Opening this month at the Catskill Gallery: “Bing, Bang, Boing,” an exhibit of handmade musical instruments. Perhaps you’re thinking violins and oboes, but you won’t see any of those at this show. Created by a group of musician/sculptors, the items on view include thumb pianos, Moog-inspired electronic accordians, wall-mounted melody gins, and something called a Tibetan Lama Rube Seuss-a-Phone helmet. Beethoven is no doubt somersaulting in his grave. May 7-July 2. Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., second Sat. each month 12-8 p.m. • 398 Main St., Catskill. 518-943-3400 or www.greenearts.org
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Classical music lovers are accustomed to hearing liturgical works played in a concert hall. But this month, Albany Pro Musica and the Pro Musica Symphony Orchestra perform a concert of sacred music in Albany’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Berlioz’s Grande Messe des Morts (or Requiem) is the centerpiece of the program. A choral piece, the Requiem is known for its extensive use of brass and woodwinds — which are sure to sound especially impressive in the cathedral’s high-ceilinged nave. Soprano Carla Fisk also joins the two groups as soloist in selections from Poulenc’s Gloria. May 7 at 8 p.m. $30 preferred seating, $25 general admission, $10 students. • Eagle St. & Madison Ave., Albany. 518-438-6548 or www.albanypromusica.org
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Crotchety Henry Higgins and fiery Eliza Doolittle — two of the best-loved characters in musical theater — grace the stage when the County Players present My Fair Lady. Based on George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion, the story takes place in Edwardian England and concerns Higgins’s plan to turn Eliza — a rough-and-tumble flower-seller — into a genteel lady by banishing her Cockney accent. Along the way, of course, he falls for her — but does she return his affections? The Lerner and Loewe score is full of tunes (“I Could Have Danced All Night,” “Get Me to the Church on Time”) that you already know by heart. May 6-22. Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. May 15 & 22 at 3 p.m. $20, $17 seniors & children. • County Players Falls Theatre. 2681 W. Main St., Wappingers Falls. 845-298-1491 or www.countyplayers.org
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“The course of true love never did run smooth,” writes Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. And his comic masterwork certainly bears this out: With the help of Oberon, the king of the fairies, characters in the play fall in and out of love with each other at the drop of a plumed Elizabethan hat. The National Players — a classical touring company that’s been performing plays for 60 years — offers its take on the Bard’s romantic romp at Westchester Community College’s Academic Arts Theatre. May 14 at 8 p.m. $20, $18 seniors & students, $13 under 13. • 75 Grasslands Rd., Valhalla. 914-606-6700 or www.sunywcc.edu
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Biking enthusiasts: Get those Mongooses (Mongeese?) and Cannondales out of storage and head to the Minnewaska Mountain Bike Festival. Sponsored by two local bike clubs, the event features group rides for all ability levels on Minnewaska Park Preserve’s 30 miles of carriage roads. Other activities include clinics on bike maintenance and repair, helmet fittings, and proper riding technique; test rides on new bike models; and snacks to savor from local eateries. May 21 from 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (rain date May 22). $8 parking fee. • Rte. 44/55, Gardiner. 845-255-0752 or www.gumba.org
