A famed illusionist, a smart parrot, origami, musical brainwaves, dance, classical music and the planets will enlighten and entertain audiences in Ithaca over three days in January.

Tickets will go on sale Oct. 20 for the Light in Winter Festival of Science & the Arts, now in its sixth year, with events Jan. 23-25 on the Cornell campus, at the State Theatre and other venues in Ithaca. Light in Winter showcases cutting-edge ideas through an accessible array of theater, lectures, panel discussions, dance, music, workshops and multimedia events.

The festival will feature a headline performance by illusionist Jeff McBride at the State Theatre on Jan. 23. PUSH Physical Theatre, collaborating with Thomas Warfield and students from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, will be at the State Jan. 24.

Events at Statler Auditorium include "A Short History of Nearly Everything," a family theater piece based on Bill Bryson's best-seller; "Trio for EEG Machines," with neuroscientist/composer David Sulzer (aka David Soldier) and real-time projections of the brainwaves of percussionists as they play; physicist Robert J. Lang, with "From Flapping Birds to Space Telescopes: The Modern Science of Origami"; psychologist Irene Pepperberg, presenting "In Search of King Solomon's Ring," on the mechanisms of learning and communication in parrots; and "Is God a Mathematician?" with astrophysicist Mario Livio.

The festival finale is "The Music of the Spheres," Jan. 25 at Bailey Hall, with new work by Cornell composer Roberto Sierra inspired by the planet Saturn, and images of Saturn from the Cassini spacecraft with Cornell astronomer Joseph Burns. The finale features the Cornell Symphony Orchestra and baroque trio Elizabethan Conversation.

Light in Winter 2009 also includes a "Hall of Wonders" science fair, interactive workshops and presentations on poetry, dance, caffeine and neuroscience, wine tasting, artist-scientist collaborations and more.

Single tickets for State Theatre shows are $32.50 gold circle and $25 general for Jeff McBride's "Abracadazzle" on Jan. 23; and $25 and $20 for "PUSHing the Limits," Jan. 24.

Admission to "Music of the Spheres" is $20 and $15 for students. Single tickets for Statler Auditorium events are $10 general and $5 for students.

Tickets will be on sale at the Light in Winter Web site and at the Ticket Center at Clinton House. A Festival Weekend Pass and seven-show flex pass are also available.