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Choirs at MAC Concert.  For more information:  sota@mcmaster.ca or 905-525-9140, ext. 24246.

International Women’s Day Concert by McMaster Women’s Vocal Ensemble.  For more information:  sota@mcmaster.ca or 905-525-9140, ext. 24246.

Lauded for their “intelligence” and “immensely satisfying” playing by the New York Times, the quartet has garnered worldwide praise as one of today’s exceptional string quartets.  Ensemble-in-residence at Florida International University, the group was formed in 1991 while its founding members were students at the Julliard School.  The Amernet advocates for neglected works of the past and aims to enliven the concert experience through its innovative programming.  For this performance, the quartet will be joined by pianist Shoshana Telner.  Among other treats, the program will feature Erich Korngold’s Piano Quintet Opus 15 and Pavel Haas’s String Quartet #2 “From the Monkey Mountains.”  See sota.mcmaster.ca

Tickets $20, senior $15, student $5.

Known internationally as soloists, chamber musicians, orchestral players, recitalists, and fashionistas, Guy and Nadina have been touring since they were teenagers, performing across Canada and around the world. Their lives and music weave a fascinating story.  This program highlights some of their favourite works and stories of travel and touring.  Guy and Nadian are determined to expand the boundaries of classical concerts with their virtuosic playing and lively interpretations.  See sota.mcmaster.ca

Tickets $20, senior $15, student $5.

The Vesuvius Ensemble is dedicated to the musical and cultural heritage of Naples and other parts of southern Italy.  The ensemble performs songs from the Italian countryside in dialects that have been passed on orally and in writing over centuries and finally researched and recorded in the 20th century.  The songs are accompanied by Baroque continuo instruments in combination with rustic string, percussion, and wind instruments typical of the region.  The ensemble is led by Francesco Pellegrino, the Italian tenor who performed at La Scala and now resides in Toronto, teaching Italian art song at the University of Toronto.  Joining him are Marco Cera (oboist with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and guitarist with Polaris Ensemble) and lutenist Lucas Harris.  For more information:sota.mcmaster.ca

Tickets $20, senior $15, student $5.

Jonathan Levin made his debut with the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra when he was 15.  Since then, he has become a sought-after recitalist and soloist.  Jonathan is artistic director and founder of the new Clayton Piano Festival, for the past two years musical director of the outreach program of the Natchez Festival of Music, and on the faculty of Remarkable Theater Brigade’s Summer Young Artists Program for voaclaists.  This recital will feature the Griffes Sonata and Sonata No. 2 by George Walker, who was the first African American composer to receive a Pulitzer Prize in music.

Concert, art show, cocktails, desserts, featuring pianist Shoshana Telner, cellist Rachel Mercer, and violinist Lynn Kuo. Tickets $25, seniors and students $18. Proceeds to benefit the Hamilton Ritualarium. To order tickets: mikvah@adasisrael.ca or 905-528-0039.

Rabbi Green explains that the Ritulariam, located on Cline South, is a ritual pool that all Jewish denominations use for conversions and other religious rites. The Hebrew word is mikvah; it symbolizes rebirth and is the Hebrew word for “hope.”

Noted landscape artist Cory Trepanier has kindly agreed, on very short notice, to present an alternative lecture on Saturday evening. His presentation describes his travels to remote areas of the western and eastern Arctic to explore what he terms “magnificent and fragile landscapes” and to preserve them on canvas and film. He has produced an extensive collection of Arctic paintings and has used his photographs and video journals to create two documentary films about his travels by car and canoe and on foot in northern Canada. He is an experienced speaker who promises interesting stories about his travels, many with his young family, and a compelling vision of places few of us are lucky enough to see in person.

Pancake supper, Mardi Gras style, the day before Ash Wednesday.  Continuous serving from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., featuring pancakes, sausages, real maple syrup, and real fun!  RSVP to David or Jim Simpson, 905-527-1174, or davidsimpson@simpsonwatson.com.