The Semaphore Repertory Dance Company, a group comprised of advanced dance students at Carleton College, will present their annual spring performance on Friday, May 24 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. and again on Sunday, May 26 from 2 to 4 p.m. The performances will take place in the Weitz Center for Creativity Theater and are free and open to the public. Reservations are encouraged and can be made online at www.carleton.tixato.com/buy.

Carleton College will celebrate some of the best in popular American music in a special choral concert on Friday, May 24 at 8 p.m. in the Concert Hall. “It’s Showtime, Folks!” will feature the vocal talents of the Carleton Singers (performing American jazz standards) and the Carleton Choir (performing semi-staged choruses from classic Broadway musicals). This event is free and open to the public. 

Carleton College’s Chinese Music Ensemble will present their spring recital this Sunday, May 26 at 3 p.m. in the Concert Hall. The performance, which is free and open to the public, will feature the world premiere of Minnesota composer Paul Dice’s new instrumental composition, “Father and Son Mock Fishing at Duck Creek,” from his forthcoming full-length album of Chinese music.

Carleton College’s Jazz Ensembles will perform their annual Spring concert at 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 19 in the Carleton College Concert Hall. Carleton’s new Instructor of Saxophone Greg Keel will perform as a guest soloist. This event is free and open to the public.

For Grandma: The 2013 Senior Art Exhibition opens tonight at 7 p.m. in the Perlman Teaching Museum of the Weitz Center for Creativity. The exhibit is the culminating event in the studio art major's experience at Carleton, showcasing artwork produced during their senior year. Tonight's reception is free and open to the public. For Grandma will remain on display through June 14.

Carleton College’s Symphony Band, directed by Ronald Rodman, will present its spring concert on Friday, May 17 at 8 p.m. in the Concert Hall. This special performance wraps up the academic year with a concert celebrating the graduating members of the Class of 2013. This event is free and open to the public.

Volunteers are needed for two events happening this Saturday, May 18 in the Cowling Arboretum. From 6 to 9 a.m., the College will host its Annual Spring Bird Count and from 9 a.m. until noon, participants are invited to help with an Arboretum Spring Clean Up.

On the heels of their first official concert in almost seven months, the revered St. Paul Chamber Orchestra comes to Carleton College for a special performance on Saturday, May 18 at 8 p.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel. Tickets, available at the door, are $10 the general public, $7 for students and seniors, and free for those with a Carleton or St. Olaf College ID.

Carleton College’s Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE) will host the annual Empty Bowls fundraiser on Friday, May 17 on the campus Bald Spot at 11:50 a.m., following the weekly convocation address. This popular event is open to the public.

Randy Cohen, a writer best known as the author of a long-running New York Times Magazine column on ethics, will deliver Carleton College’s convocation address on Friday, May 17. Cohen’s presentation, entitled “How To Be Good,” explores what he considers to be the means of creating more virtuous communities. Convocation is held from 10:50-11:50 a.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel, and it is free and open to the public. Convocations are also streamed live and can be viewed online at go.carleton.edu/convo/.