Photo by Ziggy Mack
Paquita in the Park, Levitt Shell
Paquita in the Park
Levitt Shell, 1928 Poplar
Friday-Saturday, April 9-10, 7 p.m.
Ballet Memphis has a treat in store for you at the Levitt Shell in Overton Park this weekend. This special outdoor performance will include: Water of the Flowery Mill choreographed by Matthew Neenan, Being Here With Other People choreographed by Steven McMahon, and Paquita choreographed by Marius Petipa and staged by Julie Marie Niekrasz and Steven McMahon.
Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, and picnic baskets, or enjoy fare from the food trucks.
Read more about this performance from Contemporary Media's art savvy Jon Sparks here.
Artist reception for “Assessments”
Photo by Nelson Gutierrez, courtesy of 2021 Projects
Artist reception for “Assessment,” 2021 Projects
Maritza Davila and Carl E. Moore will talk about their art in the current exhibition.
2021 Projects, 55 South Main
Saturday, April 10, 1-3 p.m.
This colorful exhibition is a thoughtful evaluation addressing the series of events that took place in the previous year. “Assessments” is about how artists have dealt with being quarantined, working in isolation, dealing with canceled exhibitions, and rethinking art-making processes while watching the world change around us.
The collaboration reflects how an artist’s work responds to the human condition of two cultures, two stories, and two narratives.
Maritza Davila and Carl E. Moore will close the exhibition with a meet and greet. You are invited to learn more about the 2021 Projects gallery, the artists, their work, and their individual creative process.
Time Warp Drive-In presents Alfred Hitchcock: Master of the Thriller
Malco Summer 4 Drive-In, 5310 Summer
Saturday, April 10, 7:30 p.m.
The master of suspense and often witty Alfred Hitchcock will be your host this weekend. Get ready to celebrate some of his most famous thrillers under the stars, in your car. Featured films include Psycho (1960), Vertigo (1958), and Dial M for Murder (1954).
Hitchcock directed over 50 feature films and worked with some of the most famous Hollywood stars like Grace Kelly, Cary Grant, and Ingrid Bergman. His camera style separated his work from other filmmakers of the time, maximizing anxiety and fear by framing shots and using the camera movement to mimic a person's gaze, turning viewers into voyeurs.
His secret to success? “Always make the audience suffer as much as possible,” explains Hitchcock.
30 Days of Opera: Drive-Thru Aria
Opera Memphis, 6745 Wolf River Boulevard
Sunday, Apr. 11, 2-4 p.m.
30 Days of Opera is back.
Every year for nearly a decade, Opera Memphis has delivered a solid month of free, outdoor music events throughout the city. The chorus of artists at Opera Memphis have performed for hundreds of thousands of Memphians in hundreds of locations. When the pandemic began last March and the Midtown Opera Festival had to be canceled, an all-digital version was produced. A live version was in the works for September, but that proved impossible.
Now it is back. Perhaps not during the large festivals or concerts as in the past, but in a slightly different format with new and exciting ways to celebrate opera. Ten additional singers were hired to help spread music. In addition to this Sunday’s drive-thru, an additional drive-thru performance is scheduled for Saturday, April 24. You can also request a 30 Days of Opera performance in your area.
Visit operamemphis.org for a full schedule with events added weekly.
Music on the Square: “Caged”
Overton Square, 2001 Madison
Sunday, April 11, 8 p.m.
Iris Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, and Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music come together to present a chamber concert celebrating the collaborative nature of music and the power of collective purpose. Featuring special guest artist Marisa Polesky.
The program includes the live world premiere of “Caged,” a string quintet inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic with an exclusive introduction by the composer, Brian Nabors.
For a full list of what’s happening this weekend in and around Memphis, check out our calendar of events. Also, be sure to tag your favorite Instagram photos of Memphis while you are out and about with the #memphismagazine hashtag. I hope you have a great weekend.
