Daily Choices: What to do on Thursday, January 24

By Willie Clark @_WillieClark and Rebecca Rafferty @rsrafferty

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Lectures: A Community Dialogue on Race & Politics will be held tonight at Baobab Cultural Center (728 University Ave.). The free event takes place at 7 p.m. For more information or to register, call 563-2145 or visit thebaobab.org. In addition, the first in the three-part lecture series, “Race: The Power of an Illusion,” will be held tonight at the Central Library (115 South Ave.), 5-7 p.m. Professor Timothy Weider of Nazareth College will present on “The Difference Between Us,” with following lectures on January 31 and February 7. The event is free to attend and takes place in the Kate Gleason Auditorium in the library. For more information, call 428-8350 or visit libraryweb.org.

Music: Wolfgang is in the house this weekend, as guest conductor Yoav Talmi comes in to lead the RPO through a Mozart-inspired selection of works. Jennifer Higdon’s “Machine” leads off the program, just before Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 1.” RPO Principal Trombonist Mark Kellogg will be taking the lead on Larsson’s Concertino for Trombone, all leading up to Mozart’s “Symphony No. 40.” The program will fill Kodak Hall on Thursday and Saturday nights, and will stop at the Smith Opera House in Geneva as well on Friday, January 25. RPO: Mozart and More takes place Thursday, January 24, 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, January 26, 8 p.m. at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theater, Gibbs Street. $15-$82. 454-2100, rpo.org.

Art: The University of Rochester’s Hartnett Gallery (Wilson Commons, River Campus) will hold a reception for Christopher Troutman: "Watching: US and Japan Drawing" tonight 5-7 p.m., which will be preceeeded by an artist’s talk, 4-5 p.m., in the Gowen Room (Wilson Commons). The show remains on view through February 17 and is free to check out. For more information, call 275-4188 or visit blogs.rochester.edu/hartnett.

Music: Muy caliente! Essence of Rhythm presents Salsa Night tonight at Lovin Cup (300 Park Point Dr., lovincup.com). Entry costs $3-$5, and the dancing kicks off at 9 p.m., including live salsa bands and DJs.

Theater: Geva Theatre Center (75 Woodbury Blvd.) will host performances of “The Agony and Ecstacy of Steve Jobs,” with open-to-the-public previews beginning today at 7 p.m. (the show opens on Saturday night at 8 p.m.). Tickets begin at $30 and the show continues through February 10. For more information, call 232-4382 or visit gevatheatre.org.

Music: The Dave Rivello Ensemble will be playing tonight at the Village Rock Café (213 Main St., 586-1640), so if you are in town and a jazz fan, you’ll want to head down and check it out. Music starts at 9 p.m. and is free.