Calendar for the week

thursday
january 23
Classical Jazz Festival: The New World Symphony continues its celebration of classical music influenced by American jazz with a concert tonight at 8:00 p.m. at the Lincoln Theatre (555 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach). Artistic director Michael Tilson Thomas not only conducts but makes a rare appearance as pianist for Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. Other works on the program: Bernstein's Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs, Milhaud's The Creation of the World, Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto, and Antheil's A Jazz Symphony. Tonight's program will be repeated on Saturday at 8:00 p.m., followed by an outdoor swing dance. Tickets for tonight's and Saturday's concerts range from $10 to $45. The festival continues tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. with a free concert by NWS musicians. (GC)

Miami Modernism: Twentieth-century design is king as 65 dealers from across the nation and abroad offer their wares at the fourth annual "Miami Modernism" show at the Ramada Resort Deauville (6701 Collins Ave., Miami Beach). The show, which opens tonight with a gala preview from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m., features everything functional and decorative from all major design and fine-art movements, 1900 to 1970. Festgoers can participate in architectural walking and trolley tours on Saturday and Sunday at noon and 2:00 p.m. Admission to the preview is $50 (a portion of which benefits the Miami Design Preservation League); regular admission is $10. Show hours are 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday, and 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. Call 861-0108 for details. (GC)

Visionaries in Exile: The Wolfsonian (1001 Washington Ave., Miami Beach) goes cutting-edge with "Visionaries in Exile," an extensive, groundbreaking CD-ROM exhibition that centers on modern architecture. The program uses the latest technology to trace the development of Austrian and American modernism, offering a look at the lives of twenty Austrian architects who emigrated to the U.S. before 1941, including Richard Neutra, Josef Frank, Joseph Urban, and Rudolph Schindler. The show opens tonight with a lecture by curator Matthias Boeckl and a reception at 6:30 p.m. and runs through February 23. Admission is five dollars. Museum hours are 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. from Tuesday through Saturday (open with free admission from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday), and noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Call 531-1001. (GC)

Loose Ends: The installations that Karen Rifas creates from tree leaves, thread, handmade paper, and other unorthodox materials convey a surprising emotional strength. For "Loose Ends," her show at the South Florida Art Center's Ground Level gallery (1035 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach), she has strung tiny dried leaves on lengths of thread that crisscross the room, defining the space with geometric patterns. Rifas would like the viewer to reflect on the destructive relationship humans have with the environment. Her evocative, abstract works from natural fibers are indeed reason to reconsider all that useless beauty. The exhibit is on view through February 8. Admission is free. Gallery hours are 1:00 to 9:00 p.m. from Wednesday through Saturday, and noon to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. For more information call 674-8278. (JC)

friday
january 24
Miami City Ballet: South Florida's premier classical ballet company opens its third season with George Balanchine's Jewels in its entirety tonight at the Jackie Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts (1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach). Jewels dazzles with three glittering acts: the romantic and reserved "Emeralds" (set to music by Faure), the coquettish "Rubies" (music by Stravinsky), and the immaculately classical and regal "Diamonds" (music by Tchaikovsky). Performances run tonight and Saturday at 8:00 and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Additional performances begin on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. at Bailey Concert Hall (3501 SW Davie Rd., Davie). Tickets range in price from $17 to $54. Call 532-7713. (GC)

Jimmy Ryce Center Benefit Concert: A bevy of local rockers unites for a good cause as Cheers (2490 SW Seventeenth Ave.) hosts a benefit for the Jimmy Ryce Center, dedicated to support victims (and their families) of abduction by sexual predators. On the bill are Orgasmic Bliss, Seventeen Bucks, Dr. Jekill with special guest Sarah Walker, the Goods, Purple Mustard, and Beyond Salvation. Admission is by donation, with all proceeds going to the center. Doors open at 8:00 p.m. Call 857-0041. (GC)

New Edition: In 1983, when pop-funk outfit New Edition released its first album, the group was dismissed as a star-styling, money-making tool. By the decade's end, however, New Edition had produced some of the most successful young artists in R&B. Bobby Brown left the group in 1986 to establish a successful solo career; his replacement Johnny Gill and fellow member Ralph Tresvant also went on to release a string of solo hits each. The rest of New Edition -- Ronnie DeVoe, Ricky Bell, and Mike Bivins -- eventually formed the popular hip-hop trio Bell Biv DeVoe. It's been a couple of years since any of them has produced a real chart topper, and that may be the impetus behind their recent reunion album Home Again. New Edition makes itself at home tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Miami Arena (721 NW First Ave.). Tickets cost $35. Call 530-4444. (GC)

Classical Jazz Festival: See Thursday.
Miami Modernism: See Thursday.
Visionaries in Exile: See Thursday.
Loose Ends: See Thursday.

saturday
january 25
Classical Indian Dance Drama: The Indian Fine Arts Society presents Malati-Madhava, a dance based on a Sanskrit play by eighth-century dramatist Bhavabhuti, whose works were noted for their suspense and vivid characterizations. While the intricate dance, choreographed by local dancer Aparna Matange, conveys the main action of the story, the details are narrated by a sutradhar (male narrator) and nati (female narrator). The performance takes place tonight at 6:00 p.m. at the North Miami Beach Performing Arts Theater (17011 NE Nineteenth Ave., North Miami Beach). Tickets cost $10 and $25, $5 for kids age twelve and under. Call 861-3796. (GC)