The Art Institute of Chicago has a famous painting of St. George and the dragon in its permanent collection, so Beth Horner will come to tell the story of this dragon slayer to celebrate ST. GEORGE’S DAY. She will tell about how St. George was born with a blood-red cross on his chest, and how he used a dragon to encourage people to convert to Christianity. She will also tell how George, according to legend, saved a princess from being sacrified to the dragon. Later, Horner will tell the Chinese story of a young woman who killed a terrible dragon.
Explains Horner, “When we hear stories of heroes and heroines, it brings out that passion in each of us to do what we feel is important in life.”
St. George’s Day storytelling followed by maskmaking workshop, 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Kraft Education Center, Art Institute of Chicago, Michigan Avenue at Adams Street, $7 adults, $3.50 children; 312-443-3600.
Conductor David Alan Miller has dubbed himself Michigan Miller as he conducts members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on a musical expedition called “Raiders of the Lost Symphony.” Their mission is to travel back through musical history in search of the origin of the symphonic form. It is a suspenseful pursuit because they have to answer the riddles of the evil Symphonic Sphinx and search through the works of Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and Beethoven to find the composer who helped create this musical form.
“Raiders of the Lost Symphony,” 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Orchestra Hall, 220 S. Michigan Ave., $7-$30; 312-294-3000.
Grover’s meticulous way of expressing himself makes him perfect for the role of professor in the Sesame Street Live production called “Let’s Play School,” which will come to town Wednesday with academic lessons and lots of songs.
Sesame Street Live “Let’s Play School,” Wednesday through May 4, Star Plaza, I-65 and U.S. 30, Merrillville, Ind., $13.50-$17, 773-734-7266; May 7-May 11, Rosemont Theatre, 5400 N. River Rd., Rosemont, $9.50-$18.50, 312-359-1212.
Whether John McCutcheon is singing about the pleasures of nature or playing the banjo, the autoharp and the dulcimer, he always hits the right note. He’ll be hitting it too when he sings for kids and families at the Old Town School of Folk Music this weekend.
John McCutcheon Concert, 2 p.m. Sunday, Old Town School of Folk Music, 909 W. Armitage Ave., $8; 773-525-7793.
You can judge a person by the clothes they wear or for that matter by the clothes they don’t wear. That point is made obvious in the Northbrook Theatre for Young Audience’s musical production called “New Clothes for the Empress.” It’s the story of a vain woman with bad taste, and she takes over the main role in Hans Christian Andersen’s familiar tale.
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“New Clothes for the Empress,” 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturdays through May 10, Leisure Center Theatre, 3323 Waters Ave., Northbrook, $5; 847-291-2367.
Children can find out firsthand how the children of the 1890s spent their leisure time at the Games Day at Kline Creek Farm. They can try to walk on stilts or weave a Maypole, or learn rope tricks from a character out of the Wild West.
Games Day, 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Kline Creek Farm, Country Farm Road north of Geneva Road, Winfield, free; 630-876-5900.