Friday, Nov. 18

Wu Man and Ensemble. Wu Man, a virtuoso pipe player, performs Chen Yi’s spellbinding opus “Ancient Dances” with his lute-like instrument accompanied by percussionists. Images of ancient Chinese calligraphy will be projected in the background, creating a multimedia event. Sanders Theatre. 8 p.m. Tickets available through the Harvard Box Office, (617) 496-2222. $38/28/23/20. (KAF)

Scissorfight. Boston-based punk rockers Scissorfight, whose vocalist, Ironlung, once dislocated his shoulder in the middle of a show and spent the remainder of said show attempting to punch it back into place, team up with the Neighborhoods, Clouds, and Dana Colley for a raucous night of music. The Middle East Downstairs. 8 p.m. 18+. Tickets available from the Middle East box office or through Ticketmaster. $15. (PRC)

Clandestino: Rock In Spanish Dance Party. The event will feature Lucybell, a noted, fiery Latin-American band. T.T. the Bear’s Place. 9 p.m. $12. (KF)

Saturday, Nov. 19

Jim Carroll and The Catholic Boys. Poet-turned-punk Jim Carroll, whose song “People Who Died” can be heard during the opening scene of “E.T.,” arrives in Cambridge with The Catholic Boys for their 25th Anniversary Tour, presented by WFNX and The Middle East. The Middle East Downstairs. 8 p.m. 18+. Tickets available from the Middle East box office or through Ticketmaster. $15 in advance, $18 date of show. (PRC)

Slim Cessna’s Auto Club with Wrong Reasons, Hank Crane, and Johnny Carlevale & The Broken Rhythm Boys. Wrong Reasons will play their country, blues, and rock-’n’-roll at 9:15 p.m., Boston-area band Hank Crane will perform at 10:15, and Johnny Carlevale & The Broken Rhythm Boys will showcase their “rhythm and roots” act at 11:15, all before Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, with a new live two-disc set, takes the stage just after midnight. T.T. the Bear’s Place. Tickets available at the door or through Ticketmaster. $10. (KF)

Sunday, Nov. 20

Boston Philharmonic Orchestra Rachmaninov Concert. The BPO, conducted by Benjamin Zander, performs Rachmaninov’s “Piano Concerto No. 2,” featuring Gabriela Montero, and “Nielsen, Symphony No. 5.” Zander will give a pre-concert “behind the scenes” talk at 1:45 p.m. Sanders Theatre. 3 p.m. Tickes available through the Harvard Box Office, (617) 496-2222. $76/58/43/29/8. (KAF)

Boston Chamber Music Society presents “Pure Rhapture: Gershwin, Brahms, Enesco, Debussy.” Sunday’s program includes Enesco’s “Romanian Rhapsody in A major, Op. 11, No. 1,” Debussy’s “Première Rapsodie (1910),” Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue for Piano Four-Hand,” and Brahms’ “Viola Quintet in G major, Op. 111.” Sanders Theatre. 7:30 p.m. Tickets available through the Harvard Box Office, (617) 496-2222. $46/37/26/17/8/5. (KAF)

On Fire, Gregor Samsa, and Kayo Dot. Making a glorious return to the stage from time away, On Fire will open at 9:15 p.m., followed by Gregor Samsa at 10:15. Kayo Dot will greet the crowd with their rock-injected modern classical tunes at 11:15. T.T. the Bear’s Place. Tickets available at the door or through Ticketmaster. $9. (KF)

Immortal Technique and The Foundation. Leedz Entertainment presents an exciting night of hip-hop that also features Elemental Zazen and Exposition. The Middle East Downstairs. 8 p.m. 18+. Tickets available from the Middle East box office or through Ticketmaster. $15 in advance, $20 date of show. Tickets from 10/18 postponement will be honored. (PRC)

Monday, Nov. 21

Tides, 27, Pelt, and Earth. WZBC’s Void Expressions presents Seattle-based band Earth, noted for their “monolithic darkness,” at 11:35 p.m., as well as Tides (9:00), 27 (9:50), and Pelt (10:40) earlier in the evening. T.T. the Bear’s Place. 9 p.m. $10. (KF)

Tuesday, Nov. 22

December Sound, The Lovetones, Hopewell, and The Soft Explosions. The Boston-based quartet band December Sound at 9 p.m. will be followed by Australia natives and psychedelic rockers The Lovetones at 9:50. Fellow psychedelic bands Hopewell and The Soft Explosions, both from New York City, will perform at 10:45 and 11:40, respectively. T.T. the Bear’s Place. $8. (KF)

John Cale & Band. Influential and innovative John Cale, formerly of the Velvet Underground, will perform at the Middle East with the Twinemen. The Middle East Downstairs. 7 p.m. 18+. Tickets available from the Middle East box office or through Ticketmaster. $25. (PRC)

Wednesday, Nov. 23

Sweetfist, Alchemilla, Gavin Castleton, and Plan 17. These four acts promise a diverse night of alternative music ranging from ska punk to indie electronica. The Middle East Downstairs. 8 p.m. 18+. Tickets available from the Middle East box office. $9. (PRC)

Simon Ritt, The Fighting Cocks, The Illegals, and the Drags. These four bands promise to give the crowd a good time. Simon Ritt will perform at 9:10 p.m., The Fighting Cocks at 10:10, The Illegals at 11:10, and The Drags at 12:10 a.m. T.T. the Bear’s Place. $8. (KF)

Friday, Nov. 25

Buskin & Batteau and Family & Friends. One of folk music’s favorite acoustic duos brings you a family and friends Thanksgiving weekend reunion, including a rare solo acoustic appearance by Robin Lane, John Parker Compton and “Appaloosa,” David Batteau and “Batteaux,” “Rockabetty” with Yani Batteau and others. Sanders Theatre. 8 p.m. Tickets available through the Harvard Box Office, (617) 496-2222. $27/23. (KAF)

Karacter CD Release Party. This night celebrates the CD release of Boston-based Karacter, who will perform at 11:00 p.m. Angela is set to open at 9:00, Sidewalk Driver will ride up to the stage at 10:00, and Lovewhip will dazzle with their electro dance rock at midnight. $9. T.T. the Bear’s Place. (KF)

Piebald and Hot Rod Circuit. These two popular emocore bands will be joined by I Am the Avalanche and Hit the Lights for a night of poppy delights. The Middle East Downstairs. 8 p.m. 18+. Tickets available from the Middle East box office or through Ticketmaster. $12. (PRC)

Saturday, Nov. 26

The Capitol Steps. This group of musical political satirists return for their annual—or, at least, nearly annual—Thanksgiving weekend show. Sanders Theatre. 8 p.m. Tickets available through the Harvard Box Office, (617) 496-2222. $30/27/22. (KAF)

Sunday, Nov. 27

Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston presents “The Seasons with Silverstein.” In keeping with this orchestra’s ethos of having “fun with serious music,” this classical concert will include Franz Schubert’s “Symphony No. 6 in C Major, D.589 ‘Little’” and Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,” as well as narration by Joan Kennedy, whose words will be interpreted in American Sign Language by Caroline Jackson. Featuring Joseph Silverstein, former BOS concertmaster and assistant conductor. Sanders Theatre. 3 p.m. Tickets available through the Harvard Box Office, (617) 496-2222. $48/32/22/12/5. (KAF)

Thursday, Dec. 1

Ruddigore, or The Witch’s Curse. The Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert and Sullivan Players perform one of the duo’s most magical operettas, which parodies its period’s melodramatic theater and fascination with the supernatural and features professional bridesmaids, cursed baronets, and a picture gallery of ghosts. Agassiz Theatre. 8 p.m. Tickets available through the Harvard Box Office, (617) 496-2222. $12/10/8/6/4. (KAF)

Ongoing Events

Magners Irish Film Festival. Through Nov. 21. As the largest festival of its kind in the U.S., this five-day experience features the best of contemporary Irish and Irish-related film and video. More than 30 features, shorts, and documentaries will be screened. See www.irishfilmfestival.com for screening times. Harvard Film Archive and Brattle Theater. $10/8. (KAF)

Degas at Harvard. Through Nov. 27. Uniting more than 70 of Degas’ paintings, sculptures, and drawings, the exhibit explores the reception of French Impressionism in 20th century America, while presenting some of Degas masterpieces in a new and innovative light. Arthur M. Sackler Museum. Free. (KAK)

The Century of Bach and Mozart: Perspectives on Historiography, Composition, Theory and Performance. Through Dec. 23. This joint exhibition features original sheet music from the pillars of classical music, as well as an original watercolor painting by Mozart of…an ear. Houghton and Loeb Music Libraries. Free. (KAK)

Paul Robeson as Othello. Through Jan. 13, 2006. As the first African-American actor to take the role of Othello in over a century, Paul Robeson won a twenty-minute standing ovation and made his 1943 Broadway show “the most important Shakespearean production of the century,” according to Frank Wilson, the curator of this exhibit, which features photographs and documents surrounding Robeson’s Othello. Pusey Library. Free. (LEB)

Silver and Shawls. Through Jan. 29, 2006. This exhibit highlights shawls and silver tableware produced in India during the late colonial period, focusing on the evolution of the former toward European styles and the latter toward more traditional Indian designs. Accompanied by a series of lectures and gallery talks by curators throughout the semester. Arthur M. Sackler Museum. Free. (KAK)

Stratification: An Installation of Works Since 1960. Through Feb. 26, 2006. Curatorial intern M. Celka Straughn organized this exhibit of German and Swiss painters and sculptors highlighting seven key pieces from the museum’s collection. Several undergraduates were also involved in the project and will be giving gallery talks. The Busch-Reisinger Museum. Free. (DJH & LRC)

—Happening was compiled by Lois E. Beckett, Lindsay R. Canant, Patrick R. Chestnut, Kathleen A. Fedornak, Kevin Ferguson, Daniel J. Hemel, and Kimberly A. Kicenuik.