Symphny: monOrchid
We’re all used to seeing symphonies perform in giant music halls, like Symphony Hall in downtown Phoenix. But the Phoenix Symphony is trying something new, performing a concert in a far more intimate venue where people are accustomed to seeing art exhibits instead of listening to live orchestral music. True North Studio and Phoenix Symphony are presenting Symphny: monOrchid at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 24. It’s happening at monOrchid, 214 East Roosevelt Street, where you can also see murals by local artists and a large-scale dress-form sculpture that’s illuminated at night. Maestro Tito Muñoz will lead musicians in performing space-themed music, from classics to movie tunes. Tickets to the hourlong concert are $10, and there will be a cash bar. Lynn TrimbleCustom Tea Blending Class
You can add a creative twist to your iced tea by turning a colorful glass plant marker from Southwest Gardener, 300 West Camelback Road, into a playful stirring stick for that lovely bit of honey or lemon you like adding to your favorite brew. Or, you can take your home-brewed teas to the next level by taking the gardening shop’s Custom Tea Blending class, where certified herbalist Kerry Amann will be sharing tips for making tea blends that are both healthy and fabulously aromatic. It’s happening at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 25. The class costs $60, and you can shop for fun garden-themed tea time accessories while you’re there. Lynn Trimble'A Matter of Public Record: Art in the Age of Mass Surveillance'
Art and politics collide at Fine Art Complex 1101, 1101 West University Drive in Tempe, where the closing exhibition for “A Matter of Public Record: Art in the Age of Mass Surveillance” happens from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 25. The free exhibit features several Phoenix artists, tackling topics from drone warfare to terrorism. Look for Nathaniel Lewis’s Playland Security, which transforms familiar TSA airport screening machines into a children’s toy — complete with a child sporting an explosives vest. Other artworks include a video for Adriene Jenik’s The Sky is Falling…, a performative piece exploring civilian deaths due to drone strikes. There’s even a Steve Hampton painting of a younger Trump, reclining in a bathrobe against a cotton candy-colored backdrop. Lynn TrimbleThe Planets: An HD Odyssey
Great music can take you anywhere, and the Phoenix Symphony is performing a masterpiece that will transport you out of this world. The Planets: An HD Odyssey combines composer Gustav Holst’s cosmic work with mind-blowing images of our solar system by filmmaker Duncan Copp projected above the orchestra (no word if Pluto will be included). Conductor Tito Muñoz closes this season’s Classics series with this experience for both your eyes and ears.Blast off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 25, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 26, at Symphony Hall, 75 North Second Street. Tickets are $38 to $159. Jason Keil
Arizona Caribbean Carnival
It’s all about life in color as the Arizona Caribbean Carnival takes to the streets with fellow community members for the Carnival Costume Street Parade, happening on Sunday, May 26. Head over to Third Street and Thomas Road at 10 a.m. if you want to join the parade, which will make its way to Steele Indian School Park, 300 East Indian School Road. Never fear if you don’t have a costume, mask, or impressive headgear. You can always wear a white T-shirt, then add some splashes of color with powder paint that’s included with a $10 ticket, which also gets you into the Carnival Village at the park. The village will have live music and dance performances, arts and crafts, Caribbean food, a kids’ zone, and a beverage garden. Village hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit Arizona Carnival Street Parade on Facebook. Lynn TrimbleAlien
Forty years ago, director Ridley Scott burst (pun intended) onto the scene with the science-fiction-horror hybrid Alien, a claustrophobic thriller about the crew of a commercial spaceship being hunted down by a xenomorph with acid for blood. The film spawned countless sequels and imitators and placed Sigourney Weaver on the highest of pedestals in the nerd universe. Now the masterpiece is being released back into movie theaters with a beautiful 4K restoration.The screams begin at 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 26, with an additional screening at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 29, at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 1140 East Baseline Road in Tempe. It will also be shown the same dates at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at 4955 South Arizona Avenue, Chandler. Tickets are $8. Jason Keil