Lost and found
Cinderella is older than you might guess. An ancient Greek forerunner named Rhodopis lost a sandal and married a king more than 2,000 years ago, before another young woman, Ye Xian, did the same in China a thousand years later. The story we know today was published in France in 1697 and will dance into the Des Moines Civic Center on May 16 and 17. The world premiere of Tom Mattingly’s “Cinderella,” set to Sergei Prokofiev’s 1945 score, marks the first collaboration between Ballet Des Moines and the Des Moines Symphony — a pairing as fitting as a glass slipper and a certain dainty foot. balletdesmoines.org
Photo: Joe Crimmings
Sunday stroll
The mighty, marvelous Des Moines Arts Festival returns downtown at the end of June, but don’t overlook the annual Valley Junction Arts Festival on May 17. The smaller juried fair on Fifth Street in West Des Moines features 50 local and regional artists — plenty to appreciate, but not enough to overwhelm. Listen to live music, pop into a shop or two, grab a bite from a pop-up vendor or nearby restaurant and you’ll see why this neighborhood tradition has thrived since the 1970s. It’s an easy, unhurried way to spend a spring day. valleyjunction.com
Bowls by Kendall Kunzler Lensch of Kunzler Studios and Gallery. Photo: Kunzler Studios and Gallery
Lady in red
In the opera “Tosca,” which blast is stronger: the cannon or the soprano? Decide for yourself when the Des Moines Metro Opera revives the show for the first time in 17 years. Giacomo Puccini’s blockbuster was an instant success when it premiered in Rome in 1900, and its tale of a passionate singer, a painter and a corrupt police chief still packs a punch. It opens and closes the summer season, June 16 through July 19 in Indianola, which includes two other works that couldn’t be more different: “King Roger,” a Polish opera about a mysterious shepherd who unsettles a royal court, and “Of Mice and Men,” a 1970 opera based on Steinbeck’s Dust Bowl classic. desmoinesmetroopera.org
Image: Courtesy Des Moines Metro Opera
Bluegrass Eden
Surrounded by the great outdoors, Alison Krauss and Union Station arrive at Water Works Park on June 14 to play a few tunes from “Arcadia,” their first studio album in 14 years. Up top you’ll hear Krauss’ crystal clear voice backed by some folksy strings — fiddle, mandolin, dobro — that mix into musical stories that feel both intimate and universal. The show at the Lauridsen Amphitheater is part of the park’s Willis Summer Series, which includes Styx on May 21, Blues Traveler on Sept. 10 and others. waterworkspark.org
Photo: Randee St. Nicholas
Snippets of history
Of all the artifacts at the Iowa Jewish Historical Museum, none is more poignant than a simple pair of scissors. It was one of five scissors and two bolts of cloth the Karp family received on their last day at Oskar Schindler’s factory in Poland in 1945 — items they bartered for food, transportation and a way forward after the war. The family eventually resettled in Des Moines, where their story intertwines with others at the museum in Waukee. The Iowa Jewish Historical Society marks its 30th anniversary on June 28 with a public event to unveil a new name, new logo, refreshed museum exhibits and expanded space for potential research. jewishdesmoines.org
Photo: Duane Tinkey
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