West Philadelphia Orchestra with Barakka at The Blockley
Wed., Feb. 22, 9 p.m.
The Blockley (3801 Chestnut St., Philadelphia)
$10 tickets
This is a super bill of sorts, with the West Philadelphia Orchestra's usual brand of eclectic, Eastern Europe-influenced sounds reminiscent of Balkan and Klezmer styles. BARAKKA is a local band founded by Baris Kaya in 2003 that features Turkish and Middle Eastern folk rock, blending traditional instruments like the Oud, Dumbek and Djembe with sounds of Western bands like Pink Floyd.

Reimagining Urban Highways
Thurs., Feb. 23, 6:30-8 p.m.
Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University (1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia)
Free admission (RSVP  here or at 215-299-1000)
What to do with the three-mile stretch of I-95 near the Delaware River waterfront isn't just a Philadelphia issue. Major highways and how they intersect with cities that are changing rapidly are much-talked about issues in urban circles, and this panel presented by the Center for Environmental Policy in collaboration with Next American City, brings together some well-informed voices, including Southern Bronx River Watershed Alliance Coordinator Ashwin Balakrishnan, City of Providence Department of Planning and Development Director Thomas E. Deller, and Next American City Executive Director Diana Lind.

Brat Productions: A 24-Hour The Bald Soprano
Fri., Feb. 24, 8 p.m. to Sat., Feb. 25, 8 p.m.
Plays & Players Theatre (1714 Delancey Place, Philadelphia)
$20 tickets (grants access to all other performances as space permits)
It's theater on a loop -- six actors, 24 consecutive shows with no breaks. Brat Productions' night-and-day, come-and-go spectacle is a unique take on Eugene Ionesco's The Bald Soprano, an absurdist satire of British social conventions. Madi Distefano directs. Tickets are sold in two-hour blocks that guarantee admission to at least two performances.

Photo of Brat Productions (second from bottom) by Plate 3 Photos