Slim but worthy pickings this week

Music

Wednesday marks the third concert of the Milwaukee Fine Arts Quartet’s annual Summer Evenings of Music series, which are free this year in commemoration of the Quartet’s 65^th year as an ensemble. It’s also their first concert since the passing of cellist Wolfgang Laufer earlier this month. Laufer, only the second cellist to play in the quartet and the de facto spokesman for the group since 1982, retired earlier this spring due to health issues. Recurring guest cellist Ronald Thomas and guest bassist Andrew Raciti join the Fine Arts Quartet for the concert, which includes pieces by Schubert, Sallinen and Dvorak. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Helen Bader Concert Hall at the Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts, 2419 E. Kenwood Blvd., and a pre-concert talk will begin at 6:30 p.m. Due to space restrictions, tickets must be reserved at the Box Office, (414) 229-4308.

It may have been three months since the 9.0 earthquake that struck Japan earlier this year, but the need for aid is as pressing as ever. Enter the Milwaukee Artists Unite for Japan benefit concert, this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts. Bringing together musicians from the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, UWM, the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, Florentine Opera and Milwaukee Opera Theatre, all proceeds from the concert will go to the American Red Cross and its efforts to provide shelter, food, and other assistance to the victims of this tragic disaster. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children and students with IDs, and can be purchased in person at the Zelazo Center or at (414) 229-4308.

The Wisconsin Philharmonic will enjoy the great outdoors Friday, June 24, at its Concert in the Heartland: Legacy of the Land, at Old World Wisconsin. The program, to be performed on the lawn of the Visitor’s Mall, includes music that relates to the American landscape. It includes Ashokan Farewell, from Ken Burns’ Civil War documentary, and selections by Aaron Copland. The concert begins at 7 p.m., and tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children if reserved in advance online or at (262) 594-6300, or $30 and $20 at the door, respectively. Tickets come with a coupon for free admission to Old World Wisconsin.

Theater

Ever wonder what’s going on in the basement of your local church while you’re waiting for the service to be over? Wonder no more; the Marcus Center’s Church Basement Ladies may have the answers you seek. A hit musical comedy that premiered off-off-Broadway in 2005, the show focuses on the kitchen of a Minnesota church in 1965, and the four very different women who keep the place running. The show runs June 23 to August 7, and tickets are $38 for most nights and $40 for Friday and Saturday night shows. To purchase tickets or for more information, call (414) 273-7206 or go to the Marcus Center’s online box office.

Last Chance

Youngblood Theatre: An Apology, extended through June 22.

Fireside Dinner Theatre: A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline, through June 26.

Broadminded Comedy: Blood is Thicker Than Liquor, through June 26

Optimist Theatre: Twelfth Night, through June 26

Note: On Stage is not comprehensive. For more events, please check the TCD performance calendar listings.