ART

TWO DECADES “Now and Then (Works on paper, 1980s to 2007)” is an exhibit of drawings by Ford Crull, who became an important figure during the art house craze of the mid-1980s. Selections from the exhibit include “Rapaz de Ipanema” (2007), above. Through Saturday, June 16, Tuesday–Saturday, 10:30 a.m.–6 p.m., Howard Scott Gallery, 529 W. 20th St., between Tenth Avenue and the West Side Highway, 646-486-7004, free.

MUSIC

A ROMANTIC GOODBYE Conductor Lorin Maazel leads the New York Philharmonic in “Brahms the Romantic: A Philharmonic Festival,” a performance of the composer’s third and fourth symphonies. Symphony No. 4 is Brahms’s farewell to the genre. Preconcert talks led by the orchestra’s Leonard Bernstein scholar-in-residence, Charles Zachary Bornstein, precede the shows at 6:30 p.m. tonight and 10 a.m. tomorrow.

HONKY TONK HEARTACHE The Country Music Association’s Songwriter Series presents a celebratory concert to honor the 25th anniversary of the Bluebird Café in Nashville, which is famous for being the site of impromptu concerts by country songwriters whose songs have then been recorded by some of country music’s biggest stars. Performing songwriters include Fred Knobloch, Thom Schuyler, Jelly Roll Johnson, and Tony Arata, who wrote one of Garth Brooks’s most well-known singles, “The Dance.” Tonight, 6:30 and 9:30, Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette St., between Astor Place and Broadway, 212-967-7555, $20.

OMAHA’S FINEST The Bowery hosts three shows by the indierock band Bright Eyes, who are accompanied each night by a rotating lineup of guest performers. Band members include lead singer and guitarist Conor Oberst and multiinstrumentalist Mike Mogis. Mr. Oberst has been hailed as a wunderkind in praise of his gift for songwriting and ornate orchestration. Bright Eyes performs selections from its recent album releases, including “Cassadaga” and “I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning.” Among the featured guests is an alternative-country singer, Gillian Welch. Tonight and tomorrow, 8 p.m., Town Hall, 123 W. 43rd St., between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, 212-840-2824, $28.50–$33.50.

TIBETAN CHANT The Rubin Museum of Art and the Harmonic Presence Foundation presents “Resonance and Radiance: Sacred Music, Sacred Mind,” a concert given by the Nepal-based Nagi Gompa Nuns. The nuns perform sacred chant and music from the Chöd tradition, which was founded by the 11th-century Tibetan female saint and Tantric practitioner Machik Lapdron. Friday, 7 p.m., Rubin Museum, 150 W. 17th St, between Sixth and Seventh avenues, 212-620-5000, $25.

REMEMBERING MRS. WORTHINGTON “Noël Coward and His Ladies,” a concert that pays tribute to the master 20th-century lyricist and playwright and the leading ladies with whom he collaborated, is presented at the 92nd Street Y. Among the actresses and musical performers whose interpretations of Coward’s work are celebrated are Gertrude Lawrence, Mary Martin, Elaine Stritch, and Florence Henderson. Steve Ross is artistic director of the show and accompanies on piano. Barry Day is a co-writer with Mr. Ross of the script, and singers Maude Maggart and Patricia Hodge are among the featured vocalists. Saturday, 8 p.m., and Sunday, 3 p.m., 92nd Street Y, Kaufmann Concert Hall, 1395 Lexington Ave. at 92nd Street, 212-415-5500, $50–$60.

READINGS

ROCKING WRITERS The Carlton on Madison Avenue hosts a celebrity book signing to raise funds for the nonprofit organization 826NYC, which helps students develop creative and expository writing skills, and teachers inspire their students to write. The event is presented in conjunction with a performance by the Rock Bottom Remainders, a charity rock band featuring some of America’s most well-known writers. Featured authors during the book signing include Amy Tan, Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson, and Scott Turow. Today, 11 a.m., the Carlton on Madison, 88 Madison Ave., between 28th and 29th streets, 212-532-4100, free.

THE FIRST DUTY OF THE CRITIC Arthur Krystal reads from his newly published book “The Half-Life of an American Essayist” (David R. Godine), a collection of 12 literary essays that explore a range of subjects, from the evolution of the typewriter to the history of boxing. In other stories Mr. Krystal examines such topics as his inescapable laziness and the cultural importance of the work of Raymond Chandler. Tonight, 8 p.m., 192 Books, 192 Tenth Ave. at 21st Street, 212-255-4022, free.

TALKS

THEATRICAL EVOLUTION “Blackface Minstrelsy: The TV of the 19th Century” is a discussion about one of America’s first homegrown forms of entertainment. Blackface minstrels began performing in the Northern states in 1828. During the 1850s, minstrelsy was used by some activists as a tool for the antislavery movement. Participants include an assistant professor of theater at Williams College, Annemarie Bean, an associate professor of theater arts and dance at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Thomas DeFrantz, and an editor and author, Mel Watkins. Tonight, 6:30 p.m., New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West at 77th Street, 212-868-4444, $15 general, $10 students, seniors, and educators, $8 members.

TAKING BACK A BOROUGH The New-York Historical Society, the Brooklyn Historical Society, and the Weeksville Heritage Center present “Who Owns Brooklyn? From Farms to Brownstones,” a talk about the ever-changing nature of the community and development of the borough. Symposium participants also discuss how Brooklyn residents dealt with land and ownership dilemmas throughout history. Panelists include a professor of African American studies at Fordham University, Mark Naison, an associate professor of history at Brooklyn College, Gunja Sengupta, and an associate professor of urban planning at Columbia University, Lance Freeman. The moderator of the event is a professor of history at Dartmouth College, Craig Wilder. Tonight, 6 p.m., Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont St., between Clinton and Henry streets, 718-756-5250, free.

THEATER

GREEK TRAGEDY GOES UPTOWN The Classical Theatre of Harlem stages Alfred Preisser’s “(The Blood) Electra,” an adaptation of Sophocles’s Greek revenge tragedy. In the classic work, the titular character is called upon to avenge her father’s murder, which involves killing her own mother, a crime that will have serious consequences. In Mr. Preisser’s production, a meditation on the costs of war combines elements of Kabuki theater and Afro-Caribbean dance. Featured cast members include Petronia Paley, Christina Sajous, Zainab Jah, and Trisha Jeffrey. Tonight, 8 p.m., through Sunday, June 24, Wednesday–Saturday, 8 p.m., Sunday, 3 p.m., the Harlem School of the Arts Theatre, 647 St. Nicholas Ave. at 141st Street, 212-868-4444, $22-$45.

A VOICE ON A SHOULDER Norman Beim’s “Fritz and Froyim,” directed by John Cooper, is a comedic musical about Fritz, a former Nazi trooper, who is haunted by Froyim, the ghost of a Jewish comedian, in Germany at the end of World War II. Fritz struggles to shed himself of the ghost through ventriloquism, tap dancing, exorcism, and show tunes. Through Saturday, June 16, Wednesday–Friday, 8 p.m., Saturday, 3 and 8 p.m., Monday, 7 p.m., Turtle Shell Theater, 300 W. 43rd St. at Eighth Avenue, 212-868-4444, $18 general, $12 students and seniors.

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.