Don’t-miss picks for January 11 through January 17, 2018

1 Artists Connect: Haley Fohr

Art:In the recurring series Artists Connect, the Art Institute taps an artist to create work inspired by a piece or gallery in its collection. This month, Haley Fohr, known for penning haunting ballads under the name Circuit des Yeux, sings in the museum’s Ando Gallery.
1/11 at 6 p.m. Free with admission. Art Institute of Chicago. artic.edu

2 Lana Del Rey

Pop:This loungey pop star (real name Lizzy Grant) is no stranger to the headlines, but it’s unlikely she anticipated the recent spike in attention to her 2012 track “Cola”—inspired, many surmised, by Harvey Weinstein. (Opening lines: My pussy tastes like Pepsi-Cola / My eyes are wide like cherry pies / I gots a taste for men who are older.) Grant has since dispelled the rumors, saying she envisioned “a Citizen Kane,” but discontinued the song nevertheless. She’s now focusing on Lust for Life, her solid (if rambling) fifth album, which marks a return to form for the provocative artist.
1/11 at 8 p.m. $40–$500. United Center. ticketmaster.com

3 Five Mile Lake

Theater:Think Chekhov—loneliness, ennui, and all—transported from a humdrum small town in Russia to a humdrum small town in Pennsylvania. Ambitions are thwarted and love unrequited in this Rachel Bonds drama, where immobility looms (in the form of the titular frozen lake) over a group of young adults stuck in their provincial lives.
1/11–2/24. $15–$35. Shattered Globe Theatre at Theater Wit. sgtheatre.org

4 Do Not Resist? 100 Years of Chicago Police Violence

Art:For the People Artists Collective curates this exhibit of art, panels, and community discussions that explore the history of police violence in Chicago. Highlights include a live taping of the books podcast Lit Review and a display of protest photography by artist and lawyer Larry Redmond.
FREE Opening reception: 1/12 at 6 p.m. Hairpin Arts Center. forthepeoplecollective.org

5 Brian Brooks Moving Company

Dance:Brooks, best known for collaborations with ballet superstar Wendy Whelan, returns to the Harris Theater with his New York company for two programs. Friday’s abridged performance—part of the theater’s millennial-targeted Mix at Six series—features food trucks and booze; the Saturday matinee is for the whole family.
1/12–13. $10–$15. Harris Theater. harristheaterchicago.org

6 Winter Chamber Music Festival

Classical:A warm oasis in a huddling-under-the-blanket time of year, the three-weekend chamber music series at Northwestern University programs an avalanche of big-name small-ensemble talent. The lineup features three string quartets (Dudok Kwartet Amsterdam, Rolston, and in-residence Dover), all incidentally incorporating Mozart, as well as 24 caprices, à la Paganini, by top contemporary composers (violinist Jennifer Koh performing)—a project so big it snowballed to two concerts.
1/12–28. $10–$30 per concert; $27–$126 multiconcert pass. Pick-Staiger Concert Hall at Northwestern University. events.music.northwestern.edu

7 Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah

Gospel:The 13th annual presentation of a jazz and gospel take on George Frideric Handel’s Messiah features more than 100 voices, a 37-piece orchestra, and a jazz quintet. The performance commemorates the life of Martin Luther King Jr.
1/13–14. $29–$78. Auditorium Theatre. auditoriumtheatre.org

8 Paint the Eyes Softer: Mummy Portraits from Roman Egypt

Art:A rare exhibit brings paintings of mummies to Northwestern University. Rendered on wood, these portraits, which were wrapped up with mummified bodies, document Roman Egyptians who lived and died 2,000 years ago—their faces not much different from ours today. Also on view, the property of a theology seminary on campus: a wrapped mummy that curators believe was a young girl.
FREE 1/13–4/22. Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University. blockmuseum.northwestern.edu

9 Chicago Sinfonietta

Classical:For the latest in its annual raucous remembrances of Martin Luther King Jr., this diversity-jubilant orchestra devotes the whole concert to Ask Your Mama, a piece that embodies variety in its styles and instrumentation. The composition by the film-and-TV composer Laura Karpman, inspired by Langston Hughes, unites the orchestra with jazz musicians, electronic samples, video projections, spoken word, and sundry other influences. The operatic soprano Janai Brugger solos.
1/10–14. Free–$15. McCormick Place. chicagoboatshow.com

10 Paul Heyer

Art:Consider Heyer the local emerging painter of the moment: His pastel-hued scenes recall the glory days of LGBTQ sexual liberation in Chicago and beyond. See “Painter Paul Heyer Takes Inspiration from His South Suburban Hometown.”
1/16–7/1. $8–$15 donation. Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. mcachicago.org