Calendar for the week

thursday
may 1
New World Symphony: Artistic director Michael Tilson Thomas leads the New World Symphony in a season finale weekend of concerts. The music begins tonight at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts (174 E. Flagler St.) with a "Baton Night." Conductor Felipe Iscaray leads a preconcert conducting seminar at 6:30 p.m., where the first 50 attendees will receive a limited-edition replica of Tilson Thomas's custom-made baton. At 8:00 p.m. the maestro leads pianist Fabio Bidini, violist Charles Pikler, cellist John Sharp, and the orchestra in an all-Richard Strauss program, featuring Don Quixote, Burleske for Piano and Orchestra, and Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks. The program repeats at the Lincoln Theatre (555 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach) on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Tickets range from $15 to $44. Call 673-3331.(GC)

friday
may 2
Lycia: Singer-songwriter-guitarist Mike Van Portfleet of the goth band Lycia continues to create dark, meditative soundscapes on the group's sixth release, Cold. Together with vocalist Tara Van Flower and bassist-keyboardist David Galas, Van Portfleet builds rhythmic, haunting, synth-based symphonies of oppressive, ominous, and bleak melodies characterized by distant drums, whispered or wailed vocals, and suspended guitars. This latest offering echoes with even more melancholy as it explores the chilly title theme. Tonight at 10:00 Lycia presents its icy musical majesty at Cheers (2490 SW Seventeenth Ave.). Admission is seven dollars. Call 857-0041. (GC)

Day by the River: Formerly local groovy/jazzy roots rockers Day by the River return to South Florida to perform tonight at Stella Blue (1661 Meridian Ave., Miami Beach). Since relocating to Athens, Georgia, two years ago, DBR has expanded its South Florida cult following into a regional fan base, taking its Little Feat-meets-the-Grateful Dead sound (as showcased on last year's independently released disc Sky) to granola rockers everywhere in the southeastern U.S. The band also enjoys the distinction of having opened for George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars. Admission is six dollars. Showtime is 11:00 p.m. (They also play SunFest '97 in West Palm Beach this week; see "Concert Calendar," page 95.) Call 532-4788. (GC)

Momentum Dance Company: One of South Florida's most innovative modern dance companies celebrates its fifteenth anniversary with three performances at the Colony Theater (1040 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach) featuring three world-premiere and two Miami-premiere ballets. Internationally recognized Cuban ballerina Rosario "Charin" Suarez joins Momentum Dance Company to perform The Thrill, the first work created for the company by artistic director Delma Iles. Also on the program are the quirky, jazzy Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird, a world-premiere work by Iles inspired by Wallace Stevens's poem of the same name; Shadows and Accumulations, another world-premiere work by Iles, being performed by former National Ballet of Cuba dancer Aydemara Cabrera and company dancer Lara Murphy; and a new work by dancer Michelle Carter. Rounding out the program are the Miami premieres of Iles's Corelli Concerto and assistant artistic director Lees Hummel's And the Song Remains the Same, plus a reconstruction of Doris Humphrey's 1922 work Water Study. Performances take place tonight and tomorrow at 8:00 p.m., with a children's concert tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. Tickets cost $15 and $25 for today and tomorrow's evening concerts; $12 for adults and $6 for kids for tomorrow's children's concert. Call 858-7002. (GC)

Arabian Nights Festival: Opa-locka hosts the 71st annual Arabian Nights Festival, beginning this evening at 7:00 p.m. with a reception and a "Seventies Music Flashback" concert by Jessie Porter, Timmy Thomas, and Jimmy Bo Horne. Tomorrow the festivities begin at 10:00 a.m. with an attempt at the world's longest "Macarena" dance line led by television actress Marla Gibbs (227, The Jeffersons), plus a parade, free carnival rides, street vendors, and live rap, hip-hop, country, and pop music. At 6:00 p.m. a music and dance fest kicks up with the Barkays, Mongo Santamaria, and other acts. On Sunday at 10:00 a.m. the festival concludes with live gospel and jazz, a youth talent show at 2:00 p.m., a cook-off contest at 3:00 p.m., and a pop concert at 8:00 p.m. All events take place between NW 27th Avenue and 151st Street and Opa-locka City Hall (777 Sharazad Blvd., Opa-locka). Admission to all events is free. Call 758-4166. (GC)

saturday
may 3
Taste of the Beach: There is an abundance of great restaurants on Miami Beach and it would take you months (not to mention big bucks) to visit all of them -- unless, of course, you go to this weekend's Taste of the Beach, held for the first time on Lincoln Road. More than 30 restaurants -- including the Forge, Lure, Yuca, Savannah, and Pacific Time, to name a few -- will provide samples of their fare for under five bucks. In addition to the food, musical acts (including flamenco guitarist Jesse Cook, Latin artist Tito Puente, Jr., singer Raffy, and local pop band 325 Meridian) will provide entertainment, Books & Books will offer chef demonstrations, and the Lincoln Road Farmers Market will sell you the ingredients to cook up your favorites at home. The event runs from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. today and tomorrow. Call 672-1270. (JO)

Air and Sea Show: The sky above and ocean off Fort Lauderdale beach (between Oakland Park and Las Olas boulevards) buzzes with big engines this weekend with the Air and Sea Show. This annual salute to the U.S. military, which runs today and tomorrow from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., features performances and appearances by top military and civilian air and sea units, including aerial stunts by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the Navy Leap Frogs parachute team, rare peeks at the U.S. Air Force B-2 Stealth bomber and other high-tech aircraft, offshore powerboat races, and lifesaving demonstrations by the U.S. Coast Guard Air/Sea Rescue Team. Besides the airborne and on-the-water action, the show offers a display village (on A1A just north of Sunrise Boulevard) showcasing exotic cars and replicas of military vehicles and aircraft. Tonight at 8:00 p.m. jazz saxman Dave Koz will present a free concert on the beach. Admission to all events is free. Call 954-527-5600. (GC)