Arts Listings

BLACK SUIT BLUES 

To commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Oakland East Bay Symphony will present the West Coast premiere of “Black Suit Blues” on Friday. Written by local composer Nolan Gasser and premiered by the Memphis Symphony, “Black Suit Blues” is based on a poem by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. about the impact Martin Luther King, Jr. has had on this country. The work, which draws heavily on blues and gospel styles, depicts the intense emotions following King’s assassination. The second half of the program will feature Schubert’s “Symphony No. 9, The Great.” Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway, Oakland, 8 p.m. Tickets $20-$62. For details, www.oebs.org. 

INTERVENTIONS 

Tony Bellaver, Barbara Foster and Scott Serata will give a gallery talk Thursday on their work in the exhibition “Interventions” at the Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St., 6:30 p.m. Selected from the January 2006 Members’ Showcase, the artwork of Bellaver, Foster and Serata—presenting disparate media: installation, prints, collage and photography— respond to human intervention upon nature. The exhibit continues to Feb. 10. For details, 644-6893. 

THE MATH OF MUSIC 

The Mathematical Sciences Research Institute invites the public to attend its final concert in a series, part of the “Mathematics + Music” concert series, presenting “One Is One and All Alone,” the solo music of J. S. Bach and Eric Zivian on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the Institute’s Simons Auditorium at Chern Hall, 17 Gauss Way, near the intersection of Centennial Drive and Grizzly Peak Boulevard. Suites for solo cello will be performed by Tanya Tomkins on Baroque cello. Composer-pianist Eric Zivian will be present to talk to the audience about his cello composition based on the works of Bach. Free admission. For details, 642-0143 or www.msri.org.