It’s In Queens! Events from January 9th to January 15th

Neither snow, nor sleet, nor ridiculously cold temperatures can stop Queens from being a hot bed of enrichment, entertainment and fun. This week the borough smiles warmly at Mother Nature with plenty of live music, movies galore, an MLK recognition event, polar bears, Japanese art and a fiesta based on recycling electronic waste. Here’s the rundown, broken into sections of music, arts, and education.

MUSIC
Jan. 9, D.B. Rielly, 9 pm. Award-winning singer/songwriter D.B. Rielly performs a wide range of Americana music, spanning several genres, including Roots, Blues and Country. He promises an “instantaneous cure for all afflictions.” Free. Winegasm, 31-86 37th St., Astoria, www.winegasmeatery.com.

Jan. 10, David Hazeltine Trio, 8 pm. Hazeltine has his own distinctive piano style and musical voice. His trio features drum legend Louis Hayes and bassist Peter Washington. $15. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., www.flushingtownhall.org.

Jan. 11, Irish Music Concert, 7:30 pm. Siusan O’Rourke and Zig Zeitler, who were nominated as Top Duo by the Irish Music Association, perform with Donie Carroll, a singer/songwriter, and John Nolan, a button accordion maestro (1982 All Ireland Champion). $22/$11, seniors, students and unemployed. New York Irish Center, 10-40 Jackson Ave., LIC, www.newyorkirishcenter.org.

Jan. 11, Songs of Freedom, 3 pm. Robbi K and Friends commemorate the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech with a performance of protest and freedom songs, a slide presentation and stories. Free. Queens Central Library, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., Jamaica, www.queenslibrary.org.

Jan. 12, Twilight Concert by Con Brio Ensemble, 4:30 pm. Critically acclaimed violinist Alexander Meshibovsky and pianist Diana Mittler perform Respighi-Violin Sonata, Bloch-Baal Shem Suite and Sarasate-Introduction and Tarantella. Alan Hollander presents works for oboe and piano by Telemann, Ravel and Saint-Saens. Baritone Darian Worrell performs the Four Serious Songs by Brahms. $10 and $12. The Church-in-the-Gardens, 50 Ascan Ave., Forest Hills, www.thecitg.org.

Jan. 12, Classical Music: Trio Cavatina, 3 pm. Five Boroughs Music Festival presents Trio Cavatina, winners of the 2009 Naumburg International Chamber Music Competition, in a program featuring works by Beethoven and Brahms, as well as an NYC premiere by Douglas Boyce. $25/$20 Queens residents/$15 students. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., www.flushingtownhall.org.

Jan. 13, Oratorio Society of Queens Auditions, 7:45 pm. Experience the joy of choral singing. Reservations are required, call 718.279.3006. Temple Beth Sholom, 171-39 Northern Blvd., Flushing, www.queensoratorio.org.

ARTS
Jan. 10, Little Feet and Old Moon, 7 pm. The Museum of the Moving Image’s First Look series shows inventive new cinema. In Little Feet, director Alexandre Rockwell’s children star as siblings who are barely cared for by their widowed father who dresses in an animal suit for a living and collapses drunk at night. When a pet goldfish dies, they set off to find a new mate for the fish. Rockwell and his children will be at screening. The short Old Moon, directed by a student of Rockwell and filmed in Puerto Rico, shows first, and a reception follows. MMI, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria, www.movingimage.us.

Jan. 11, Rohmer in Paris, 2 pm; The Inner Jungle, 4:15 pm; and Vic + Flo Saw a Bear, 7 pm. The Museum of the Moving Image’s First Look series shows inventive new cinema. Director Richard Misek’s Rohmer in Paris is an ode to the Nouvelle Vague master Eric Rohmer and his beloved Paris. In director Juan Barrero’S autobiographical film The Inner Jungle, he returns from the Galapagos Islands to find his girlfriend is pregnant. The film expresses the combination of terror and amazement surrounding romance and pregnancy. Vic + Flo Saw a Bear is set in director Denis Côté’s native northern Québéc. It follows a pair of lesbian lovers and ex-cellmates after their release from prison. MMI, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria, www.movingimage.us.

Jan. 12, Isamu Noguchi and Qi Baishi: Beijing 1930, 3 pm. Noguchi Museum’s Amy Hau and former Assistant Director Alexandra Snyder May discuss the new exhibit, which includes works given by Sotokichi Katsuizumi, a Japanese businessman and Chinese painting collector who introduced Isamu Noguchi to the Chinese ink painter Qi Baishi. Free with admission. NM, 9-01 33rd Rd., LIC, www.noguchi.org.

Jan. 12, Visitors, 2 pm; The Quispe Girls, 5 pm; The Summer of Flying Fish, 8 pm. The Museum of the Moving Image’s First Look series shows inventive new cinema. Visitors consists of 74 black-and-white shots, taking viewers to the moon and back, while examining the human species and a gorilla from the Bronx Zoo. In the remote Chilean mountains in 1974, three goat-herding sisters survive after the death of a fourth sister in The Quispe Girls. Chilean documentarian Marcela Said’s debut feature The Summer of Flying Fish is coming-of-age story in the expansive terrains of southern Chile near Patagonia, as bright-eyed teenager Manena vacations with her family in their summer lake house, meets new friends, and finds her first love. MMI, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria, www.movingimage.us.

EDUCATION
Jan. 11, Storybook Discovery Day, 11 am. In a cozy parlor, Karyn Mooney welcomes the Year of the Horse by reading about Chinese New Year celebrations and making horse puppets. Suggested donation $5 per family. Voelker Orth Museum, 149-19 38th Ave., Flushing, www.vomuseum.org.

Jan. 12, Open Mic Sunday, 2 pm. The event features poet, essayist and translator Claire Van Winkle, who teaches undergraduate writing and literature at Queens College. Free. Queens Central Library, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., Jamaica, www.queenslibrary.org.

MISCELLANEOUS
Jan. 12, Electronic Waste Recycling, 10 am to 4 pm. Drop off unwanted or broken electronics, and the Queens Botanical Garden will dispose of them. From 1 pm to 3 pm, QBG hosts children’s crafts workshops using recycled and repurposed items. Free. QBG, 43-50 Main St., Flushing, www.queensbotanical.org.

Jan. 12, Adventure Hour: Polar Bears, 1:30 pm. This class offers toddlers an opportunity to socialize and learn about nature in a relaxed environment. Activities include live animals, art project, outdoor play, trail walks and music. Pre-registration required at 718.229.4000. $16. Alley Pond Environmental Center, 228-06 Northern Blvd., Douglaston, www.alleypond.com.

The “It’s In Queens” column is produced by the Queens Tourism Council with the hope that readers will enjoy the borough’s wonderful attractions. More info at www.itsinqueens.com.