Provided

British musician Brian Peters will perform April 17 at 8 p.m. in 165 McGraw Hall.

Literary luncheon

April 16 is the last day to sign up for the April 21 Literary Luncheon at the Cornell president's residence, 511 Cayuga Heights Road, featuring Distinguished Visiting Writer Martha Collins. Collins is the author of the book-length poem "Blue Front" ( 2006), which won an Anisfield-Wolf Award and was chosen as one of "25 Books to Remember" by the New York Public Library. A light lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m., followed by the presentation at noon. The event is free and open to the first 25 people who register: special-events@cornell.edu.

Big Red Day on The Commons

Celebrate the recent accomplishments of Cornell's student athletes, April 17, Bernie Milton Pavilion, Ithaca Commons. Meet the men's basketball team, fresh off a historic run to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA playoffs; the men's hockey team that qualified for the East regional of the NCAA tournament following an ECAC championship season; and the women's hockey team that recently completed a historic march to the national title game following an ECAC championship season. Festivities begin at 12:30 p.m.; the Big Red Band will march downtown at 1 p.m.

Last Call a cappella

Forty alumni of Last Call, an all-male a cappella group, will return to Cornell to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Last Call's spring show, "Straight Up," April 17 at 8 p.m., Statler Auditorium. The show will feature songs and skits by the current group, with special performances by the returning alumni and a finale performance of all 55 singers. Information and tickets at http://www.menoflastcall.com/tickets.php or in person at the Willard Straight box office.

Concerts inspired by Bach

In two off-campus concerts, Professor Joseph Lin and five student composers will present new works inspired by Bach's six violin sonatas and partitas. The first concert, April 17 at 7 p.m., will be held at Hamilton College and will include the Cornell Chamber Orchestra. The second, April 18 at 3 p.m., will be held at Ithaca's Carriage House Café's Hay Loft (305 Stewart Ave.) and will include two Bach sonatas, Charles Cacioppo's "Phantasy" for violin and piano, Liza Sobel's "Duo for Violin and Cello" and Eric Nathan's "Wing Over Wing" for violin and soprano.

Brian Peters concert

British musician Brian Peters will give life to old jigs and reels, wild sea songs, ragtime, blues, hillbilly rock, contemporary songs, and his own compositions, April 17 at 8 p.m., 165 McGraw Hall. Peters composes traditional-style dance tunes as well as researches dances and songs from rare old manuscripts and resurrects dance music from Northern England.

Tickets: $15 advance/$17 door; $3 rebates at door for Cornell Folk Song Society members, seniors, teens; children free. CU students $10/$12. Tickets at Ludgate Farms, Ithaca Guitar Works, GreenStar, Autumn Leaves Book Store, Bound for Glory, and online http://www.cornellfolksong.org/.

Speak up about Marcellus Shale

Students, faculty and staff are invited to a meeting of the Ad Hoc Advisory Committee on Leasing of Land for Exploration and Drilling for Natural Gas in the Marcellus Shale, appointed by Provost Kent Fuchs at the behest of the Faculty Senate, April 22, 4:30-6:30 p.m., David L. Call Alumni Auditorium, Kennedy Hall.

The committee seeks recommendations from the campus community; prospective speakers are asked to submit a 250-word summary of their comments, along with their name, department, NetID, e-mail, phone number and Cornell affiliation to adhocmarcellus@cornell.edu, by noon April 19.

Chem engineering alum speaks

Roger T. Bonnecaze '85 will deliver the Julian C. Smith Lectures in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, April 19 and 20, in 255 Olin Hall at 4 p.m. There will be a reception before each lecture at 3:15 p.m. in Rhodes Lounge, 128 Olin Hall.

The T. Brockett Hudson Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, Bonnecaze received a B.S. from Cornell in chemical engineering, and an M.S. (1987) and Ph.D. (1991) from California Institute of Technology in chemical engineering. His research focuses on complex fluid and materials processing flows, with current interests in rheology, memory and aging of soft-particle pastes.

Office Professionals Celebration

The annual Jennie T. Farley Office Professionals Celebration is April 21, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., Bailey Hall. Drawing nearly 500 office professionals from across campus last year, this event highlights the importance of the role of office professionals at Cornell. The celebration will feature remarks by President David Skorton and Vice President Mary Opperman. Reservations accepted through April 19 at http://www.cornellofficeprofessionals.org.

Israeli literature today

A reading and discussion with writers Assaf Gavron and Eshkol Nevo will be held April 21 in Hebrew at 4:30 p.m., in English at 8 p.m., in 106 White Hall. Translator and author Gavron will read from his latest novel, "Almost Dead" (2010). Nevo will read from his latest best-selling novel, "Homesick."

This program is sponsored by the Department of Near Eastern Studies and Program of Jewish Studies with the support from the Hope and Eli Hurowitz Fund and the Office of Cultural Affairs, Consulate General of Israel in New York.

Life, calculus and friendship

Steven Strogatz, the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor of Applied Mathematics, will present "The Calculus of Friendship: What a Teacher and a Student Learned about Life While Corresponding About Math," April 22, 10:30-11:30 a.m., Boyce Thompson Institute Auditorium.

"The Calculus of Friendship" is the story of an extraordinary friendship between a teacher and a student, both of whom use calculus to cope with the difficulties of life. This talk is part of the Cornell Association of Professors Emeriti Lecture Series.

Earth Day festivities

Cornell's annual Earth Day Celebration will take place on Ho Plaza April 22 starting at 11 a.m. Musical groups and the fuel-efficient car designed by the 100+ MPG team will be on hand. The Sustainability Hub, KyotoNOW, Big Red Bikes, Greeks Go Green, CU Sustainable Design, Roots and Shoots, Dilmun Hill student farm, Cornell Dining, the Hasbrouck Recycling Team and many other organizations will participate.

Earth Day will also be recognized at the Museum of the Earth by a lecture, "The Revolution in Sustainability Education," by Peter Bardaglio, former Ithaca College provost, April 22 at 6 p.m.; wine and light hors d'oeuvres, $10 admission. A family day, April 24, 10 a.m.-noon will include a lecture, "Climate Change: Past, Present and Future," by Warren Allmon, Rob Ross and Trisha Smrecak.

Information: http://www.museumoftheearth.org/outreach.php.

Comedian Marga Gomez

Award-winning comedian Marga Gomez will explore cultural confusion and expectations in "Long Island Iced Latina," April 22 at 4:30 p.m., Schwartz Center's Class of '56 Flexible Theatre.

Gomez's television appearances include LOGO, Comedy Central, HBO, PBS and Showtime. She has received Theater LA's Ovation Award, the GLAAD Media Award and the San Francisco Bay Guardian Reader's Choice Award for "Best Comedian 2009." Free and open to the public.

Alum fiction reading

As part of the Spring 2010 Reading Series, Tea Obreht, M.F.A. '09, will read from her work, April 22, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Hollis E. Cornell Auditorium, Goldwin Smith Hall. Born in the former Yugoslavia, she spent her childhood in Cyprus and Egypt before immigrating to the United States in 1997. Her first novel, "The Tiger's Wife," will be published in 2011.

Just Jazz

The 19th Annual Cornell Jazz Festival, directed by Paul Merrill, is April 22 and 24, with two free concerts open to the public. On April 22 at 8 p.m. in the Hay Loft of the Carriage House Café, three of Cornell's Jazz Combos -- Appel, Trommer and Bissett -- perform, as well as Jazz Voices. Trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater will perform with the Cornell University Jazz Ensemble I and the Gussman Jazz Combo, April 24 at 8 p.m., Bailey Hall. Bridgewater has played with the Horace Silver Quintet, the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Dizzy Gillespie, Sam Rivers and many others. His compositions and arrangements have been performed by such artists as Lena Horne and Vanessa Rubin.

The Cornell Concert Series will present Grammy Award-winner Christian McBride and Inside Straight, featuring Peter Martin on piano, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, alto saxophonist Steve Wilson and Carl Allen on drums, April 23 at 8 p.m., Bailey Hall. McBride is co-director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, creative jazz chair for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and artistic director of the JAS Band Academy (Jazz Aspen Snowmass). Tickets and reserved seating. General $25/31/35, students $18 all sections. Tickets can be obtained online at a discount with Cornell ID, at http://www.cornellconcertseries.com or http://www.baileytickets.com; in person at the Ticket Center Ithaca, 171 The Commons, Center Ithaca, or by phone: 607-273-4497 or 800-284-8422.