Looking for Something to Do? Free Pasadena Events November 16 to 22

Here are arts and entertainment events scheduled Saturday, Nov. 16, to Friday, Nov. 22.

All events are free, so take a look -- and don't you dare say there's nothing to do in Pasadena!

Third@First presents Stephen Pierce and Junko Ueno Garrett performing piano for four hands Saturday, Nov. 16, from 4 to 5 p.m. at First United Methodist Church. Selections will include Mozart's Sonata, Schubert's Deutscher mit zwei Trios und zwei Landler, Schuman's Bilder aus Osten, Poulenc's Sonata and Barber's Souvenirs.

Berman Board is an ongoing exhibition at Armory Center for the Arts through Jan. 12 that considers the future of 11 objects that originated from regions and cultures across Africa, Asia, Oceania and North America. On Saturday, Nov. 16, from 4 to 6 p.m. voice actor Nell Doshi will orate the various documents used to catalog the Berman Board collections. The documents provide further information and context by describing elements such as purchase history, media type, formal qualities and more.

Soprano Diana Diaz, accompanied by pianist Esther Liu, will perform American and British songs of World War I Sunday, Nov. 17, at 2:30 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. Selections will include George M. Cohan's "Over There," Irving Berlin's "O, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning," Frederick Weatherly's "Roses of Picardy," Zo Elliott's "There's a Long, Long Trail" and more.

The Baseball Reliquary presents "A Swinging Centennial: Jackie Robinson at 100" featuring legendary cornetist Bobby Bradford's jazz suite "Stealing Home" and the Donavan/Muradian Jazz Quintet Sunday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. at Boston Court. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

An LA Opera community educator will share insights into the upcoming production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 1791 German opera "The Magic Flute" Monday, Nov. 18, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. One of the most iconic operas of all time, the fairy tale is about a prince who sets out with a magic flute, magic bells and the assistance of a bird catcher to rescue the daughter of the Queen of the Night from the supposedly dark lord Sarastro, but all is not as it seems. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend, but you do have to be 50 or older.

The Screening Mimis Film Discussion Group presents "White Squall" (1996, PG-13) starring Jeff Bridges and Scott Wolf Tuesday, Nov. 19, at 1:30 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. Teenagers from a prep school for boys take a trip aboard the brigantine ship Albatross in 1960 captained by a grizzled seafarer. The long voyage combines classroom work, character-building and adventure, and the boys experience a life-altering event that foreshadows their ultimate fate. The film is based on true events. The Screening Mimis Film Discussion Group features a provocative movie the first and third Tuesday of every month, preceded by a presentation about the film's hidden history and followed by a lively discussion. Free popcorn will be available. See the trailer here. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend, but you do have to be 50 or older.

The Syrinx Quintet woodwind ensemble will perform works ranging from the Renaissance era to contemporary and popular genres Wednesday, Nov. 20, from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m. for the popular Music at Noon recital series at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

"Follies in Concert" (1985, NR), the PBS Great Performances concert version of Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman's landmark Broadway musical, will be shown Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. The Weismann Follies showgirls reunite one last time before their old theater is torn down, and they sing and dance through old numbers while confronting past regrets and misplaced hopes. See a trailer here.

The Pasadena Conservatory of Music Guitar Orchestra will perform Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m. in the conservatory's Barrett Hall. 

Families of all ages are invited to take part in theater games and improv Thursday, Nov. 21, at 3:30 p.m. at Hill Avenue Branch Library. Clown around and play games that enhance focus and listening skills.

Sej Saraiya, a documentary and cultural conservation photographer and filmmaker, will share her experiences documenting ritual and spirituality in her home country of India Thursday, Nov. 21, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the USC Pacific Asia Museum. She has traveled to the deep interiors of Asia to capture portraits that tell stories of cultures on the brink of extinction. Click here to RSVP for your free tickets.

SAVE THE DATE!

The Pasadena Doo Dah Parade -- the twisted sister of that other parade -- will feature a memorable cast of eccentrics, pundits, bands and merrymakers, many in/on inventive and zany art cars and floats, Sunday, Nov. 24, beginning at 11 a.m. on Colorado Boulevard between Altadena Drive and San Gabriel Boulevard. Bring a lawn chair and plan on arriving by about 10 a.m. to claim your spot on the sidewalk. 

Photo credits: Stephen Pierce, Junko Ueno Garrett, Armory Center for the Arts, Take Two Records, Pomona College, The New York Times, DMQ-Donavan/Muradian Quintet, LA Opera, Hollywood Pictures, Syrinx Quintet, PBS, Converse College, Edmond Fine Arts Institute, Sej Saraiya.