Looking for Something to Do? Free Events January 18 to 24

Here are arts and cultural events scheduled Saturday, Jan. 18, to Friday, Jan. 24.

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

"The Wanderers" (1979, R) starring Ken Wahl and Karen Allen will be shown Saturday, Jan. 18, at 2 p.m. at Allendale Branch Library. Set in the Bronx in 1963, a gang of Italian American teens experiences power struggles with each other, family, girlfriends and a rival gang. See the trailer here.

Paris, the City of Lights, has been a center of arts and culture for centuries. Third@First presents The Belrose Duo featuring cellist David Garrett and pianist Junko Ueno Garrett Saturday, Jan. 18, from 4 to 5 p.m. at First United Methodist Church in performance of Chopin's Sonata Op. 65, Debussy's Sonate, Ravel's Habanera, and selections by Fauré. The concert is presented in collaboration with Alliance Française de Pasadena.

An LA Opera community educator will share insights into the upcoming production of the new opera "Eurydice" by Matthew Aucoin and Sarah Ruhl Monday, Jan. 20, at 1 p.m. at the Pasadena Senior Center. In the traditional legend, Orpheus goes on a quest to try and rescue his newlywed bride Eurydice from the underworld, and this new opera is told from Eurydice's point of view. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend, but you do have to be 50 or older.

"Exit, Pursued by a Bear," a play by Lauren Gunderson, will be performed during a staged reading by resident actors at A Noise Within Monday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m. as part of the Words Within series. Inspired by Shakespeare's immortal stage direction in The Winter's Tale ("Exit, pursued by a bear"), the play is about a woman who, with a little help from two friends on Independence Day, wants to escape from years of domestic abuse. While admission is free, reservations are required.

The Screening Mimis Film Discussion Group presents "Gentleman's Agreement" (1947, NR) starring Gregory Peck and Dorothy McGuire Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 1:30 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. A journalist poses as a Jew to glean information first-hand about anti-semitism in America and faces all manner of prejudice, the most insidious being the subtle, so-called gentleman's agreement form of bigotry wherein anti-Jewish sentiments are merely taken for granted. See the trailer here. 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. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend, but you do have to be 50 or older.

A piano trio from Brazil's Universidade Estadual Paulista (Sao Paulo State University) will perform Wednesday, Jan. 22, from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m. for the popular Music at Noon recital series at Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

"Wilma" (1977, NR) starring Shirley Jo Finney and Denzel Washington will be shown Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. African American track and field star Wilma Rudolph overcomes polio to win three gold medals during the 1960 Olympics in Rome. The film is based on true events. 

"Where'd You Go, Bernadette" (2019, PG-13) starring Cate Blanchett and Billy Crudup will be shown Friday, Jan. 24, at 1 p.m. in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center. A loving mother and brilliant architect is compelled to reconnect with her creative passions after years of sacrificing for her family, then when she disappears without a trace, her family sets off on an adventure to solve the mystery of where she might have gone. 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.

Pasadena Community Orchestra presents Beethoven+Griffes+Luna+Kalinnikov Friday, Jan. 24, at 8 p.m. at First Church of the Nazarene. Works will include Beethoven's Coriolan Overture, Griffes' The White Peacock, Kalinnikov's Symphony No. 1 and the world premiere of Dante Luna's Stamping Grounds. 

SAVE THE DATE!

Pasadena's Kidspace Children's Museum and USC Pacific Asia Museum will be among 40 Southern California arts institutions that will open their doors for free during Museums Annual Free-For-All Day Saturday, Jan. 25, during regular operating hours. 

Photo credits: Orion Pictures, David Garrett, LA Opera, A Noise Within, Twentieth Century Fox, Suzuki Association, Cappy Productions, Annapurna Pictures, Pasadena Community Orchestra.