Happenings

Concerts

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, featuring works by Barber, Corigliano, and Mussorgsky, Jan. 11-13, Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Ave., Downtown, Mellon Grand Classics Series, 412-392-4900, www.pittsburghsymphony.org.

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, A Tribute to African American Heroes, 8 p.m. Jan. 15, Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Ave., Downtown, 412-392-4900, www.pittsburghsymphony.org.

Exhibitions

709 Penn Gallery, Celebrating Life and Death in West Africa, Jan. 11-Feb. 22, 709 Penn Ave., Downtown, 412-456-6666, www.pgharts.org.

Carnegie Museum of Art, Picturing Childhood: Pictorialist Family Photography, c. 1890-1940, through Jan. 13; On a Grand Scale: The Hall of Architecture at 100, through Jan. 27; and Design to Be Lit, through Feb. 10, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland, 412-441-9786 ext. 224, www.cmoa.org.

Mattress Factory, India: New Installations, Part II, through Jan. 20, 500 Sampsonia Way, Northside, 412-231-3169, www.mattressfactory.org.

Silver Eye Center for Photography, Fellowship 2007, through Feb. 2, 1015 E. Carson St., South Side, 412-431-1810, www.silvereye.org.

Lectures/Seminars/Readings

“The Effects of U.S. Foreign Assistance on Democracy Building,” Steven E. Finkel, Daniel Wallace Chair in Political Science in Pitt School of Arts and Sciences, 4 p.m. Jan. 8, 2500 Posvar Hall, Provost’s Inaugural Lecture Series, www.provost.pitt.edu.

Derek Handley and Steph Green, poetry and flash fiction reading, 8:30 p.m. Jan. 8, Fuel and Fuddle, 212 Oakland Ave., Oakland, Fuel and Fuddle Reading Series, www.english.pitt.edu.

“The Future of Pathology,” George Michalopoulos, Pitt professor of pathology, noon-1 p.m. Jan. 11, Lecture Room 3, Floor 4 Scaife Hall, Pitt Department of Pathology, 412-648-9000, www.medschool.pitt.edu/megr.

“Explanatory Surdity,” Nicholas Rescher, Pitt professor of philosophy, chair of Center for Philosophy of Science, 12:05 p.m. Jan. 11, 817R Cathedral of Learning, Pitt Center for Philosophy of Science, www.pitt.edu/~pittcntr.

John Corigliano, Pittsburgh Symphony Composer of the Year, 4 p.m. Jan. 11, 132 Music Building, Pitt Department of Music, www.music.pitt.edu.

Timothy Corrigan, professor of cinema studies at the University of Pennsylvania, noon Jan. 12, 501 Cathedral of Learning, Pitt Film Studies Program, www.pitt.edu/~filmst.

“What Do Gay Men Want? Sex, Risk, and the Subjective Life of Male Homosexuality,” David Halperin, professor of history at the University of Michigan, 4-5:30 p.m. Jan. 12, 501 Cathedral of Learning, Pitt Women’s Studies Program, www.pitt.edu/~wstudies.

“Passive vs. Driven Evolutionary Trends,” Derek Turner, professor of philosophy at Connecticut College, 12:05 p.m. Jan. 15, 817R Cathedral of Learning, Pitt Center for Philosophy of Science, www.pitt.edu/~pittcntr.

Miscellaneous

Art at Noon: Two Collectors—An (Un)common Legacy, lecture and exhibition by Sarah Hall, director of Curatorial Affairs, noon Jan. 10, Art Museum Auditorium, Frick Art and Historical Center, 7227 Reynolds St., Point Breeze, 412-371-0600, www.frickart.org.

Civil Liberties Coffee House Discussion Group, “Guantanamo: The Enemy Is Us,” Don Guter, dean of Duquesne University School of Law, 7 p.m. Jan. 10, Coffee Tree Roaster, 5524 Walnut St., Shadyside; 7 p.m. Jan. 17, Panera’s at the Galleria, 1500 Washington Road, South Hills, American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, www.aclupa.org/events/discussiongroups/.

Opera/Theater/Dance

Plaid Tidings, directed by Guy Stroman, through Jan. 13, Cabaret Theater, 655 Penn Ave., Downtown, 412-456-6666, www.clocabaret.com.

Three Rivers Run Through It, Second City performance, Jan. 8-13, O’Reilly Theater, 621 Penn Ave., Downtown, Pittsburgh Public Theater, 412-316-1600, www.ppt.org.

Disney’s The Lion King, directed by Julie Taymor, Jan. 10-Feb. 17, Benedum Center, 719 Liberty Ave., Downtown, PNC Broadway Across America Series, 412-456-6666, www.pgharts.org.

Menopause the Musical: The Hilarious Celebration of Women and the Change! Jan. 11-20, Byham Theater, 719 Liberty Ave., Downtown, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, 412-456-6666, www.pgharts.org.

Pitt PhD Dissertation Defenses

Susan Parker, Department of Instruction and Learning in Pitt’s School of Education, “The Experiences of Parents in Fostering Friendships for Their Preschool Children With Disabilities,” 9 a.m. Jan. 9, 5140 Posvar Hall.

Erin L. Gemmill, Department of Epidemiology in Pitt Graduate School of Public Health, “Accelerometer Compliance in Older Adults,” 8:30 a.m. Jan. 10, 5th Floor Conference Room, Bellefield Professional Building.

Katherine Reeves, Department of Epidemiology in Pitt Graduate School of Public Health, “The Effects of Anthropometry and Angiogenesis on Breast Cancer Etiology,” 9 a.m. Jan. 11, A425 Crabtree Hall.

Yahtyng Sheu, Department of Epidemiology in Pitt Graduate School of Public Health, “Determinants of Skeletal Health in Afro-Caribbean Men,” 1 p.m. Jan. 14, A523 Crabtree Hall.

Richard C. Gerkin, Center for Neuroscience in Pitt’s School of Medicine, “Synaptic Scaling and the Emergence of Network Dynamics,” 3 p.m. Jan. 15, 1495 Biomedical Science Tower