Austin

Mar 18 & 19 at 8: Beethoven: Symphony No 9 in D Minor and Romance No 2 in F Major for Violin. Harris: New Angels. With Chorus Austin. David Brickman, violin. Brenda Harris, soprano. Virginia Dupuy, mezzo-soprano. Joseph Evans, tenor. David Evitts, bass. Peter Bay, conductor. $19-$37. Mar 26 at 2: Spring Family Concert, with Kelly Willis and Sara Hickman. Gen adm $12, children 12 & under $8.

You know you’ve officially arrived when you’re invited to perform at the granddaddy of all pigskin showdowns (a.k.a. the Super Bowl), as the twentysomething Ms Keys was this past February. But an astute follower of music buzz wouldn’t be surprised after reading heaps of rave reviews of Keys’s 2001 debut album, Songs in A Minor. Many members of superstardom’s upper echelon—or those on their way there—have played to an audience of millions on the super day. Keys gets a bit more intimate on this stop of her Diary Tour. At 7:30. Call for prices.

Released last month, Real Illusions: Reflections, the first solo effort from the eighties rock-guitar god in five years, is part one of a three-part “concept trilogy.” Explains Vai’s Web site: “Real Illusions: Reflections is the first part of a multi-layered menagerie of vignettes based on the amplified mental exaggerations of a truth-seeking madman who sees the world . . . oh never mind.” ’Nough said. With Eric Sardinas. At 8. $22.

Mar 2 at 8 (Bass Concert Hall, 23rd & Robert Dedman Dr): Martha Graham Dance Company. Mar 5 at 7:30 (Bass Concert Hall, 23rd & Robert Dedman Dr): Mariachi Vargas. Mar 31 at 8 (McCullough Theatre, 2400 Robert Dedman Dr): guitarist Michael Fontenot. Call for prices.

Mar 3-6: A Ride with Bob: From Austin to Tulsa—Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel celebrate the 100th birthday of Bob Wills with a musical tribute written by Benson and screenwriter Anne Rapp. Benson spearheaded the project as a way to “meet” the king of Western swing (something he never got to do during Wills’s lifetime). In the fictitious performance, Wills visits with Benson and company as they roll on down the highway. Thur & Fri at 8, Sat at 2:30 & 8, Sun at 2:30. $42. Mar 30-Apr 17: Nickel and Dimed—a theatrical interpretation of journalist Barbara Ehrenreich’s first-person chronicles of various minimum-wage jobs. Wed-Sat at 8, Sun at 2:30. $27.

Mar 5-May 15: Color/Pattern/Grid: Selections From the Austin Museum of Art and Austin Collections and FamilyLab—a follow-up to 2002’s People/Places/Things:Selections From the Permanent Collection, this exhibit displays works by Polly Apfelbaum, Jim Campbell, Chuck Close, Gabel Karsten, Margo Sawyer, et al. 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.

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 20: Writing Among the Ruins: Graham Greene and Evelyn Waugh—comparisons and contrasts are made between the lives and achievements of the two English novelists. Thru Mar 27: Shooting Stars: The Golden Age of Hollywood Portraiture, 1925-1950; also, Fashioning Celebrity: Photographs of George Platt Lynes. Thru Apr 24: Miguel Covarrubias: A Certain Clairvoyance—more than 100 works by the Mexican artist, including celebrity caricatures, paintings, and book illustrations. The exhibit also features works by those who ran in the same circle as Covarrubias: Kahlo, Rivera, Tamayo, Montenegro, et al. Open Tue, Wed & Fri 10-5; Thur 10-7; Sat & Sun noon-5. Free.

Row, row, row your . . . for the 22nd year, the Austin Rowing Club and Town Lake hosts an event for more than 1,000 competitors. Mar 12 & 13: Sat 8-5, Sun 8-3. Free.

The annual trifecta of music, movies, and technology converges on the Capital City, throwing the likes of Robert Plant (the Music and Media Conference’s keynote speaker), Brian Wilson (Beach Boy turned Music and Media Conference panelist), and Luke Wilson (who, along with brothers Owen and Andrew, will open the Film Festival and Conference with The Wendell Baker Story) into the fray. Mar 11-15: Interactive Festival. Mar 11-19: Film Festival and Conference. Mar 16-20: Music and Media Conference. Passes available for each festival or for entire conference. Call for schedule & prices.

All your PRCA favorites, plus the livestock show, a barbecue cookoff, a cowboy breakfast, and a high-diving pig show. Also, some little-known artists like Martina McBride will make appearances. Mar 12-26. Call for schedule & prices. Parking $5.

Austin continues its bid as the movie industry’s third coast by honoring the talent of Marcia Gay Harden, Irma P Hall, Dennis Quaid, and Robert Rodriguez. Lauren Bacall will accept the Frontier Award on behalf of all those involved in the 1956 film Written on the Wind, and the honorable Ann Richards will emcee the entire affair. Mar 11. Reception at 6; awards at 8. $5,000 (per table).

The latest theatrics from Cirque du Soleil. Feb 24-Mar 27: Tue-Thur at 8, Fri & Sat at 4 & 8, Sun at 1 & 5. $41-$70.

The lovable Banks family—tended to so supercalifragilisticexpialidociously in Mary Poppins—had it right: Flying your kite brings happiness all around. Professional and amateur kite-flyers, who no doubt feel the same, take to the skies at one of the nation’s oldest kite-flying events. Mar 6: registration at noon, activities begin at 1. 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 25 or more).

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