Media overload, political squabbles, office aggravation? Make an artful getaway! Enjoy an evening filled with new exhibitions, live music, musings, food, libations and more. Explore the impulse to escape the pressures of twenty-first-century living as you view the new exhibitions series ESCAPE ROUTES and meet exhibition artist Ethan Murrow. Chill out to the upbeat rhythms of Milwaukee’s hottest indie rockers, Space Raft. Try not to get caught red-handed as you partake in an art heist-themed escape room. Immerse yourself in virtual reality environments and learn how to create a DIY virtual reality viewer. Savor complimentary appetizers and enjoy libations at the cash bar. FREE FOR MEMBERS Image: Gregory Van Maanen, untitled (white skull, skull hands, crosses), 1990; paint on canvas; 59 x 48 in. John Michael Kohler Arts Center, gift of Kohler Foundation Inc.

Festival City Symphony will begin its 2016-2017 “Symphony Sundays” series with a concert titled Music for the Birds on Sun., Oct. 2, at 3:00 pm at the Pabst Theater, 144 East Wells Street. The concert will include compositions inspired by our feathered friends. FCS will feature a suite from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s great ballet “Swan Lake.” Ottorino Respighi wrote his delightfully descriptive suite “The Birds” based on earlier works by Baroque composers. FCS also will play two overtures: Gioacchino Rossini’s spritely “Overture to the Thieving Magpie,” and Johann Strauss’s “Overture to Die Fledermaus.” FCS welcomes children to these concerts, which are most appropriate for those in second grade and older. Prior to each concert at 2:45 p.m., Education Director Jayne Perkins presents “Children's Program Notes,” offered to help children become familiar with the music they are about to hear. Conductor Monte Perkins will also include descriptive program information from the stage. Admission to each concert is $14 for adults and $8 for children, students, and seniors. Early-bird season ticket packs are available through September 30, 2016, in several categories—a season Family Pack admits an entire family to all four concerts for just $75; Couples Packs admit two people to all four concerts for $72; a Single Adult Pack admits one adult to all four concerts for $50; and a Senior or Student Pack admits one adult over age 60 or a student to all four concerts for $28. Information about purchasing season packs or group tickets may be obtained by calling Festival City Symphony at 414-365-8861 or by visiting festivalcitysymphony.org. Individual tickets may be purchased in person at the Pabst Theater Box Office, by calling the box office at 414-286-3205, or online at pabsttheater.org. Milwaukee’s Festival City Symphony, the oldest performing symphony orchestra in the area, showcases area professional musicians. Its mission is to educate the community and extend the reach of classical music with reasonable pricing and informative formats that embrace people of all ages. For more information, visit festivalcitysymphony.org or call 414-365-8861.

Marquette Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band perform their annual Family Weekend Concert. Event is free and open to the public.

Noël Coward’s spirited, fast-paced comedy returns to the Helfaer Stage to open our 2016-2017 season! When cynical author Charles Condomine invites “happy medium” Madame Arcati into his home, a séance-gone-wrong summons the ghost of his first wife, Elvira, and leaves Charles torn between his past and his present. Audiences of all ages will adore the haunting hijinks conjured up in Blithe Spirit!

Noël Coward’s spirited, fast-paced comedy returns to the Helfaer Stage to open our 2016-2017 season! When cynical author Charles Condomine invites “happy medium” Madame Arcati into his home, a séance-gone-wrong summons the ghost of his first wife, Elvira, and leaves Charles torn between his past and his present. Audiences of all ages will adore the haunting hijinks conjured up in Blithe Spirit!

An electrifying, high-energy, rock n’ roll extravaganza featuring America’s premiere Buddy Holly interpreter, Billy McGuigan, who is a dead-ringer for the legendary rocker. Backed by the rockin’ Rave On Band, their incredible musicianship helps ignite the stage and breathe new life into the music of Buddy Holly.

Noël Coward’s spirited, fast-paced comedy returns to the Helfaer Stage to open our 2016-2017 season! When cynical author Charles Condomine invites “happy medium” Madame Arcati into his home, a séance-gone-wrong summons the ghost of his first wife, Elvira, and leaves Charles torn between his past and his present. Audiences of all ages will adore the haunting hijinks conjured up in Blithe Spirit!