A dog whisperer, Klezmer jams, a mom-friendly opera, and crime films come to Queens in May

The month of May was named after Maia, a Roman Era goddess of fertility. Well, if Maia had lived in the Modern Era, she would have insisted that the month carry the moniker “Queens Fun.” Please see the following list of fantastic recreational, enrichment, and family events in the borough this May.

• May 1, Sam Anderson, Teresa Burga, and Charlotte Prodger, July 31. This is the first solo exhibition in a U.S. museum for each artist. Anderson’s The Park is a series of newly commissioned sculptures, including a sound piece and video work for the lower level galleries that isolate and abstract the idea of community.  Burga’s Mano Mal Dibujada includes historical and recent works such as her Prismas sculptures from the 1960s and a new series of sculptures presented for the first time in their entirety. Prodger’s Subtotal uses narration, sound, and moving image to weave tales that imbed time and place through her subjectivity. SculptureCenter, 44-19 Purves St., LIC, www.sculpture-center.org.

• May 6, Cesar Millan Live, 8 pm. Millan, star of the hit TV series Cesar 911 on Nat Geo WILD and original host of the long-running Dog Whisperer series, reveals the secrets of happier, healthier relationships between humans and their beloved canines in this live show. Kupferberg Center for the Arts, Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing,  www.kupferbergcenter.org.

• May 7, Klezmer Sunday, 5 pm. The Klez Dispensers perform a mix of Eastern European melodies and the bustling jazz of the 2nd Avenue Yiddish Theatre tradition. The Community House at the Church-in-the-Gardens, 15 Ascan Ave., Forest Hills,  www.musicareginae.org.

• May 12, 5 Boroughs Music Festival, 7 pm (and May 13 at 7:30 pm). As part of a festival that brings affordable chamber music to all corners of the city, Quicksilver offers Off The Beaten Track: Chamber Works from Moravia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland and Beyond. The performances explore the nexus of folk music in the 17th century and include early modern chamber music. King Manor Museum, 150-03 Jamaica Ave., Jamaica, www.kingmanor.org.

• May 12, The Miracle Worker, May 21. In this play, Helen Keller lives in a prison of silence and darkness. As a last chance before she is institutionalized, her parents contact Annie Sullivan, a dedicated teacher. As Sullivan struggles to reach Helen, she also confronts the obstacles in Helen’s family: a domineering father; a heartbroken mother; and a resentful son. Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Ave. S., Flushing Meadows Corona Park, www.queenstheatre.org.

• May 12, Crime Scenes: Donald Westlake of Film, May 14. Westlake wrote almost 100 books under various pseudonyms during his half-century career, the most influential being the Parker novels. More than 30 films have been made from his work. The Museum of the Moving Image presents the most successful and interesting ones with the following schedule: May 12, Point Blank, 7 pm; May 13, The Stepfather, 2 pm; May 13, The Grifters, 4 pm; May 14, Cops and Robbers, 2 pm; May 14, Made in USA, 4 pm; May 14, Hot Rock and The Outfit, 6 pm. MoMI, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District, www.movingimage.us.

• May 13, From My Mother’s Mother, 7:30 pm. Celebrate Mother’s Day with a chamber opera about a Korean tradition in which post-natal women are given seaweed soup prepared by their mothers. It is believed to assist in recovery. This story deals with love and reconciliation as a mother’s broth is rejected. (Performance in English with English and Korean subtitles.) $10, but free for all mothers. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.,  http://www.flushingtownhall.org

• May 21, Oratorio Society of Queens: 90th Anniversary Fest, 4 pm. The first half of the celebratory program features works by three great composers: “Exsultate, Jubilate” by Mozart; “Fanfare for the Common Man” by Copland; and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 Choral Finale (“Ode to Joy”). The second half features classics of Americana and folk music that pay homage to our Armed Forces and history of brotherhood, including “This Land is Your Land,” “Come Thou Fount,” and “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Queensborough Performing Arts Center, 222-05 56th Ave., Bayside, www.queensoratorio.org.

• May 28, Lights, Camera, Music, 3 pm. The Queensborough Performing Arts Center and the Astoria Symphony Orchestra present Hollywood hits from the most popular films of all time – classic romances, westerns, fantasies, and space thrillers – including works by George Gershwin, Ennio Morricone, Elmer Bernstein, Leonard Bernstein, and John Williams. QPAC, 222-05 56th Ave., Bayside, www.visitqpac.org.

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