ART

BLOWING UP Glass sculptor Femke Schaap is most recently known for creating “WhiteGlassWatchingR.,” a permanent installation at the Hague in the Netherlands. The installation features a computer-controlled light show presented through 100 rabbit-shaped lamps. She most recently received the UrbanGlass 2007 Established Visiting Artist Fellowship. Ms. Schaap discusses her past and future work in a slide lecture presented by UrbanGlass. Tonight, 6:30 p.m., Robert Lehman Gallery, 647 Fulton St., enter at 57 Rockwell Place, between Fulton Street and DeKalb Avenue, Fort Greene, Brooklyn, 718-625-3685, free.

STRINGS AND SERRA The Flux String Quartet performs a new string quartet commissioned by the Bargemusic organization from composer Yotam Haber. Mr. Haber wrote the piece inspired by the sculptures of Richard Serra, some of which are on view now at the Museum of Modern Art in the exhibit “Richard Serra Sculpture: Forty Years.” Selections from that exhibit include “Intersection II” (1992–93), above. Concert, tonight, Friday, and Saturday, 8 p.m., Bargemusic, Fulton Ferry Landing, Fulton Street and Cadman Plaza West, Brooklyn, 718-624-4061, $35 general, $30 seniors, $20 students. Exhibit, Saturday–Monday and Wednesday–Thursday, 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Friday, 10:30 a.m.–8 p.m., MoMA, 11 W. 53rd St., between Fifth and Sixth avenues, 212-708-9400, $20 general, $16 seniors, $12 students, free for children.

MUSIC

CASUAL CONCERT SERIES The New York Philharmonic performs as part of its Summertime Classics series, indoor and outdoor concerts highlighting popular and themed repertoire. This week’s program, “On the Beautiful Blue Danube,” features works by Franz Liszt and Johann Strauss II. A guest conductor, Bramwell Tovey, leads the orchestra, and pianist Markus Groh has his debut with the Philharmonic. Concertgoers are invited to arrive early for a drink on the piazza by the fountain. Tomorrow, 7:30 p.m., Friday, 8 p.m., New York Philharmonic, Avery Fisher Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, Broadway and 65th Street, 212-875-5900, $24–$54.

POETRY

POETICALLY OUT The Walt Whitman Project celebrates Gay Pride Month with a reading of the writer’s “Calamus” poems from his 1860 third edition publication “Leaves of Grass” collection. The poems are thought to be some of the first important literature about gay men being publicly accepted. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., Freebird Books & Goods, 123 Columbia St., between Kane and Degraw streets, Brooklyn, 718-643-8484, free.

READINGS

SNIFFING OUT TROUBLE Partners & Crime Mystery Booksellers hosts the author of “A Dog About Town” (Random House), J.F. Englert. The novel tells the tale of Harry, a neurotic Manhattan resident who is mourning the loss of a girlfriend. When Harry becomes entangled in a circle of would-be occultists, his loyal Labrador, Randolph, takes on the task of guarding his hapless owner. Mr. Englert reads from and signs copies of his book. Pets are welcome. Tonight, 7 p.m., Partners & Crime Mystery Booksellers, 44 Greenwich Ave. at Charles Street, 212-243-0440, free.

CONFESSIONS OF A BIOGRAPHER Author Meryle Secrest reads from her memoir, “Shoot the Widow: Adventures of a Biographer in Search of Her Subject” (Knopf ). A career biographer — nine under her belt, including Stephen Sondheim and Frank Lloyd Wright — Ms. Secrest details the hazards of the genre, from reluctant spouses of dead subjects and permissions withheld, to inaccessible archives and interviews denied. Among the highlights is a poignant interview with an ailing Salvador Dalí, and glimpses of the author’s own life growing up in Bath, England. A book signing follows the talk. Tomorrow, 7 p.m., Strand Bookstore, 828 Broadway at 12th Street, second floor, 212-473-1452, $35 includes a signed copy of the book.

SPORTS

40-40 The United States Tennis Association holds ballperson tryouts for this summer’s US Open, beginning in late August. Prospective ballpersons are evaluated on their running, throwing, and catching skills. There are two different positions requiring quickness (net position) or a strong throwing arm (backcourt). Today, 3 p.m., Flushing Meadows Corona Park, USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, 39th Avenue and Willetts Point Boulevard, 718-760-6200, free.

TALKS

PRETTY PARKS The Citizens Budget Commission and the nonprofit organization New Yorkers for Parks hosts a panel discussion in conjunction with the release of a new CBC report on “Making the Most of Our Parks,” which offers a blueprint for improving city public parks. Panelists include the commissioner of the Department of Parks and Recreation, Adrian Benepe; the executive director of the Bryant Park Restoration Corporation, Dan Biederman, and the chairwoman of the New York City Council Committee on Parks and Recreation, Helen Foster. Today, 8:15 a.m., Municipal Art Society, 457 Madison Ave., between 50th and 51st streets, 212-279-2605, free.

JAZZ FOR THE INTELLECT As part of its “Live at Lincoln” series, Barnes & Noble hosts Yusef LaTeef, a multi-reedist, composer, and arranger. Mr. LaTeef’s groundbreaking career in jazz dates back to the 1950s. He performs selections from recent albums and discusses his newly published memoir, “The Gentle Giant” (Morton). Tomorrow, 7 p.m., Barnes and Noble, Lincoln Center Triangle, 1972 Broadway at 66th Street, 212-595-6859, free.

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