Kansas State University

MANHATTAN — April brings puppetry, Shakespeare, intriguing films, philosophical discussions about art, student and faculty musical performances and more to the Kansas State University campus.

The following cultural events, sponsored by the university's McCain Performance Series, Mariana Kistler Beach Museum of Art and the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, will take place on campus. Most events are free, unless otherwise noted, and include:

• The Bassoon Studio of Susan Maxwell, instructor of music, will perform a recital at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 2, in McCain Auditorium's Kirmser Hall.

• The film "Breaking the Maya Code" will be shown at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 3, at the Beach Museum of Art. The film is the story of the 200-year struggle to unlock the secrets of the world's last major undeciphered writing system. Based on archaeologist and historian Michael Coe's book of the same title, this detective story is filled with false leads, rivalries and colliding personalities. A Q&A with David Lebrun, film director, and Yuval Ron, score composer, follows the screening.

• The madcap comedy "Anton in Show Business" by Jane Martin will be presented by K-State Theatre at 7:30 p.m. April 3-5 in East Stadium's Purple Masque Theatre. Tickets are $7 for the general public, seniors and military, and $4 for students, plus tax. They can be purchased at the McCain Auditorium box office from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, or by phone at 785-532-6428. Fees will apply to phone orders.

• Kansas State University alumna Jan Kraybill will present an organ recital at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 3, in All Faiths Chapel. Kraybill is principal organist for the Dome and Spire Organ Foundation, an affiliate of the international headquarters of Community of Christ in Independence, Mo., and organ conservator at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City.

• The timeless love story "West Side Story" comes to McCain Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 3. The Bernstein and Sondheim score, considered to be one of Broadway’s finest, features classics of American musical theatre, "Something's Coming," "Tonight," "America," "I Feel Pretty" and "Somewhere." Purchase tickets at the McCain Auditorium box office, online at http://www.k-state.edu/mccain or by calling 785-532-6428.

• The film "Dance of the Maize God" will be at 7 p.m. Friday, April 4, at the Beach Museum of Art. In the past 50 years, thousands of exquisitely painted Maya vases, almost all looted from royal tombs, have flooded into the world's public and private collections. "Dance of the Maize God"enters the world of the vases to explore the royal life and rich mythology of the Maya, as well as the tangled issues involved in the collection and study of Maya art. The story is told by villagers, looters, archeologists, scholars, dealers and curators. A Q&A with David Lebrun, film director, and Yuval Ron, score composer, follows the screening.

• The Kansas State University Tap Dance Ensemble will dance on the Bosco Student Plaza, in front of the K-State Student Union, from 11:15 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 5, as part of the All-University Open House.

• The world's largest stringed instrument is featured in "Earth Harp Meets Oud" at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 6, in McCain Auditorium. In this McCain Performance Series presentation, artist and musician William Close will play the earth harp, the world's largest stringed instrument, which he invented. The performance also features Yuval Ron on the oud. Tickets can be purchased at the McCain Auditorium box office, online at http://www.k-state.edu/mccain or by calling 785-532-6428.

• "Maya Variations for Earth Harp," a concert, will be at 8 p.m. Sunday, April 6, in Hale Library's Great Room. The event is part of the university's Creativity Illuminated celebration April 3-6. "Maya Variations" is a multimedia work that showcases Close on Earth Harp; Manoukian on Armenian woodwinds; musical composition by Ron; and video imagery by filmmaker Lebrun. The piece contrasts the ancient Mayan civilization and its connection to nature with our contemporary industrialized civilization and its reliance on technology. The performance features the strings of the Earth Harp soaring over the audience in the Great Room — known as the "Harry Potter Room" — for a special sensory experience. Tickets are required and can be purchased by calling 785-532-6428.

• The round table "Philosophy and Borges" will be from 4-6 p.m. Monday, April 7, at the Beach Museum of Art. Speakers will include Jorge Gracia, philosopher and exhibition curator; Diana Perez, philosopher; and James Hamilton, professor of philosophy, and Marcelo Sabates, associate provost for international programs, both at Kansas State University.

• "Philosophy and Borges," a talk by Jorge Gracia, Samuel P. Capen chair and SUNY distinguished professor, departments of philosophy and of comparative literature, University at Buffalo, Amherst, will be at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, at the Beach Museum of Art.

• Guest pianist Matthew Edwards will present a solo recital at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, in All Faiths Chapel. Edwards is a professor of music and director of keyboard studies at Missouri Western State University.

• The early release workshop "Chihuly" will be offered from 2-4 p.m. Wednesday, April 9, at the Beach Museum of Art. Participants won't be blowing glass, but will produce a beautiful end product. This workshop is for ages 7 and up because of the heating process. The cost is $5 per participant, or $3 for members.

• Students from the wind, brass, string, percussion, voice and keyboard divisions of the music program will perform a general student recital at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, April 10, in All Faiths Chapel.

• The fourth annual End of Year Showcase by the university's Tap Dance Ensemble will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 10, in All Faiths Chapel.

• The Week of the Young Child celebration will be 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 10, at the Beach Museum of Art. Gallery activities and art projects will be geared toward families with children of all ages and include resources from Picturing America from the National Endowment for the Humanities. It is co-sponsored by Riley County Head Start and Early Head Start.

• The annual Honors Recital/Competition will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 11, in All Faiths Chapel. The evening features the music program's top students, selected from competitive auditions earlier in the semester, competing for scholarships. Many other music program honors will be presented, including naming the Presser Undergraduate Scholar, a national award that includes a substantial cash prize.

• Slow Art Day will be 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 12, at the Beach Museum of Art. Discover the joy of looking at and loving art using the museum's "Painting Borges" exhibition. Bring your lunch and join others at noon for discussion; coffee and dessert provided. Information and registration at http://www.slowartday.com/participate/.

• The university's Percussion Quintet will perform "Amid the Noise" at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 13, in McCain Auditorium's Kirmser Hall.

• The internationally acclaimed Cashore Marionettes will present two shows Sunday, April 13, at Forum Hall in the K-State Student Union as part of the McCain Performance Series. Both shows feature the artistry, grace and beauty of movement of the group's puppetry. "Simple Gifts" will be presented at 5 p.m. and "Life in Motion" will be at 7:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased for each show at the McCain Auditorium box office, online at http://www.k-state.edu/mccain or by calling 785-532-6428.

• The Saxophone Studio of Anna Marie Wytko, assistant professor of music, will perform a recital at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 14, in McCain Auditorium's Kirmser Hall.

• The Upper Division Percussion Studio of Kurt Gartner, professor of music, will perform a concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 14, in All Faiths Chapel.

• "Sticks and Strings," the semiannual performance featuring chamber music performances by student string ensembles and student keyboard percussion groups, will be at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 16, in All Faiths Chapel. Cora Cooper, professor of music, coaches the string ensembles, and Kurt Gartner, professor of music, coaches the percussion groups.

• The Flute Ensemble, coordinated by Karen Large, assistant professor of music, will present a recital at 7:30 p.m. April 16, in McCain Auditorium's Kirmser Hall.

• The university's Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble, Clarinet Ensemble and Bassoon Ensemble will share a recital at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 17, in All Faiths Chapel. Steve Maxwell, assistant professor of music, coaches the Tuba/Euphonium ensemble; Tod Kerstetter, professor of music, coaches the Clarinet Ensemble; and Susan Maxwell, instructor of music, coaches the Bassoon Ensemble.

• Auditions for the 2014-2015 Kansas State University Tap Dance Ensemble will be 3-5 p.m. Friday, April 18, in Studio 026 in Nichols Hall. Contact Julie Pentz at jpentz@k-state.edu for more information.

• Know as "the rock star of the digital organ," Cameron Carpenter will perform as part of the McCain Performance Series at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 19, in McCain Auditorium. Carpenter is the first organist ever nominated for a Grammy Award for a solo album. Tickets may be purchased at the McCain Auditorium box office, online at http://www.k-state.edu/mccain or by calling 785-532-6428.

• The Percussion Ensemble, conducted by Kurt Gartner, professor of music, will perform a concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 21, McCain Auditorium.

• Guest pianist Emil Ribarski will perform a solo recital at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 21, in McCain Auditorium's Kirmser Hall. Ribarski is a professor of piano at the State Music School in Skopje, Macedonia.

• The Kansas State University Orchestra, directed by David Littrell, distinguished professor of music, will perform its final concert of the semester at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, in McCain Auditorium. The program features Kabalevsky's "Colas Breugnon"Overture, Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade," and two concerto competition winners: Deborah Caldwell on trumpet and Joe Kulick on marimba. Caldwell is a master's student in music performance and Kulick is a senior in music education.

• The university's Brass Ensemble, directed by graduate conducting students, will perform a concert at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, in All Faiths Chapel.

• Pianist Robert Edwards, emeritus professor of music; flautist Karen Large, assistant professor of music; and oboist Nora Lewis, associate professor of music, will perform a recital at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 24, in All Faiths Chapel.

• Join the Beach Museum of Art and the music program from the university's School of Music, Theatre, and Dance for a performance featuring students from the vocal division at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 24.

• K-State Theatre will wrap up its season with the Oscar Wilde classic "The Importance of Being Earnest." The comedy, which follows the distressing romances of two hapless gentlemen, will be presented at 7:30 p.m. April 24-26 and May 1-3, with a matinee at 2:30 p.m. May 4, all in Nichols Hall's Chapman Theatre. Tickets are available at the McCain Auditorium box office or online at http://www.k-state.edu/theatre/.

• The university's popular a capella ensemble, In-A-Chord, will present a spring concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 24, in McCain Auditorium. Tickets are available from members of the group or at the door. They cost $5 in advance or $10 at the door. More information about In-A-Chord is available by liking the group on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/KSUInAChord; following the group on Twitter, @In_A_Chord; or visiting http://www.kstatechoirs.com/in-a-chord.html.

• Pianist Slawomir Dobrzanski, associate professor of music, will perform a solo recital at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 25, in Hale Library's Hemisphere Room as part of the Hale Library Concert Series. Contact Darchelle Martin at 785-532-7442 or libfrnds@k-state.edu to purchase tickets through the Friends of Hale Library.

• The K-State Singers will perform "Fight or Flight," the group's spring show, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 25, in McCain Auditorium. Tickets are available by calling the McCain Auditorium box office at 785-532-6428 between 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays, or reserve them at http://bit.ly/1fTD7Zl.

• The Kansas State University Tap Dance Ensemble will perform from 9:45-10 p.m. Saturday, April 25, as part of the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life at Memorial Stadium.

• The Kansas State University Men's Choir and Women's Choir, conducted by Joshua Oppenheim, assistant professor of music, will perform a concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 27, in All Faiths Chapel.

• Shakespeare's tragic tale "Romeo and Juliet" will be told with the beauty and splendor of the Moscow Ballet at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 27, in McCain Auditorium. This timeless tale of two star-crossed young lovers consumed by their families' bitter feud features Tchaikovsky's score and Petipa's majestic choreography. Tickets may be purchased at the McCain Auditorium box office, online at http://www.k-state.edu/mccain or by calling 785-532-6428.

• Collegium Musicum, the university's college-community early music ensemble, will perform a concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 28, in All Faiths Chapel. Thomas Bell, graduate services librarian at Hale Library, directs the ensemble.

• The Jazz Combos, directed by Wayne Goins, professor of music, will perform a concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 29, in Union Station.

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