria.

The MHS Drama Club, Chris Briggs, director, presents the musical this weekend in the new auditorium of the new High School, 20 LaRosa Lane. The large and talented cast is not only comprised of high school students but also from the middle and elementary levels. Performances are 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday (2/26-28) and 2 p.m.on Sunday March 1. Tickets are $10 for adults, $ 8 for students and senior citizens and $5 for children under 12. You can buy them at the door or go online at www.middletownschools.org/.

Wesleyan University Assistant Professor Yuriy Kordonskiy directs a production of Jean Anouilh's "Eurydice" Thursday through Sunday in the CFA Theater. Anouilh's adaptationn of the Greek myth changes the setting of the story to a provincial train station in France in the 1930s where a traveling musician (Orpheus) becomes enamored of an actress (Eurydice) but they must run away together to continue their relationship. Realism clashes with magic as death and life become intertwined. Performances are 8 p.m. each night with a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday. Call the Box Office at 685-3355 or go online at www.wesleyan.edu/cfa for more information.

Pianist Landon Knoblock, born in Miami and now based in Brooklyn, will perform this Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. in The Buttonwood Tree. Knoblock, joined by bassist Joe Rehmer and drummer Austin McMahon, is quite a lyrical pianist but does not shy away from rhythmical adventures. He has worked with vocalist Kevin Mahogany and trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and released 3 CDs as a leader, the latest being "The Heartbeat, the Breath", on the Italian CAM Jazz label. He also leads a quartet featuring New Haven native Ben Allison on bass. For more information about him and his music, go to www.landonknoblock.com.

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is the featured ensemble Friday at 8 p.m. in Crowell Concert Hall. The latest concert in 08-09 Crowell Series brings some finest classical musicians in the country to town with a program featuring music by Dvorak and Bartok. Artistic Directors David Finckel (cello) and Wu Han (piano) bring together musicians of all ages to perform and the quality and brilliance of the performances is impressive. Yonatan Malin, Assistant Professor of Music at Wesleyan, will give a Pre-concert Talk at 7:15. For tickets, call 685-3355.

Fishbone Cafe, 120 Court Street, has inaugurated its live music series in the upstairs "Boney's Music Lounge." This week, they welcome pianist Kent Hewitt & Trio on Friday and the duo of Joe Fonda (bass) and Charles Neville (saxophones, and he is a member of the famous Neville Brothers Band from New Orleans) on Saturday. For more start times and more information, call 346-6000.

Saturday night, The Buttonwood Tree welcomes back Terry Dame & Electric Junkyard Gamelan for a 7:30 performance. If you've never seen this ensemble and its plethora of home-made instruments (including the electric rubber band harps, wine glasses and percussion made from saw blades and old farm equipment), it's a real treat. Yes, this is definitely music, certainly inventive and always loads of fun (and occasionally a bit noisy.) Ms. Dame is a fine composer, an excellent saxophonist and a tireless inventor. To find out more, go to www.terrydame.com. To reserve a seat, call 347-4957.