Seven things I’ve been meaning to tell you

Brian Reith, Sarah Weiss and Amanda Kreske, at work on the new Milwaukee Photographic Coalition space, at 820 E. Locust St.

Last February, my wife and I negotiated ice-covered sidewalks and climbed four flights of stairs to attend a show a bunch of undergrad photographers from UWM had put up in a Fifth Ward warehouse. A lot of the work was marvelous, and we ended up buying Alison Barnick‘s terrific, large-format shot of a travel trailer parked on a frozen lake.

Several of the photographers in that show have formed the Milwaukee Photographic Coalition, comprising Barnick, Sara Taavola, Danny Bissing, Meg Bowers and Amanda Kreske, all recent UWM grads, and UWM seniors Sarah Weiss and Bryan Rieth. Like most Milwaukee artists of their generation, they are entrepreneurial and DIY. They’ve cleaned up the basement of the Foxglove Gallery, 820 E. Locust St., and made it their professional home.

MPC will give its first exhibition there from 6-10 p.m. tonight, Friday Jan. 6. Do stop in. The kids are alright.

Harvard and Yale, rivals in all things academic, athletic and political, are also rivals in men’s a cappella singing. Yale has its Whiffenpoofs, formed in 1909, and Harvard has its Krokodiloes, dating to 1946. Since then, the Kroks have toured the world. Just now, they’re on a five-city U.S. tour preceding a 30-city international tour. The dozen Harvard gentlemen will give a dinner concert in Milwaukee at the Pfister Hotel on Friday, Jan. 30, starting with a reception at 6:30 p.m. They sing classics from the American Songbook, early rock and traditional tunes. Sounds like fun, and just $49 per person. Details here.

As I write this Friday afternoon, TCD is giving away a bunch of Milwaukee Symphony tickets to e-news subscribers. We send our free e-newsletter out three times per week; Friday is giveaway day. So sign up and get in on the action.

Speaking of the MSO, the orchestra has moved its offices. The new digs are in the Blatz Wash House Building, Suite 100, 1101 N. Market St., Downtown. The MSO ticket line remains 414 291-7605, and hours are still 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

No waiting for spring for an outing to the Lynden Sculpture Garden. Executive director

The Lynden Sculpture Garden looks just like this, except for the snow. Photo courtesy of the Lynden website.

Polly Morris reports that five bluebirds are flitting around the grounds and the ponds are all water and no ice (sorry, skaters). The garden is open, the outdoor sculptures are not buried in snow and shows are up indoors all winter. Light Up the Garden, an event in which participants make lanterns in the afternoon and tour the garden with them at night, is set for Jan. 15.

Those attending Saturday’s (Jan. 8 ) Milwaukee Rep matinee or evening performance of  Next to Normal, a rock musical

Tom Strini, hard at work at TCD headquarters.

featuring a character with bipolar disorder, are invited to a special talkback session at 4:30 p.m. in the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater. Artistic director Mark Clements and Tony Meyer, clinical professor of psychiatry at the Medical College of Wisconsin and medical director of Aurora Psychiatric Hospital, will participate.

Due to high ticket demand, First Stage Milwaukee has extended its run of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, aimed at 3 through 6-year olds, through Feb. 12.

Okay, make it Eight Things I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You: We love the Transfer/Via restaurateurs because their food is good, they’re nice guys, they advertise with us and they do stuff like this: CJ Darnieder, a young composer who works for Transfer is moving to New York to launch his career. So the guys are letting him put on a farewell concert at Via, 2625 N. Downer Ave., at 9:30 p.m. Saturday (Jan. 9). They’re cramming a chamber orchestra into the place for a program of Darnieder’s music. Very cool.