Due to the winter storms, we recommend calling ahead and/or checking websites and social media to confirm all events.
Listen to the birds
Explore the intersection of music, nature and conservation with the Reno Philharmonic. Ned Bohman, outreach coordinator for the Great Basin Bird Observatory, will discuss “Voices in the Canopy: Birdsong and Conservation in Northern Nevada,” as part of the “Classix Conversations with the Reno Phil” lecture series. Inspired by Jonathan Sokol’s composition “What Trees May Speak”—a response to the steep decline in bird populations—this event invites audiences to rediscover the natural world through the pursuit of the magic of birdsong. The talk begins at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 19, at the McKinley Arts and Culture Center, 925 Riverside Drive. Tickets are $20-$35. The Reno Phil will perform Sokol’s work, as well Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird Suite, at two concerts taking place this weekend at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, 100 S. Virginia St. The shows will also feature guest soloist Jon Nakamatsu, who will play Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 op. 23 in B-flat minor. The concerts start at 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 21-22. Tickets are $23.50-$127.50. Visit renophil.com for tickets and other information.
String beings
Apex Concerts begins its spring season with the critically acclaimed Juilliard String Quartet. Founded in 1946, the JSQ performs classic works while also championing new music. The quartet’s program reflects this dual mission, featuring Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 7 in F-sharp minor, Op. 108; an arrangement of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Prelude in E-flat Major, BWV 852 by composer-violinist Michelle Barzel Ross; and Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132. The ensemble will also perform Ross’ “Birds on the Moon,” a new work composed on commission by the JSQ. Current members Areta Zhulla (violin), Leonard Fu (violin), Molly Carr (viola) and Astrid Schween (cello) serve on the faculty at the Juilliard School, where the quartet maintains its longstanding residency. The concert starts at 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 19, at Harlan O and Barbara R. Hall Recital Hall, 1338 N. Virginia St., in the University Arts foundation building on the University of Nevada, Reno campus. Tickets are $40, but seats are limited. Check www.unr.edu/apex/15th-season/juilliard-string-quartet for tickets.
Toytopia: The fun-filled exhibit!
Toytopia is a celebration and history of toys both vintage and new! Learn about the history of your favorite toys from the last century and play to your heart’s content with our interactive Lego wall, giant dancing piano, oversized Battleship, life-size Barbie Dreamhouse, arcade game classics, and so much more! Toytopia takes place through April 26 at the Wilbur D. May Museum at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park, 1595 N. Sierra St., in Reno. Admission is $13 for adults; $11 for children and seniors; $7 per person for groups 15+; and free for children 2 and younger. Click here to learn more. (Sponsored Content)
Enlightening
The neon glow of casino lights combine with luminous art displays at the Western Lights Illuminated Art Festival. The second annual event will transform six blocks and three city plazas in downtown Reno into an outdoor gallery of light, art, community and technology. The family-friendly festival features interactive art pieces and activities, artist meet-and-greets, a costume contest, food trucks, a vendor marketplace, roaming street performers and a changing lineup of local and regional musical acts on six stages. International touring artists including Chromeo, Tokimonsta and Mark Farina; A Hundred Drums will headline nightly afterparties at Whitney Peak Hotel, The Alpine, Dead Ringer Analog Bar and Black Rabbit Mead Co. Be sure to dress for the weather, as organizers say the show will go on—rain, snow or whatever. Festival hours are 5 to 10 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 19-21, in downtown Reno from West Street Plaza to the Virginia Street Bridge. Admission is free to the festival, and afterparty tickets range from $20-$40. Visit westernlightsfestival.com for a schedule and more details.
Supply the need
Give the gift of life at the inaugural #LiveLifeLikeKT Blood Drive, which honors the memory of Katie Histing, a 23-year-old Northern Nevada woman who passed away in November 2024 after a six-year battle with Ewing sarcoma. While undergoing treatment for this rare form of cancer, Histing formed a business selling her artwork, clothing and other merchandise called Katie’s Collective, which is now run by her mother, Lynn Histing. Katie’s Collective has partnered with Vitalant Blood Donation for the event and will raffle off Katie’s artwork and merchandise to those who donate blood at the drive. Local cancer organizations will be onsite to raise awareness about the urgent need for blood donations. The blood drive takes place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 21, on the mezzanine level at Reno Public Market, 299 E. Plumb Lane. To make an appointment to donate blood, go to bit.ly/3YDAsN1. For other information, check www.renopublicmarket.com or linktr.ee/Katiehisting.
A blues streak
Let the good times roll with classic cars, rockin’ blues music and Big Easy vibes at Reno Blues Society’s annual Mardi Gras and Silent Auction this weekend. While Mardi Gras festivities typically come to an end as soon as the season of Lent begins, don’t feel guilty for partaking in this belated New Orleans-style carnival party featuring headliner Rick Estrin and the Nightcats. The three-time winners of the Blues Music Award for Band of the Year entertain audiences around the world with musicianship, storytelling and electric stage presence. Since its formation in 2008, the quartet has released six albums, including its latest, The Hits Keep Coming, on Alligator Records. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. with opening act Mighty Mike Schermer Trio, followed by Rick Estrin and the Nightcats, on Saturday, Feb. 21, at the National Automobile Museum, 1 Museum Drive. Advance tickets are $45 for general admission and $35 for RBS and NAM members. Tickets are $55 at the door. Seating is first-come, first-served. Festive attire is encouraged. Visit renoblues.org or automuseum.org.
The more you know
Celebrate African-American heritage and learn more about notable people who contributed to our community and our country as part of Black History Month. Black Wall Street Reno and the Boys and Girls Club of Truckee Meadows will hold a Black History Month celebration featuring an art show, fashion show, live music and spoken word performances, demonstrations, children’s activities and local vendors. The free event runs from 2 to 6 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Boys and Girls Club of Truckee Meadows, 1090 Bresson Ave. Go to www.facebook.com/BlackWallStreetReno for more info.
Nevada Humanities and Truckee Meadows Community College will host a screening of the award-winning documentary A Black Springs Homecoming: Finding History, produced by Nevada Humanities and directed by Tsanavi Spoonhunter. The documentary tells the story of Black Springs—a small, historically African-American neighborhood six miles north of downtown Reno—and the ability of its residents to establish an enduring sense of community in the face of widespread racial discrimination and economic hardship. This free screening starts at 11:30 a.m., followed by a conversation, on Wednesday, Feb. 25, in Red Mountain Building Room 256 at Truckee Meadows Community College, 7000 Dandini Blvd. Visit hwww.nevadahumanities.org or www.tmcc.edu.
The Carson City Historical Society will present educator, civic leader and public speaker Michael J. Smith, who will discuss “A Century of Black History Commemorations: Celebrating 100 Years of Black History, 1926–2026.” The lecture begins at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 26, in the Carriage House at the Foreman-Roberts House Museum, 1207 N. Carson St., Carson City. Admission is $10, and free for CCHS members. Reservations are required. Check www.cchistorical.org for more details.
Winter show warning
You could stay at home all warm and cozy watching the Winter Games, but then you would miss out on some cool shows happening in town this weekend. Hear some of your favorite alternative rock anthems when ’90s tribute band Red Flannel Flashback covers some of the biggest hits of the era starting at 7 p.m., Friday, Feb. 20, at Reno Public Market, 299 E. Plumb Lane. Entry is free to the all-ages show. Visit www.renopublicmarket.com.
Delight in danceable darkwave music performed by Los Angeles-based bands FEVR, OCCULTS and The XRAY5, who will make a stop in the Biggest Little City. The all-ages show gets underway at 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 21, at The Holland Project, 140 Vesta St. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. Visit hollandreno.org or www.instagram.com/belfryreno.
Finally, cheer on local bands InnerState, deWolfe, No One Good, Emberwake and Grim Forge, who will battle it out for $5,000 in cash and prizes in the final round of the Winter Band Wars. The competition starts at 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 21, at Club Underground, 555 E. Fourth St. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door for the all-ages show. Go to clubundergroundreno.com.
America’s musical heritage
Enjoy a medley of American music when the Carson City Symphony presents its America 250 Concert, one of many events taking place across the country in the six months leading up to the United States’ semiquincentennial, or the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4. The program will feature Bruce Roter’s “A Birthday Celebration!”; the Nevada premiere of Gwyneth Walker’s new work “America 250!”; Robert Russell Bennett’s Suite of Old American Dances; and more. Mezzo-soprano Brittney May will sing “Ain’t It a Pretty Night?” from the opera Susannnah and “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from the musical Carousel with the orchestra. The concert begins at 4 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 22, in the Bob Boldrick Theater at the Carson City Community Center, 851 E. William St. Before the concert, Kat MacMartin will play American fiddle tunes at 3 p.m. in the lobby. A concert preview with conductors David Bugli and Brian Fox and soloist Brittney May begins at 3:15 p.m. in the Bob Crowell Board Room. Tickets are $18 for general admission and $15 for seniors, students and Carson City Symphony Association members. Entry is free for youth 18 or younger. Visit ccsymphony.com.
11 Days a Week is written and compiled by Kelley Lang. Want your event included in 11 Days a Week? Email krisv@renonr.com for consideration. Email advertising@renonr.com for advertising info!
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