Get Out: 9/11 Tribute at Jorgensen, Theatre Bowl in Manchester, and NPR in West Hartford

On the 10th anniversary of September 11 this year, the nation and two presidents stared at endless memorial pools at Ground Zero surrounded by stone walls with etched names of the almost 3,000 lost lives. In a moving, artistic tribute on Tuesday, Sept. 27, at Jorgensen in Storrs, the renowned Kronos Quartet will perform the Connecticut premiere of “Awakening,” a statement of peace and reconciliation featuring original works by composers who represent a world of cultures.

Who better than Kronos, which has for more than 30 years set new boundaries for the string quartet and commissioned 650 works, to mark a somber time with adventurous new music. In this “musical meditation,” Kronos uses “sonic building blocks” from 12 countries to enter the interior space where we harbor our feelings about the horrific moment in history. As Kronos founder and first violinist David Harrington, wrote, “We hope to create equilibrium in the midst of imbalance: a special covering on an open wound.”

The Mansfield Middle School Chorus, under the direction of Ken Johnson, will sing the Finnish children's piece, “Winter Was Hard.”

“Awakening,” whose Connecticut premiere is sponsored by New England Public Radio, comprises works by Americans Terry Riley and Michael Gordon (selections from “The Sad Park”) and composers from Uzbekistan, India, Germany, Canada, Argentina, Finland and Russia, with arrangements of traditional works from Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Sweden.

Curtain is at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27. Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts is located on the UConn campus in Storrs. Tickets for “Awakening” are $28 and $30, with some discounts. For information or to buy tickets, call 860-486-4226 or visit Jorgensen's Web site.

Bowl To Benefit Little Theatre of Manchester

Volunteers for the Little Theatre of Manchester hereby introduce a striking new form of fund-raising: Glo in the dark bowling. Individuals and teams are invited to sign up for glo-in-the-dark bowling night on Sept. 24 at Silver Lanes Bowling Center in East Hartford. Proceeds benefit the theater company.

Bowling runs from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Registration is $25 per person, which includes two games of bowling, ball, shoes, and food. Teams are made up of six players. Each bowler is also asked to raise an additional $25 from family, friends and colleagues to support the theater's fund-raising goal of $10,000. Forms and information may be obtained at the box office at Cheney Hall, 177 Hartford Road, Manchester, or by calling 860-4647-9824.

Says You in West Hartford

NPR's Says You, a game show of words and whimsy, bluff and bluster comes to town Sept. 24 to be recorded live at the Hoffman Auditorium at St. Joseph College in West Hartford. Panelists may include Richard Sher, Barry Nolan, Francine Achbar, Tony Kahn, Carolyn Faye Fox, Arnie Reisman, Paula Lyons, and Phil Salkind.

Show time is 2 p.m. Audience participation is involved. For tickets, phone 860-231-5555. The Hoffman Auditorium is at the Carol Autorino Center for the Arts and Humanities, St. Joseph College, 1678 Asylum Ave., West Hartford.

Vince Gill at Foxwoods These Days

Twenty-time Grammy winner Vince Gill will two-step into Foxwoods' MGM Grand Theater on Friday, Sept. 23, at 8 p.m. The Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year (1993 and 1994) and Grand Ole Opry veteran is tied with George Strait for most wins as CMA Male Vocalist and is an inductee in the Country Music Hall of Fame.

The Oklahoma-born country rock artist is known as a talented duet collaborator, humanitarian and husband of Christian pop vocalist Amy Grant. He plays guitar, mandolin, dobro and banjo.

Tickets to see the singer/songwriter are $30-$50. For information, call 1-800-200-2882 or visit theFoxwoods entertainment site.

Billy Gardell Does 'Halftime' at UConn

Billy Gardell says when he turned 40 two years ago, he heard the gun go off for halftime in his life. “My life is half over. And I played a sloppy first half, man,” Gardell says in his “Halftime” show, coming to Jorgensen on UConn Family Weekend, Saturday, Sept. 24. But his fans know that, having entered this stage with 20 years of comic experience, the “Mike and Molly” star has done nothing but age well.

Gardell's big-man, blue-collar style delivers touchdown after touchdown as he tells stories about a rough childhood, wild adolescence and adult family life.

Since fall 2010, CBS’s hit show “Mike and Molly,” which stars Gardell as Officer Mike Biggs alongside recent Emmy winner Melissa McCarthy, has drawn in 13 million viewers weekly and has been decorated as the No. 1 new series of the year.

Gardell frequently appeared on “My Name is Earl,” “Yes Dear,” “Judging Amy,” “The Practice,” “Monk” and “Gary the Rat,” and co-starred in the critically acclaimed FX series “Lucky.” In film, he made his debut alongside Anthony Quinn and Sylvester Stallone in “Avenging Angelo,” and played with Billy Bob Thornton in “Bad Santa” and with Owen Wilson in “You, Me & Dupree.”

The comedy show, co-presented by Jorgensen and the UConn Student Union Board of Governors, starts at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24. Tickets are $32-42, much less for students. For information or to buy, call 860-486-4226 or visit Jorgensen's Web site.

Picnic in the Park with Kuan – and South Windsor Violinist

The Hartford Symphony Orchestra hosts a Picnic in the Park, a free, outdoor event designed to showcase the varied musical styles of the HSO under the direction of its new music director, Carolyn Kuan, on Sept. 25. Selections by Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, and Shostakovich all figure into the program along with an operatic selection featuring Yale Opera Program alumna Amanda Hall; a new arrangement from the HSO Jazz and Strings group; solo beat-boxing by Shodekeh and special guests; music from the UConn Pride of Connecticut Marching Band and Drumline; a violin concerto by HSO artist-in-residence Sirena Huang, who is a South Windsor resident and student at the Loomis-Chaffee School; members of the choirs of the Greater Hartford Arts Academy and Simsbury High School; and more.

The event begins at 2 p.m. The entire community is invited. Pack your own picnic. Free parking will be available around Bushnell Park. (In the event of severe weather, the performance will be held in Mortensen Hall in The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, 166 Capitol Ave., Hartford. Seating will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.) Program and artists are subject to change. For more information, visit www.hartfordsymphony.org.

Works by Jerry Barry at Windsor Art Center

The Windsor Art Center in Windsor presents Dimensions: Works by Artist Jerry Barry. Included in the exhibition are paintings by Barry, a multifaceted artist, teacher, philosopher, and social commentator who works in a variety of mediums and draws on his Guyanese heritage. 

The exhibition runs from September 24 to November 5. An opening reception is September 24 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Windsor Art Center is at the corner of Central and Mechanic streets in Windsor. For more information, visit www.windsorartcenter.org or call 860-688-2528.

Friday Night Harvest Parties at Sturbridge Village

Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Mass., has added a series of Friday Night Harvest Parties to its autumn calendar. The events, which take place September 30, October 7, and October 14, feature horse-drawn hayrides,  bonfires, live music, storytelling, and a "waterfire" display on the Village Mill Pond. Food tents located throughout the village will be selling a variety of fare, and a beer garden is open to adults.

The family-friendly events run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets cost $12; $10 members. Old Sturbridge Village is at 1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, Sturbridge, Mass. For more information, visit www.osv.org or call 800-SEE-1830.