Midterms are upon us! Heaven forbid! If you can bear to drag yourself out of your studying coma (or you can’t even bear to start work), these events are the perfect shortcut to study-free bliss, if only for a couple of hours:- Terrace has some great shows in store this weekend: from French hip hop to “chillwave’s new Top Gun” Com Truise (a Princeton-based group), it’s looking to be a great weekend for live music. Sets usually start at around midnight.
- If you’re looking for some relaxing down time before you hit the Street (or, alas, the books), check out the University Modal Ensemble at Café Viv tonight. They’ll be playing from 11:30pm-1am, and it’s a fairly casual affair–the perfect study break if you’re chained to a desk in McGraw.
- The Princeton University Orchestra has an innovative concert in the works this weekend, including the world premiere of an electric guitar concerto (yes, you heard that right) from graduate student Mark Dancigers. It also features concertos from violinist Yoon Won Song and flutist Jessica Anastasio, who was recently accepted into Rice University’s prestigious Shepherd School of Music for graduate study. Concerts Friday and Saturday, 8pm in Richardson Auditorium at Alexander Hall. Tickets $8, student events eligible. To read more about Anastasio, Dancigers, and Song, click here (Warning: feelings of supreme inadequacy might ensue. These three are pretty darn spectacular).

- Quipfire’s March shows at Theatre Intime are sure to sell out quickly–nothing cleanses the soul and eases the mind like laughing your brains out, and this weekend is one of the group’s most popular events of the year. 10:30pm at Intime, tickets $5 at the door–but buying tickets ahead at Frist is highly recommended.
- Theater options abound this weekend: if you’re looking for something short and sweet (it clocks in at just over an hour, perfect for our pre-midterms attention spans), definitely check out the Student Playwrights Festival at Theatre Intime. The festival features three new pieces that were written and directed by underclassmen, and it’s only up this one weekend, so don’t miss out! Thursday-Saturday at 8pm in Theatre Intime. It’s also not too late to catch Carousel at the Frist Film and Performance Theatre or Much Ado About Nothing in Whitman; both have been getting great word of mouth, and their casts are incredible. Both run Thursday-Saturday at 8pm with 2pm matinees on March 5–Carousel’s matinee will feature a post-show talkback with theater professors Jill Dolan and Stacy Wolf that’s sure to be a fascinating watch. Tickets for all three shows are $8; student events eligible.
- There’s nothing like Harry, Hermione and the rest of the gang to help alleviate midterms stress (even if watching them makes you want to transfer to Oxford): Frist’s showing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 at midnight on Saturday in the Film and Performance Theatre, no tickets required.

It’s a huge week for arts events: with three plays, big choral concerts, great bands at Terrace, and more, there’s something for everyone. Celebrate the countdown to spring break (only two weeks to go! we’re in the home stretch!) with one of these gems:
Halfway through…well, technically only through the first half of the semester, but who’s counting, right? With only three weeks left til spring break, these events will help you enjoy the



Happy 2011, everyone! Even though you all probably equate the weekend before the dreaded Day of the Dean with holing up in a library and crying your eyes out in sorrow, there are a slew of interesting arts events to tempt you this weekend. Crawl out of your paper-induced misery and give these a shot!
Oh the weather outside is frightful (how much we wish we were joking), but despite the end-of-term push and the craziness of Formals weekend, there’s still a strong lineup of arts events in store for you over the next three nights. Here’s a taste:
