The musical works of local composer Paul Gay will be put to “the dance” this weekend when the Ballet Vero Beach presents its second program in its “Composer’s Notebook” series. Gay’s lyrical and classically informed works will serve as the backdrop to the ballet company’s program exploring love and loss. Featured will be artistic director Adam Schnell’s romantic take on “Madama Butterfly” in which Cio-Cio San goes with Pinkerton rather than staying behind. The program also includes “Divertissement Nostalgique” by choreographer Camilo A. Rodriguez, who sets the history of the ballerina from the Romantic to contemporary eras. That work is set to the composer’s “Beethoven Variants.” And, as a variant on a dance/music theme, Schnell and Rodriguez teamed up to create dance to Gay’s “Sonata for Violin and Piano.” The program begins 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, and Saturday, Feb. 29, at the Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center, 1707 16th St. Tickets are $10 to $75. Call 772-905-2651 or visit BalletVeroBeach.org.
The actual “Fat Tuesday” may have come and gone, but you can still laissez les bon temps rouler at the 6th Annual Mardi Gras Celebration. Guests will enjoy a Bourbon Street buffet, casino games and samba dancers. There will also be stilt walkers, beads, prizes, a magician a 50/50 raffle and an open bar. Proceeds benefit the We Care Foundation. Tickets are $175. The fun runs 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. this Friday, Feb. 28, at the Oak Harbor Club, 4755 South Harbor Drive, Vero Beach. Call 772-562-0123 or visit WeCareOfIRC.org.
Learn about the new state-of-the-art submersibles, see a video of a giant squid, talk with explorers and sip glow-in-the-dark cocktails at ORCA’s Explorer Experience Saturday evening. This rare event is sponsored by the Ocean Research & Conversation Association and Triton Submarines. There will also be a silent auction with some amazing items like a dive in a Triton submersible. There’s also going to be an auction for a deluxe underwater excursion in the Bahamas. This event benefits ORCA. It runs 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. this Saturday, Feb. 29, at Triton Submarines, 10055 102nd Terrace, Sebastian. Tickets are $200. Proceeds benefit ORCA. Call 772-467-1600 or email events@TeamORCA.org.
Learn something new about American artist Georgia O’Keeffe at a lecture scheduled for Monday at the Vero Beach Museum of Art. Wanda M. Corn, professor emerita in art history at Stanford University, will turn a keen eye onto the blurred line between the artist’s work and her personal style. This is part of the museum’s popular International Lecture Series. They are so popular that they are simulcast in the Leonhardt Auditorium. Tickets start at $80. The museum is at 3001 Riverside Park Dr. The talk coincides with the museum’s current exhibition, “From Home to Hopper: American Art from the Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.” Admission to the museum galleries is $12 general, $11 seniors and $5 for students with I.D. Call 772-231-0707 or visit VBMuseum.org.
From pop to Sergei Rachmaninoff to Paul McCartney, there is bound to be some music that will fill out your week. It begins Friday and Saturday at “How at the Moon: Mardi Gras Nights” at Riverside Theatre. With plenty of festive decor, a New Orleans style menu, non-stop upbeat music and plenty of opportunity to dance, this should more fun than you can stand. It runs 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, and Saturday, Feb. 29. Tickets start at $12 for side seats and go up to $22 for table seating. Riverside Theatre is at 3250 Riverside Park Dr., Vero Beach. Call 772-231-6990 or visit RiversideTheatre.com.
It begins Sunday when the Space Coast Symphony presents “The Romance of Rachmaninoff” with virtuoso pianist Jamila Tekalli and under the baton of Aaron Collins. The program begins 3 p.m. Sunday, March 1, at the Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center, 1707 16th St. Tickets are $25 and $30. Those 18 years and younger are admitted free. Call 855-252-7276 or visit SpaceCoastSymphony.org.
The multimedia tribute show “Live and Let Die: The Music of Paul McCartney” takes the stage 7 p.m. Thursday, March 5, at the Emerson Center. The show stars a Paul McCartney look-a-like, singer/musician Tony Kishman, who starred in the national and international tours of the Broadway show “Beatlemania.” He’s been doing this show for years. Tickets are $30 to $95. The Emerson Center is at 1590 27th Ave., Vero Beach. Call 800-595-4849 or visit MusicWorksConcerts.com.
