FAMILY

BEYOND THE DOG “The Case Against Homework: How Homework Is Hurting Our Children and What We Can Do About It” is a discussion about how too much homework might be detrimental to a child’s development. Speakers include authors Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish, and the head of the Calhoun School of Performing Arts, Steve Nelson. Tonight, 7:30 p.m., Calhoun, Mary Lea Johnson Performing Arts Center, 433 West End Ave. at 81st Street, 212-497-6528, $10 general, $5 students and seniors.

FOOD & DRINK

THE WINE DOWN UNDER Wine Australia hosts the 10th annual Wine Australia Festival, where guests can sample dozens of varietals and wine styles from among the country’s 63 wine-grape regions. Signature dishes from the city’s Aussie eateries, including Eight Mile Creek and Bondi Road, are also offered. Tonight, 6 p.m., Cipriani Wall Street, 55 Wall St., between William and Pearl streets, 212-351-6585, $70–$80. For complete information, and to purchase advance tickets, go to wineaustralia.com/usa.

MUSIC

MASTER CLASS The Academy, a collaborative program of Carnegie Hall, the Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute, gives an ensemble master class that features performances of Prokofiev’s Quintet in G Minor, Op. 39 and Joan Tower’s “Black Topaz.” Composed in 1976, Ms. Tower’s 13-minute piece was inspired in part by her South American father’s work as a mining engineer. Cellist Timothy Eddy and pianist Robert McDonald are coaches, and clarinetist Carol McGonnell and flutist Elizabeth Janzen are among featured participants in the class. Tonight, 8 p.m., Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, 54 W. 57th St. at Seventh Avenue, 212-247-7800, $15.

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW Gospel and blues vocalist Liz Mc-Comb performs songs from her recent release, “Soul, Peace, and Love.” Cellist Akua Dixon and organist Bubby Fann are accompanying performers. Tonight, 7:30 p.m. Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St., between 4th Street and Astor Place, 212-539-8778, $20.

HE WRITES THE SONGS A singer who has embraced kitsch and oldfashioned song craft with an utter lack of irony, Brooklyn-born Barry Manilow, performs such enduring favorites as “Mandy” and “Copacabana (At The Copa),” in addition to selections from his recent “Greatest Songs of the Sixties.” The album garnered him the biggest sales week of his career when it made its debut on the Billboard Top 200 at no. 2 in 2006. Tonight, 8 p.m. Madison Square Garden, 4 Pennsylvania Pl., between Seventh Avenue and 32nd Street, 212-307-7171, $49.50–$279.50.

READINGS

LIFE’S A STAGE “Stardust Lost: The Triumph, Tragedy and Mishugas of the Yiddish Theater in America” is a talk by author Stefan Kanfer, who discusses landmarks and personalities associated with the history of the theater. A former Yiddish Theater child actor, Herb Latner, is the moderator of the discussion. Tonight, 6 p.m., Lower East Side Tenement Museum, 108 Orchard St., at Delancey Street, 212-431-0233, free, RSVP to bookclub@tenement.org.

SOIRÉES

VISITING THE FOLK The American Folk Art Museum presents the American Antiques Show, which benefits the museum’s educational and exhibition programs. Items up for auction include 18th century furniture, folk paintings, weathervanes, and Native American objects. A shuttle bus is available between the museum and the auction site. Today through Sunday, noon–8 p.m., Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues, 646-403-8192, $18.

TALKS

FAMILY JEWELS The niece of Samuel H. Kress, Jocelyn Kress, lectures about the legacy of her family in “American Medici: The Kress Brothers,” discussing how her uncle founded his namesake foundation, which owns one of the largest collections of old master paintings in the world. Much of the collection is on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Tonight, 6 p.m., Met Museum, Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave. at 82nd Street, 212-570-3949, $22.

THEATER

THE BIG BREAK A musical adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s “The Great Divorce,” by the Magis Theater Company, follows the struggles of a husband as a magical giant steals his voice while he reunites with his wife. The play, featuring puppets by Ralph Lee, is directed by George Drance. Tonight through Sunday, February 11, Wednesday–Saturday, 8 p.m., Sunday, 7 p.m., Salvation Army’s Theatre, 315 W. 47th St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues, 212-686-4444, $25 before January 24th, $30 afterward.

PHOTOGRAPHY

MIDDLE EASTERN VIEWS “Unspoken,” an exhibit by Marissa Soroudi, documents Middle Eastern women wearing veils in daily life. The exhibit is meant to shed light on recent controversies in Europe centered on measures against the use of veils and other religious clothing in schools. Selections from the exhibit include “Byblos, Lebanon,” above. Through Saturday, January 27, Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., National Arts Club, 15 Gramercy Park South, between Irving Place and Park Avenue South, 212-475-3424, free.

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