Happening this weekend (and beyond) in Brevard: Jan 21-23

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Psyched up for Green Gables, bUneke

Renowned psychic Jeffrey Wands is returning to Melbourne for a program that begins at 6:45 p.m., Friday, Jan. 21, at FOP Lodge 37, 1049 Julia Drive, Melbourne. Wands will provide psychic readings to reserved ticket holders and host a question-and-answer session before a book signing.

All money from ticket sales will be split between nonprofits bUneke and Green Gables of Historic Riverview Village.

Wands’ program goes beyond the readings to provide strategies for creating harmony, happiness, purpose and peace in every aspect of life. He has often been called upon to help find missing children. In the television show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” Wands was tasked with encouraging previous occupants who had passed away to vacate the premises.

Tickets are $35. Purchase at eventbrite.com. Search "An Evening With Jeffery Wands." For more information, call 321-794-8901.

Happening at the King Center

Astonishing athletes defy gravity and execute breathtaking feats as they stretch the limits of human ability as the New Shanghai Circus performs at the King Center at 10:30 a.m. and again at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 25.

These fearless performers with boundless energy bring more than 2,000 years of Chinese circus traditions to their show. If it's humanly possible — and even if it's not! — Shanghai's acrobats, jugglers and contortionists do it with spectacular flair.

The morning performance is reserved for groups of 10 or more. Tickets for that show are $8 per person. Evening performance tickets are $18.25 to $28.25.

Also at the King Center is Little Feat and Gaelic Storm, both on Jan. 26.

Little Feat fused a broad span of styles and genres into something utterly distinctive, a mix of California rock, funk, folk, jazz, country, rockabilly and New Orleans swamp boogie and more, all stirred into a unique and rich gumbo. The group will perform at 7:30 p.m. on the Main Stage. Tickets start at $59.

At 7:30 p.m., Gaelic Storm takes the King Center by storm at the Studio Theatre. You might remember the group from “Titanic.” The film featured the musicians playing playing during the Irish party in Third Class.

The group has topped the Billboard World Chart six times, making appearances at mainstream music festivals and regularly headlining the largest Irish Festivals across the country, all the while gaining a reputation as a genre-bending Irish rock band, whose songs mix Celtic traditions with something uniquely creative. Tickets are $49.75.

For tickets to all these shows and more, visit kingcenter.com.

Horrorville Horror and Paranormal convention

This phenomenal paranormal event at Space Coast Convention Center, 301 Tucker Lane, Cocoa, on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 22-23 will feature a weekend of costume contests, movie stars, psychics, paranormal explorers and guest celebrities.

Look for visits by actors Mark Patton (“A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge”), Brian Bremer (“Pumpkin Head”), paranormal guests Nick Grossmann (“Ghost Storm Investigations”), Scott Tepperman (“Ghost Hunters International” and “Ghost Life Paranormal”) and author Charles F. Rosenay (“Tours of Terror.”)

Single day admission is $25 in advance or $30 at the door. 2-day passes are available for $40 in advance or $50 at the door. Visit horrorvillecon.com or call 424-501-6103.

Brevard Youth Chorus holds auditions

Kids who like to sing are wanted by the Brevard Youth Chorus, which will hold auditions for young singers from 9 a.m. until noon, Saturday, Jan. 22, at Central Baptist Church, 2503 Country Club Road, Melbourne.

The Chorus is looking for singers in grades four to 10 in public, private, charter and home schools. Auditions will be in person.

Thursday evening rehearsals begin Jan. 27, health advisories permitting.

The Brevard Youth Chorus is co-directed by Brevard music teachers Eldean Hagans and Le Ann Hasker. The select group of youngsters performs at venues and events throughout Brevard. Performances in recent years have included the family concert with the Brevard Symphony Orchestra at the King Center, holiday concerts with the Indialantic Chamber Singers and more.

"Our rehearsals help the youngsters work on their music fundamentals and are always meaningful and fun,” said Hagans.

For more information or an audition time, contact Hagans at BYCsings@gmail.com or call 321-291-3141.

Welcome to the “Blue Note”

Jazz and blues fans know well that a note sung or played at slightly different pitch from standard is considered a blue note.

Blue notes will abound when the Melbourne Community Orchestra offers two cool winter concerts at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 26 and 27, at Melbourne Auditorium, 625 Hibiscus Blvd.

The performances will feature a hit parade of more than 25 jazz and big band standards arranged for orchestra, including a medley of top hits from the '40s. The audience will hear “Moondust,” a medley of "Moonlight Serenade," "Blue Moon" and "How High the Moon," along with a tribute to Louis Armstrong titled "Satchmo," plus selections by Jobim, Cole Porter and George Gershwin.

A highlight will be the groundbreaking 1973 “Jazz Suite for Flute and Piano” by Claude Bolling. The jazz work will feature the orchestra's principal flutist, Noël Barefield, along with pianist, Dylan Rhodes, performing the movement "Baroque and Blue.”

“What's different about our annual January jazz concert is that we perform big band works that have been arranged for orchestra,” said conductor Mark Nelson. “The upbeat sound is always a favorite with our audience. We've seen couples get up and start swing dancing in the aisles.”

While the free “Welcome to the Blue Note” concerts start at 7:30 p.m., hep cats will arrive as early as 6:30 to snag the hot seats. No tickets are needed.

Call 321-285-6724 or visit MCOrchestra.org for more information

Letters from home with Brevard Symphony Orchestra

Brevard Symphony Orchestra starts with a homely theme for its first two concerts of the year.

“Letters from Home,” slated for 2 and 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 22, at the King Center, includes eclectic selections such as the “Seven O’Clock Shout” by Valerie Colman, who was inspired by the courageous frontline workers during the pandemic. The Philadelphia Orchestra premiered the work in 2020.

The program also features Holly Mulcahy performing “The Rose of Sonora,” a violin concerto she commissioned from film composer George S. Clinton. The work, which premiered with the Chattanooga Symphony in 2019, tells the fictional story of Rose, an outlaw in 1893 in the Territory of Arizona as she deals with love, loss, vengeance and healing.

Dvořák’s “8th Symphony,” a cheerful, idyllic piece the composer created on a summer holiday, rounds out the concerts. Tickets run from $19 to $49. Purchase at kingcenter.com.

Still playing

• 'Almost, Maine': Melbourne Civic Theatre, 817 E. Strawbridge Ave., presents the play through Feb. 20. One cold, clear, winter night, the residents of Almost, Maine find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and hilarious ways. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $30. Call 321-723-6935 or visit mymct.org.

• ‘Inherit the Wind’: This drama is on stage at Surfside Playhouse, 301 Ramp Road, Cocoa Beach, through Jan. 30. Based on the true story of the famous 1925 Scopes trial, this drama depicts two great lawyers arguing the case for and against a science teacher accused of teaching evolution. Tickets are $22-$25. Call 321-783-3127 or visit surfsideplayers.com.

• ‘Kinky Boots’: The show is on stage at Titusville Playhouse, 301 Julia Street, through Feb. 13. This musical about a struggling shoe factory owner who finds inspiration in a fabulous drag performer features a Tony-winning score by Cyndi Lauper. Tickets are $27-$35. Call 321-268-1125 or visit titusvilleplayhouse.com.

Do you have a community event? Email tgif@floridatoday.com and toastofthecoastfloridatoday@gmail.com at least two weeks in advance for consideration for the Best Bets roundup.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Happening this weekend (and beyond) in Brevard: Jan 21-23