Sun-Times Arts Calendar — Oct. 20-25, 2014

BY KYLE MACMILLAN | FOR SUN-TIMES MEDIA

Museum exhibition

Because of Hollywood representations and popular stereotypes, all kinds of half-truths and misrepresentations have come to surround Voodoo, or, as it is more authentically spelled, Vodou. A new exhibition at the Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, seeks to separate fact from fiction, presenting it as a living religion and a vital spiritual and social force in the Caribbean nation of Haiti. “Vodou: Sacred Powers of Haiti” opens Friday and runs through April 26. It includes more than 300 mixed-media sculptures, sequined-covered flags and large-scale representations of spirits called lwa — most from the important Marianne Lehmann Collection in Pétionville, Haiti. Tickets to the exhibition are included in Discovery and All Access passes to the museum. (312) 665-9410; fieldmuseum.org.

Jazz

Regina Carter has gained international fame performing on the violin, an instrument that has never been at the forefront of the jazz world. After performing in the all-female jazz quintet, Straight Ahead, for four years, she struck off on her own in 1991. In 2006, she won a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant,” an acknowledgement of her distinctive contributions to the field. She will join Colombian harpist Edmar Castaneda and three other musicians for a concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Performance Hall at the Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St. Tickets, $35. The concert opens the University of Chicago Presents’ 2014-15 Jazz at the Logan series. (773) 702-2787; ticketsweb.uchicago.edu.

Opera

The Haymarket Opera Company continues its exploration of forgotten or under-appreciated operas from the baroque era with the Chicago premiere of Alessandro Scarlatti’s “Gli equivoci nel sembiante (Equivocal Appearances).” Billed as a “light pastoral comedy,” the piece was composed in 1679 and helped establish the Italian composer as one of leading composers of his time. Performances will take place at at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 5 p.m. Saturday at Mayne Stage, 1328 W. Morse. A string orchestra, augmented by two theorbos and harpsichord virtuoso Jory Vinikour, will provide accompaniment. Tickets, $55 and $60. (866) 468-3401; haymarketopera.org.

Halloween happenings

The City of Chicago’s annual Halloween celebration has moved from Daley Plaza to the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington. The arts venue will mark the holiday with Happy Hauntings, a series of free events Thursday through Sunday, including Saturday’s Monster Bash from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. It will feature Midnight Circus performances, trick-or-treating and a costume contest at 11:15 a.m. Hours for Happy Hauntings are 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday through Sunday. For a complete schedule of events, visit chicagoween.us. (312) 744-6630; chicagoculturalcenter.org.

Contemporary music

The American Contemporary Music Ensemble will perform for the first time at Constellation, 3111 N. Western, at 8:30 p.m. Sunday as part of the Frequency Series. The New York-based group, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, will perform music by Joseph Byrd, including his “Water Music” (1962), and new trios by “avant-metal” guitarist Mick Barr. Among the players for this program will be cellist Clarice Jensen, who serves as the group’s artistic director, and violinist Caroline Shaw, who won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for composition. Tickets, $15. constellation-chicago.com.

Kyle MacMillan is a local freelance writer.