Apr 25 & 27
Hilary Hahn Plays Sibelius
Classical music is flat-out cool in the nimble hands of the 33-year-old violin virtuoso, whose fresh approach to the masters landed her on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien and NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts. Benaroya Hall, $51–$142.

Apr 26
[untitled]: New Expressions
Up next in Seattle Symphony’s late-night chamber music series: three world premieres by principal members of the orchestra, commissioned by music director Ludovic Morlot and played in the grand lobby of Benaroya. When was the last time you heard an oboe quartet? Benaroya Hall, $17.

CONCERTS

Apr 25–May 5
Black Watch
War’s a bitch—and we’ll hear it straight from the soldiers’ mouths in this powerful National Theatre of Scotland production, inspired by true (profanity-laced) stories of the Scottish regiment Black Watch in Iraq. Paramount Theatre, $21–$55.

Apr 25–May 12
The Taming of the Shrew
Kate and Petruchio rumble in the Padua trailer park in an indoor reprisal of Seattle Shakespeare’s wicked white-trash Shrew, typically staged outdoors during Wooden O’s Shakespeare in the Park summer season. The Playhouse at Seattle Center, $22–$45.

FILM

Apr 25–28
National Film Festival for Talented Youth
If the children are our future, then NFFTY, the world’s largest showcase of films by directors 22 and younger, suggests there’ll still be plenty of great popcorn fare when we’re old and gray. The annual nonprofit festival drew 10,000 attendees last year, including industry pros-as-panelists who would later become mentors for the young filmmakers. Seattle Cinerama and SIFF Cinemea Uptown, $11, festival pass $22–$150.

SOCIAL DATEBOOK

Apr 25
Eat Read Hugo
Seattle’s busiest satirist Maria Semple makes time to speak at Hugo House’s fundraising night of food and literature. Proceeds support Hugo House’s community-based writing programs. Palace Ballroom, $150.

BOOKS & TALKS

Apr 25
Nikky Finney
A daughter of activists, South Carolina native Nikky Finney writes vivid poetry about America’s troubled civil-rights history that’s political and personal in turns. Her 2011 collection Head Off and Split won the National Book Award for poetry. Benaroya Hall, $15–$50.

Apr 27
David Sedaris
Humorist David Sedaris has a knack for turning personal “truthy” stories into comedic gold. His new essay collection, Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls, wrings humor out of human taxidermy and a North Carolina Costco. Broadway Center for Performing Arts, Tacoma, $34–$79.

CONCERTS

Apr 25
Rodriguez
After being the lost rock star of the ’70s, Rodriguez got his time in the spotlight last year as the subject of the tremendous Oscar-winning documentary Searching for Sugar Man. Though Rodriguez shows his age on stage, his songs and skills remain timeless. Neptune Theatre, sold out.

Apr 28
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Pop stars haven’t truly made it until Weird Al skewers one of their hits. From his iconic parody of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” to polka covers of Lady Gaga, Yankovic lampoons them all in his terrific live show that has more (hilarious) costume changes than a Madonna concert. Broadway Center for Performing Arts, Tacoma, $36–$68.

EXHIBITS

Opens Apr 27
Fantasy: Worlds of Myth and Magic
EMP hosts an exhibit of fantasy literature and film ephemera, from original hand-edited manuscript pages of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to Labyrinth and Princess Bride costumes. A dragon behind bars, the latest permanent addition to the museum (originally made for the Metropolitan Opera's Ring cycle), wakes up when you pull its tail. EMP, $12–$20.