City Week: June 11-June 17

a selective listing of recommended cultural and community events

compiled by max a. goldstein friday, june 11 young picassos-arts in action, an after-school arts program and summer camp, sells color prints of student work. proceeds support a scholarship program for children who need financial need. little shop of crafts, 711 amsterdam ave., 212-864-4833; 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., free admission. saturday, june 12 classical-swedish conductor ragnar bohlen leads the new england symphonic ensemble in brahms' ein deutsches requiem, op. 45, with soprano ingela bohlin and baritone stephen gaertner. michel brousseau conducts the u.s. premiere of the saint-remi solemn mass, a recently discovered work by the french composer theodore dubois. carnegie hall, west 57th street and seventh avenue, 212-247-7800; 8 p.m., $35 to $95. sunday, june 13 science up close-the milstein science series brings together jarod miller, host of the television series animal exploration with jarod miller, with scientists from audubon of florida, who work in the everglades, to discuss that area's ecosystems. the presentation includes live animals, such as alligators, crocodiles and a burmese python. the american museum of natural history, milstein hall of ocean life, first floor, west 79th street and central park west, 212-769-5100; noon to 4 p.m., free with museum admission ($9 to $16).

beloved berries-zion st. marks church hosts an "erdbeerfest," or strawberry festival. enjoy delicacies like "erdbeertorte," a german strawberry pie, as well as coffee, tea, music and a raffle. zion st. marks church, 339 e. 84th st., 212-288-0600; 1 p.m., $10 suggested donation.

sound garden-the west side community garden hosts free concerts every sunday for the next six weeks, starting today with mary cherney, david nadal and julia marion, who perform on renaissance flute, guitar and bassoon. the concert series runs through july 25, and will include jazz, opera and other genres. west side community garden, west 89th street between columbus and amsterdam avenues, www.westsidecommunitygarden.org; 4 p.m., free.

martyr's muses-amuse, a 16-voice women's ensemble, presents missa são sebastiã, by 20th-century brazilian composer heitor villa-lobos. the program, led by guest conductor phillip cheah, includes complementary works of plainchant, renaissance and contemporary polyphony. st. ignatius of antioch, 522 west end ave., 212-580-3326; 4 p.m., $15 to $20. monday, june 14 idol on stage-lakisha jones, a 2007 american idol finalist and star of broadway's the color purple, makes her new york debut at feinstein's at loews regency. jones sings selections from american idol, broadway hits and her new single cd, so glad i'm me. feinstein's at loews regency, 540 park ave., 212-339-4095; 8:30 p.m., $30 to $50 plus $25 minimum.

book club-aimee bender, author of an invisible sign of my own, discusses her latest novel, the particular sadness of lemon cake. bender is interviewed by heidi julavits, a novelist and co-editor of the believer, and kate burton performs a selection from the novel. symphony space, 2537 broadway, 212-864-5400; 7:30 p.m., $20.

good cause-o'neals' restaurant hosts a gala cabaret evening to benefit the westside crime prevention program and the tamar lynn safe haven project. the program encourages merchants to offer help and protection to children who are in trouble on the streets of the upper west side. critically acclaimed entertainers john carelli, shana farr, insuk kim, melanie long, emily ross-johnson, mary ann mootos, jacqueline thomps and david maiullo are scheduled to perform. o'neals', 49 w. 64th st., 212-787-4663; 6 p.m., $75 to $150. tuesday, june 15 mentors in action-the group free arts nyc hosts its annual "art from the heart" gallery exhibition. the evening includes a performance by story pirates, a children's theater troupe that acts out short stories written by kids in the weekly mentor program. a short awards ceremony follows, after which the crowd is shown 300 works by participating students. free arts nyc is a non-profit that offers educational arts and mentoring programs to under-served children and families in the new york city area. on view through aug. 22. el museo del barrio, 1230 fifth ave., 212-831-7272; 5 p.m., free.

international studies-husband-and-wife power couple kati marton and richard holbrooke participate in a discussion focused on international challenges facing the nation today. marton has reported from soviet-ruled hungary and holbrooke is now a special representative to afghanistan and pakistan for the obama administration. new-york historical society, 170 central park west, 212-868-4444; 6:30 p.m., $20. wednesday, june 16 western classic-the 29th annual celebration of james joyce's ulysses follows joyce's hero, leopold bloom, as he makes his way through an ordinary day in dublin. the bloomsday on broadway performance features film and broadway stars, including ira glass, stephen colbert, colum mccann, malachy mccourt, marian seldes, john shea and tony roberts, and is staged by isaiah sheffer. june 16, 1904, is the most famous fictional date in literature, marking the day when leopold bloom walked around dublin in the pages of ulysses. since 1981, hundreds of acclaimed actors have joined avid joyceans, writers, critics and scholars on stage at symphony space to read selections from the book that heralded the birth of modern literature. symphony space, 2537 broadway, 212-864-5400; 7 p.m., $20 to $25.

discovery day-new york's largest community arts school, the kauffman center's lucy moses school, opens its doors to the public for its second annual "discovery day." children ages 4 and older can try out a wide range of instruments, such as the violin, cello, flute, clarinet and piano, under the guidance of the school's faculty members. lucy moses school, 129 w. 67th st., 212-501-3360; 4 to 7 p.m., free. thursday, june 17 literary classic-budding theater stars in the kids company perform in roald dahl's willy wonka. fifty children ages 6 to 14 take part in the production, while teens ages 14 to 18 work on the set, lights, sound, costumes and production management. west side ymca, marjorie s. deane little theater, 5 w. 63rd st., 212-875-4100; 7:30 p.m., $30.