This week's entertainment offerings are mostly musical and mostly lighthearted - even the hospice talk, if you ask Sherry Campbell, co-founder and director of Welcome Home of Chattanooga, which serves the terminally ill. Her organization's annual series on "Demystifying Death and Dying" is meant to help everyone face end-of-life decisions with good information and a lighter heart. Here's a look at what's ahead.
* Classical music: In three concerts this weekend, the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera will feature the music of P.D.Q. Bach, the fictional relative of Johann Sebastian Bach and alter ego of contemporary composer Peter Schickele. His "Musical Sacrifice" is a response to the classical composer's "Musical Offering."
"Whenever I hear the name P.D.Q. Bach, it always brings a huge smile to my face because I know I am in for a treat," said CSO Music Director Kayoko Dan, who describes the satirical composer's work as "witty, charming and whimsical."
The program also will feature Bloch's Concerto Grosso No. 1, a modern take on Baroque stylings, and contemporary American composer/flutist Valerie Coleman's "Portraits of Josephine," a musical biography of French American entertainer Josephine Baker.
The programming is part of the First Horizon Foundation Instrumental Series featuring smaller ensembles of musicians and limited audience sizes. Masks and socially distanced seating are required.
Performances start at 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday and at 3 p.m. Sunday at New City Fellowship, 2424 E. Third St. (Parking is off Derby Street between Third and Fourth streets.) Tickets are $25. Purchase at chattanoogasymphony.org or call the box office at 423-267-8583.
* Coin show: The Tennessee State Numismatic Society will return to East Ridge this weekend for the first of two coin and currency conventions scheduled this year at Camp Jordan Arena, 323 Camp Jordan Parkway. (The next is Nov. 12-14.) Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. At 1 p.m. Saturday there's a Young Numismatics program designed to get kids interested in coin collecting. Admission is free. Face masks or shields must be worn. tsns.org
* Gospel music: Promoter Paul Belcher brings his "Battle of Songs" to Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, on Saturday, with performances by Karen Peck and New River, Primitive Quartet and Triumphant Quartet. Music starts at 6 p.m. at Parkway Baptist Church, 65 Stuart Road. Doors open at 5 p.m.
Tickets are $25 on the main floor, $20 for balcony seating (no elevator for access). A livestreaming option is available. To purchase, go to itickets.com or call 1-800-965-9324. Find out more at paulbelcherconcerts.com.
* Hospice talk: Welcome Home of Chattanooga, an end-of-life ministry, has partnered with The Chattery for a series of enrichment classes on "Demystifying Death and Dying." The next class, Let's Talk About Hospice, is scheduled from 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday via Zoom. Ethics and End of Life Care will follow on March 11. Participation is free, but you must register for the Zoom link. Programs continue through April. See the complete schedule at TheChattery.org.
* Plant sale: Crabtree Farms has added an online Early Spring Plant Sale to its list of opportunities for buying plants (the long-running Spring Plant Sale is not until April). This sale features herbs, fruits and vegetables that benefit from an earlier planting. You'll order online, then set a time for barnside pickup Thursday through Saturday. See the options at crabtreefarms.org. Questions? Contact Melissa Astin at 423-493-9155 or mastin@crabtreefarms.org.
While you're online, you can take care of registration for two upcoming workshops. Houseplants With Andy: Natural Beauty Inside Your Home is 6-8 p.m. March 11 for $25. Creating a Raised Bed Kitchen Garden is 10 a.m.-noon March 13 for $40. Both are at the farm, 1000 E. 30th St.
* String Theory will feature The Neubauer Quartet: A Family Affair in the No Strings Attached virtual series, which offers behind-the-scenes conversations and impromptu performances with the artists. The quartet consists of siblings Oliver and Clara Neubauer, violin; their mother Kerry McDermott, violin; and their father Paul Neubauer, viola. The program starts at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Access is free, but registration is required. Go to stringtheorymusic.org.
Photo from Lee University / The family of musicians known as the Neubauer Quartet — Clara Neubauer (violin), Kerry McDermott (violin), Oliver Neubauer (violin) and Paul Neubauer (viola), from left — will be featured in String Theory's No Strings Attached online program Tuesday.
* Tennessee Watercolor Society continues its "Winter Showcase" through March 23 in Northside Gallery at Northside Presbyterian, 923 Mississippi Ave., and through March 31 online at www.facebook.com/NorthsideGalleryatNPC. Fourteen artists from the Chattanooga area have 50 watermedia paintings in the show. For more information, call 423-266-1766 or email info@northsidepresbyterian.org.
Contact Lisa Denton at 423-757-6281 or ldenton@timesfreepress.com.