You've heard opera, and you've heard rock — but you've never heard opera rocked like the East Village Opera Company. This nontraditional opera company will perform at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16, at Pollak Theatre at Monmouth University in West Long Branch. The East Village Opera Company, a powerhouse five-piece band, a string quartet and two outstanding vocalists, brings the towering emotion and timeless musicality of opera into the 21st century with its inventive, hard-hitting arrangements performed at full length and in the original language like "La Donna e Mobile" from "Rigoletto" and "Habanera" from "Carmen." For additional information, visit www.monmouth.edu/arts or contact Barbara Powderly at 732-263-5114. Tickets are $40-$32 and can be purchased online at www.monmouth. edu/arts or by calling the box office at 732-263-6889. The Monmouth Museum's NJ Emerging Artists Series continues with works in ink on paper by LindaLee Nicholas. The exhibition will run through Sept. 14 at the museum, located on the campus of Brookdale Community College, 765 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft. Tickets are $7 per person and are free for museum members, Brookdale students and staff with a valid identification, and children under 2 years old. For information, call 732-747-2266 or visit www.monmouthmuseum. org.

The Monmouth Conservatory of Music is accepting registration for Magic Keys and Introduction to Violin for children ages 4 to 6. For both programs, classes meet for 45 minutes on Fridays, Sept. 26-Jan. 23, for 14 weeks, including a recital for family and friends. For more information and registration, contact the conservatory, 50 White St., Red Bank, 732-741-8880, www.monmouthconservatory. org.

Philomusica Choir seeks central N.J. singers with good reading skills for its 40th season. Concerts on Dec. 6 and 7 will feature Renaissance to 20th-century works by Hassler, de Victoria and Pärt. Audition by appointment on Sept. 8, 15, 22. Rehearsals are Mondays 7:30-10:30 p.m. in East Brunswick. Call 888-744-5668, email info@philomusica.org or visit www.philomusica.org.

The Red Bank Community Church is inviting people to create a card to be sent on an international mission of hope. Cards can be designed using drawing, painting, photography, printing or mixed media. Pieces must be a 4¾ inches square so that they will fit and can be displayed in CD cases. The entry fee of $20 will go toward the support of persecuted Christian ministers in China. Cards will be used as personal gifts of encouragement to these ministers. Deadline for entries is Sept. 15. Exhibition dates are Sept. 20 in Red Bank and January in Hong Kong. Call 732-687- 3580 or visit www.redbankchurch.com

The Art Society of Monmouth County meets Sept. 17 at Monmouth Beach Cultural Center, 128 Ocean Ave. Everyone interested in art is welcome. A social half-hour begins at 10:30 a.m. At 11 a.m., Wayne-based artist Mike Malzone will demonstrate painting seascapes with oils. The Art Society meets the third Wednesday of each month, except for summer months, at Monmouth Beach Cultural Center. For information, call Toni Wilczewski at 721-222-2650.
Compiled by Gloria Stravelli
Designed by Eileen Russell Gerber