Kansas State University

MANHATTAN -- April brings a host of musical, theatrical and artistic events to the Kansas State University campus -- just in time for spring.

The following events, all free unless otherwise indicated, are sponsored by the university's McCain Performance Series; the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance; and the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art. They include:

* The exhibition "Konza: Sculpture by John Douglas Powers" is on display through July at the Beach Museum of Art. Powers' kinetic sculpture, which evokes the Konza Prairie near Manhattan, is constructed from brass, aluminum and stainless steel.

* "Good Boy, Bad Boy: The Prints of John Boyd" is the exhibition in honor of the 2013 Friends of the Beach Museum of Art gift print artist. This exhibition of Boyd's printmaking, which captures the humor and occasional darkness in his art, runs through May 26.

* The Beach Museum's collaborative, interdisciplinary exhibition the "Museum of Wonder" is on view through Oct. 12. The exhibition celebrates Kansas State University's sesquicentennial and land-grant heritage and showcases artifacts from numerous university departments.

* The Beach Museum will open the exhibition "An American in Venice: James McNeill Whistler and His Legacy" on Tuesday, April 2. It features 11 of the prints Whistler created during 14 months in Venice starting in 1879. This exhibition is organized by the Syracuse University Art Galleries in New York runs through June 23.

* Tuesday, April 2, is Home School Tuesday at the Beach Museum. Children will participate in a "Museum of Wonder" program from 1-2:30 p.m. The class costs $3 per child or $1.50 per child for Friends of the Beach Museum of Art members. Reservations are required. Call 785-532-7718 or email klwalk@k-state.edu. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

* Guest pianists Sofia Cabruja and Carles Lama from Spain will perform a recital at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 2, in All Faiths Chapel. The pair regularly perform across the world, including in Paris, London, Madrid, Brussels, Rome, Barcelona, Milan, Prague, Belgrade, Tokyo, Shanghai, Moscow and Buenos Aires.

* The bassoon studio of Susan Maxwell, instructor of music, will perform a recital at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, April 3, in All Faiths Chapel.

* The dance program's annual Spring Dance will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 5, and Saturday, April 6, at McCain Auditorium. Tickets for this event cost $8-$14, plus applicable taxes and fees, and can be purchased at the McCain Auditorium box office, by phone at 785-532-6428 or online at http://www.k-state.edu/mccain.

* The percussion studio of Kurt Gartner, professor of music, will perform a recital at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 8, in All Faiths Chapel.

* The K-State Flute Ensemble, directed by Karen McLoughlin Large, assistant professor of music, will present at recital at 7:30 pm. Monday, April 8, in 204 McCain Auditorium.

* K-State Theatre will present a reading of Dustin Lance Black's play "8" at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 7, in Nichols Theatre. Seating is on a first-come basis. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The play chronicles the federal appeals court trial that overturned California's Proposition 8, an anti-gay marriage amendment to the state's constitution.

* Trumpet soloist Alison Balsom and the internationally-acclaimed Scottish Ensemble will perform at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, in McCain Auditorium as part of the McCain Performance Series. The concert will feature works by Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi and more. Tickets for this event cost $18-$42, plus applicable taxes and fees, and can be purchased at the McCain Auditorium box office, by phone at 785-532-6428 or online at http://www.k-state.edu/mccain.

* The annual Sticks and Strings concert will be at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, in All Faiths Chapel. This recital features percussion and string ensembles coached by Cora Cooper and Kurt Gartner, professors of music.

* The Beach Museum will partner with university's music program to present a public mid-day student performance featuring saxophone students at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 10, at the museum.

*Journey back to 19th-century Italy for an informal exploration of "An American in Venice: James McNeill Whistler and His Legacy" with Liz Seaton, Beach Museum curator, and Jason Scuilla, associate professor of art at the university, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, at the Beach Museum of Art. This exhibition of 35 works presents Whistler's prints from this period alongside the work of his followers who were practicing in Italy in the late-19th and early-20th centuries.

* The music program's annual Honors Recital will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 12, in All Faiths Chapel. The recital is a competition featuring the best performers from the program's string, wind, percussion, voice and keyboard divisions. Scholarships and awards will be presented at the conclusion of the competition.

* The university's tap dance ensemble will perform at Relay for Life from 11:15-11:45 p.m. Friday, April 12, in Memorial Stadium.

* Faculty organist David Pickering, assistant professor of music, will present a solo recital at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 17, in All Faiths Chapel.

* The music program's General Student Recital will be at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, April 18, in All Faiths Chapel. The recital will feature student performers from the voice, keyboard, wind, string and/or percussion divisions.

* The Purple Masque Theatre will present "Kimberly Akimbo," a comedy by David Lindsay-Abaire, at 7:30 p.m. April 18-20 at the theatre in East Stadium. Kimberly is a 16-year-old girl whose problems go far beyond what others her age might ever experience -- she has an out-of-the-ordinary physical disorder that causes her to age faster than normal. She also has to cope with her dysfunctional family. Tickets cost $4-$7, plus additional taxes and fees, and can be purchased at the McCain Auditorium box office, by phone at 785-532-6428 or online at http://www.k-state.edu/mccain.

* The spring show of the university's a cappella ensemble, In-A-Chord, will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 19, in McCain Auditorium Tickets are available from In-A-Chord members or by calling the music office at 785-532-5740.

* Works from the Beach Museum's John Steuart Curry collection will be on display from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 20, in the museum's auditorium. The museum will also host a gallery search, complete with prizes and refreshments, in conjunction with the All-University Open House.

* World-famous classical musician Itzhak Perlman, "the reigning virtuoso of the violin," will perform at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 21, in McCain Auditorium as part of the McCain Performance Series. Tickets cost $37.50-$125, plus applicable taxes and fees, and can be purchased at the McCain Auditorium box office, by phone at 785-532-6428 or online at http://www.k-state.edu/mccain.

* A recital by the Konza Wind Quintet will be at 7:30 p.m. in All Faiths Chapel Monday, April 22. Members of the ensemble include flautist Karen McLaughlin Large, assistant professor of music; oboist Nora Lewis, assistant professor of music; clarinetist Tod Kerstetter, professor of music; French hornist Jacqueline Fassler-Kerstter, professor of music; and bassoonist Susan Maxwell, instructor of music.

* The K-State Orchestra, directed by David Littrell, university distinguished professor of music, will present "An Evening with Rodgers and Hammerstein Classics" at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, in McCain Auditorium. The event will feature songs from "State Fair," "Carousel," "South Pacific," "The King and I," "The Sound of Music" and "Oklahoma!"

* The K-State Jazz Bands, directed by Wayne Goins, professor of music, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 25, in Forum Hall at the K-State Student Union.

* The theatre program in the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, will present the play "The Heiress" at 7:30 p.m. April 25-27 and May 2-4 and at 2:30 p.m. May 5 in Nichols Theatre. Set in the 1850s, the play is about a shy and plain young girl who falls desperately in love with a delightful young fortune hunter. Tickets cost $8-$14, plus applicable taxes and fees, and can be purchased at the McCain Auditorium box office, calling 785-532-6428 or online at http://www.k-state.edu/mccain.

* The spring show of the K-State Singers, directed by Julie Yu-Oppenheim and Joshua Oppenheim, assistant professors of music, will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 26, in McCain Auditorium. Tickets are available from the K-State Singers or by calling the music program office at 785-532-5740.

* The university's tap dance ensemble will perform at Beastie Ballyhoo at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 28, in Manhattan City Park. Proceeds from this event will benefit the Humane Society.

* The Russian National Ballet Theatre will perform "Swan Lake," one of the most popular classical ballets of all time, at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 28, in McCain Auditorium as part of the McCain Performance Series. Tickets cost $17-$46, plus applicable taxes and fees, and can be purchased at the McCain Auditorium box office, calling 785-532-6428 or online at http://www.k-state.edu/mccain.

* Concerts by the K-State Concert Choir, Collegiate Chorale, and Men's and Women's Choirs, directed by Julie Yu-Oppenheim and Joshua Oppenheim, will be at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 29, and Monday, April 30, in All Faiths Chapel.

* The Beach Museum will host an exploration of its "Museum of Wonder" exhibit as part of its ARTSmart program for families from April 30-May 3. The schedule includes: 4:15-5:15 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, and Wednesday, May 1, students of all ages; 10:30-11 a.m. Wednesday, May 1, toddlers and 2-year-olds; 10:30-11:30 a.m. Thursday, May 2, ages 2 and 3; 4:15-5:15 p.m. May 2, school-age children -- kindergarten and up; and 10:30-11:30 a.m. Friday, May 3, ages 4-5.

* Tuesday, April 30, is Home School Tuesday at the Beach Museum. Children will participate in a "Museum of Wonder" program from 1-2:30 p.m. The class is $3 per child; $1.50 per child for Friends of the Beach Museum of Art members. Reservations are required. Call 785-532-7718 or email klwalk@k-state.edu. Children must be accompanied by an adult.