Art festival
‘Fine Art in the Park’
The annual “Fine Art in the Park” festival, sponsored by the Los Altos Rotary Club, will be held Saturday, May 14, and Sunday, May 15, at Lincoln Park, 199 University Ave., Los Altos, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The open-air event features around 170 artists showing a variety of original works in many different media and proceeds go to support local community-service agencies and international-development projects. Refreshments and live entertainment will also be available. This year, the festival is holding a selfie contest, “Like it to Win it!” Participants can take a selfie next to a favorite piece of art and post it on Facebook. The two entrants who earn the most Facebook “likes” for their photos will each earn $100 to go toward the purchase of the artwork. Go to Fine Art in the Park.
Theater
‘The Republican Party in Pieces: A Comedy (In Fragments)’
Stanford Classics in Theater presents a humorous mashup of modern political sound bites and classic Greek drama with its production of “The Republican Party in Pieces: A Comedy (In Fragments)” on Friday, May 13, and Saturday, May 14, at 8 p.m. at Elliott Program Center, 589 Governor’s Ave., Stanford. The action takes place at the 2016 Republican National Convention, with GOP honchos seeking advice from the audience. Admission is $5 general; free with Stanford ID. Go to Stanford Events.
Live music
Frost Music and Arts Festival
Multi-platinum indie hip-hop artist Fetty Wap headlines this year’s Frost Music and Arts Festival, taking place Saturday, May 14, at Frost Amphitheater, Lasuen Street and Roth Way, Stanford, at 2:30 p.m. He’ll be supported by Bay Area rapper Sage the Gemini and Stanford’s own Gin & the Jitters, a co-ed combo with jazz, country and funk influences. Admission is $24 for Stanford students; $35 for faculty/staff; and $44 general. Go to Frost Music.
Choral concert
The music of Randall Thompson
Choral group Schola Cantorum will perform a concert dedicated to the work of composer Randall Thompson, including “Peaceable Kingdom,” “Frostiana,” and “Testament of Freedom,” plus the inspirational “Alleluia,” which was commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1940 and not completed by Thompson until 45 minutes prior to its debut performance. Performances are Saturday, May 14, at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Palo Alto, 1985 Louis Road; and Sunday, May 15, at 3 p.m. at Los Altos United Methodist Church, 655 Magdalena Ave. Tickets are $26 general; free for students under 25. Go to Schola Cantorum.
Author talk
Stephon Alexander
Jazz musician and physics professor Stephon Alexander will discuss “The Jazz of Physics: The Secret Link Between Music and the Structure of the Universe” at Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, on Thursday, May 19, at 7:30 p.m. Alexander is a professor of physics at Brown University and recently recorded a new electronic-jazz album. His book covers his own passions for both science and music and offers insights into how the two disciplines are intertwined. Go to Kepler’s.
Nature
‘Birds of a Feather’
Can’t tell your passerines from your peregrines? Environmental Volunteers is hosting a free introduction to birdwatching on Saturday, May 14, from 10:30 a.m. to noon at The EcoCenter, 2560 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto. Children and adults are invited to learn observation techniques (focusing on feathers and beaks), then going on a Baylands hike. Advanced registration, along with a water bottle and comfortable walking shoes, is suggested. Go to EVols.