Austin

Wagner: Overture to Rienzi. Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Dvorak: Symphony No 6 in D Major. Jon Kimura Parker, piano. Peter Bay, conductor. At 8. $19-$35.

The Celtic group blows into the Capital City. At 8. $17-$29.

This a cappella ensemble of African American women singers, who add shades of blues, early 20th-century gospel, community quartet, and jazz choral vocalizations to their harmonies, has built a solid international reputation. Toshi Reagon, the daughter of the group's founder, Bernice Johnson Reagon, and her band, Big Lovely, join in the festivities. At 8. $20-$42.

There must be something in that Lubbock water. And Allen and Maines, two of West Texas's finest musical products, sure must have drunken a lot of it. At 8. $20.

Mozart: Così Fan Tutte. Fri at 8, Sun at 3, Thur at 7, Sat at 8. $15-$104.

Jan 4 at 4:30 & 7:30: Tangokinesis; $40-$70. Jan 16 at 7 & 9:30: Jerry Jeff Walker; $29-$70. Jan 18 at 4:30 & 7: Dee Dee Bridgewater; $31-$72. Jan 25 at 4:30 & 7: R Carlos Nakai; $29-$70.

This unjuried "fringe festival" celebrates its eleventh anniversary and features more than 800 local and national thespians. Jan 13-Feb 14. Call for schedule. $10-$14.

Dec 26-Jan 4: A Tuna Christmas—cap off the holiday season with the residents of Tuna, Texas, in this comedy written by and starring Joe Sears and Jaston Williams. Call for schedule. $17-$42. Jan 6-18: Menopause: The Musical—oh, times they are a changin' in this musical featuring four sophisticated women parodying that special time in a female's life. Tue-Fri at 8, Sat at 3 & 8, Sun at 3 & 7:30. $20-$38.

12 Steps to a More Dysfunctional Christmas—Rob Nash's one-man show that proves the holidays are never easy. Dec 25-Jan 3. At 8. Gen adm $17 (Thur pay what you wish; Sun $8.50 with donation of 2 cans of food).

Thru Jan 4: The Flaming Idiots—Austin's own juggling, flame-throwing vaudevillian troupe. Thur-Sat at 8, Sun at 2:30. $28-$40. Thru Jan 4: Santaland Diaries—David Sedaris's NPR hit comedy. Thur-Sat at 8, Sun at 2:30. $28-$35.

This modish downtown gallery is run by the organization formerly known as the Texas Fine Arts Association. Thru Jan 11: Sydney Philen Yeager: Little Mysteries 1992-2003. Open Tue, Wed & Fri 11-7; Thur 11-9; Sat 10-5; Sun 1-5. Free.

Thru Jan 10: My Family/En Mi Familia—an exploration in Mexican American culture via the work of Carmen Lomas Garza. Open Tue-Sat 10-5, Sun noon-5. Gen adm $4.50 (free Wed 5-8 & Sun 4-5), children 12-23 months $2.50, 11 months & under free.

Thru Feb 1: Terry Allen: Dugout—the West Texas native's latest series, which is based on the lives of his parents, a baseball player and a ragtime piano player. Open Tue, Wed, Fri & Sat 10-6; Thur 10-8; Sun noon-5. Gen adm $5 ($1 on Tue), senior citizens & students $4 ($1 on Tue), children 12 & under free.

This museum, which is named for the former Texas lieutenant governor, houses three floors of exhibits that trace the history of Texas. Thru Jan 4: Play Ball! Texas Baseball—original uniforms and equipment, stadium details, and other memorabilia celebrate the excitement of the sport. Also check out the IMAX theater (shows daily; call for times & prices). Open Mon-Sat 9-6, Sun noon-6. Gen adm $5.50, senior citizens $4.50, children 18 & under free.

Items in the center's collection range from a Gutenberg Bible to the world's first photograph (taken in 1826). The center also houses some 36 million literary manuscripts including those by James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, and Tennessee Williams. Thru Mar 7: Make It New: The Rise of Modernism—artifacts that represent the modernist movement of the first half of the twentieth century. Open Tue, Wed & Fri 10-5; Thur 10-7; Sat & Sun noon-5. Free.

Masterpieces of European Painting, a permanent exhibit, displays more than 40 works from the museum's Suida-Manning Collection, one of the country's largest collections of Italian paintings from the Renaissance and Baroque periods by such masters as Rubens, Veronese, and Parmigianino. Thru Jan 4: Prints From the Leo Steinberg Collection: Part II—more selections from the recent acquisition of 3,200 prints by Marcantonio Raimondi, Albrecht Durer, Matisse, Picasso, et al; also, Lo feo de este mundo: Images of the Grotesque—pieces of 20th-century Latin American art that explore the humanism behind abnormal works; also, Transgressive Women—works by Yayoi Kusama, Lee Lozano, Ana Mendieta, and Joan Semmel. Open Mon-Wed & Fri 9-5, Thur 9-9, Sat & Sun 1-5. Free.

Items from Johnson's personal life and his presidency include photos and videos relating to the Kennedy assassination and the Vietnam War. Thru Feb 16: Seasons Greetings: Christmas From the White House—holiday cards and gifts from James Madison to George W Bush; also White House in Miniature—a one-of-a-kind, 60-foot-long scale model replica of the White House. Open daily 9-5. Free.

Jan 3: Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees. Jan 9: Corpus Christi Rayz. Jan 11 at 3: Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees. Jan 17: Lubbock Cotton Kings. Jan 23: Laredo Bucks. Jan 25 at 3: Fort Worth Brahmas. Jan 30: Corpus Christi Rayz. Jan 31: Indianapolis Ice. At 7:30 unless otherwise noted. $10-$30.

KLRU's Distinguished Speaker Series presents the civil rights defender discussing global perspectives on justice and civil liberties. Jan 15 at 7. $30.

Holy television icons, Batman, it's Adam West and Burt Ward making guest appearances at this weekend event packed with vendors selling everything from comic books to Star Wars figurines. Jan 9 & 10: Fri from noon to 7, Sat from 9 to 6 (Fri dinner with the original Batman and Robin at 8; $100). $8.50.

The author of The All-American Boys joins moderator and Texas Monthly writer-at-large Mike Shea for the monthly meeting of the Texas Monthly Book Group. Jan 29 at 7. Free.

The statehouse, dedicated in 1888, was completely restored in 1994. Open Mon-Fri 7 a.m.-10 p.m., Sat & Sun 9-8. Free tours Mon-Fri 8:30-4:30, Sat 9:30-3:30, Sun noon-3:30 (call ahead for groups of 10 or more).

The Center, located in the 1857 General Land Office Bldg, houses historical exhibits. Open Mon-Sat 9-5, Sun noon-5. Free. Parking at 12th & San Jacinto (first 2 hours free).