ART

THE EFFECT OF SUNLIGHT The Brooklyn Museum of Art presents the opening of “Landscapes From the Age of Impressionism,” an exhibit of about 40 paintings that includes many of the finest examples of mid- and late-19th-century French and American landscape painting in the museum’s collection. The work of artists Gustave Courbet, Claude Monet, Frederick Childe Hassam, John Singer Sargent, among others, is featured in this broad survey. Monet is represented by several important works including “The Doge’s Palace in Venice” (1908) and “Houses of Parliament, Effect of Sunlight (1903).” Having moved beyond the studio to paint en plein air, the Frenchman positioned himself before his subject for hours over a series of days — depicting the same motif in changing light. Soon, Monet was remarkably depicting light itself. Through Sunday, May 13, Wednesday–Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., BMA, 200 Eastern Pkwy. at Washington Avenue, 718-399-8440, $8 general, $4 students and seniors, free for members and children under 12.

MUSIC

WE ARE LEGEND Two soloists, Theodore Bikel and Cantor Albert Mizrahi, perform a rare, one-time concert together. Both singers are considered legendary in the work of Jewish music: Mr. Bikel made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1956, and is a well-known actor in Israel. The Greek-born Mr. Mizrahi is affectionately known as the “Jewish Pavarotti.” Tonight, 7:30 p.m., Temple Israel of the City of New York, 112 E. 75th St., between Lexington and Park avenues, 212-249-5000, free.

LIVE ONSTAGE The American Musicals Project celebrates great composers in musical theater with live performances of their works. The composers Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya are honored in the program “Kurt and Lenya in Their Own Words.” Weill wrote plays including “Knickerbocker Holiday,” “Lady in the Dark,” “One Touch of Venus,” “Love Life,” and “Lost in the Stars.” The performance is directed by Scott Alan Evans, and performers include Isabella Rossellini and Simon Jones. Tonight, 7 p.m., New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West at 77th Street, 212-873-3400 ext. 305, $30-$45.

TAKE THESE BROKEN WINGS The New York-based Alaria chamber ensemble performs works by the Russian composer Alexander Tcherepnin and the German violinist, instructor, and composer Paul Hindemith. Ensemble members include violinist Yuri Vodovoz and cellist Diliana Momtchilova. Clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein is a featured guest. The group’s name is derived from the Latin roots ala, meaning wing, and aria, meaning song, and thus Alaria is a way of saying “winged song.” The name is reflected in the ensemble’s preference for lyrical styles in music of all periods. Tomorrow, 8 p.m., Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, 54 W. 57th St. at Seventh Avenue, 212-247-7800, $32.

TABLA COMBO The Bowery Poetry Club hosts a concert given by New York University’s Jazz Orchestra and Combo Nuvo & Strings. A reflection of both the diversity that is New York City and the NYU Jazz faculty, Combo Nuvo performs original works influenced by such genres as jazz, fusion, classical, world, and tabla. Wednesday, 10 p.m., Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery, between Bleecker and Houston streets, 212-614-0505, $7 general, $5 students.

PAINTINGS

EAST COAST DEBUT French artist Bénédicte Peyrat paints in a classical, allegorical style reminiscent of the 17th and 18th centuries, but her portraits also feature a modern touch of cynicism. This is her first American exhibit. Selections include an untitled painting from 2006, above. Through Saturday, March 10, Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Morgan Lehman Gallery, 317 Tenth Ave., between 28th and 29th streets, 212-268-6699, free.

READINGS

THE DANDY Author Gay Talese launches the third annual “Best-Selling Author Series” at Kingsborough Community College. Mr. Talese, who has been hailed the most important nonfiction writer of his generation, discusses “The Writer’s Life” (Knopf ). During a career that has included reporting for Esquire magazine, the alwaysdapper journalist conducted memorable interviews with such figures as civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, and the entourage of Ol’ Blue Eyes for “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold” (1966). Still, Mr. Talese has admitted to being an unreformed procrastinator — famously taking a decade or more to finish books. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., Kingsborough Community College, Leon M. Goldstein Performing Arts Center, 2001 Oriental Blvd., between Quentin Street and Decatur Avenue, Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, 718-368-5051, free with RSVP.

SPOTTED GIRLS The author of the popular “Cheetah Girls” books series, Deborah Gregory, discusses the making of her saucy characters. The series follows the adventures of a New York girl group, whose message is about young women cultivating courage, friendship, and style. The awardwinning series, which began in 2003, has spawned films, national concert tours by the books’ television counterparts, and related paraphernalia. Wednesday, 4 p.m., New York Public Library, Soundview Branch, 660 Soundview Ave. at Seward Avenue, Bronx, 718-589-0880, free.

TALKS

WHITE NOISE “Race in Jazz Academia” is the subject of a panel discussion featured as the inaugural event in a series of lectures presented by Jazz at Lincoln Center. Featured panelists include poet and essayist Amiri Baraka, a saxophonist and a professor at the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music, Salim Washington, and a professor of music at Harvard University, Ingrid Monson. A professor of music at Rutgers University, Lewis Porter, is moderator of the event. Wednesday, 7 p.m., JALC, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Irene Diamond Education Center, 33 W. 60th St. at Broadway, 212-721-6500, $17.50.

BRINGING UP BABY The Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust hosts “A Jewish Perspective on Infertility,” an open discussion of the theological and complicated ethical issues concerning infertility and the treatment thereof among Jewish couples. The panel is moderated by journalist Lisa Castleman Glazer, and featured panelists include clinical psychologist Sara Barris; Rabbi Barry Freundel of the Georgetown Synagogue, Kesher Israel, and Pamela Madsen, a New York mother whose IVF treatments produced two sons and who has previously discussed the difficult process on such broadcast outlets as Thirteen/WNET and MSNBC. Wednesday, 7 p.m., Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place at First Place, 646-437-4202, free.

To submit an event for consideration for the Calendar, please wire the particulars to calendar@nysun.com, placing the date of the event in the subject line.