POP . . . plus

On paper, the theme of hormone-enraged teenagers breaking out of a repressive, 1890s German environment seems an unlikely subject for a musical. Equally weird is the notion of scoring this teen passion play with ultra-contemporary, lush pop and bombastic rock by Duncan Sheik. But with explosive staging and a killer cast, the acid-dipped anachronism "Spring Awakening" really delivers as art and social manifesto, in the culture-gapping tradition of "Rent" and "Hair." The national touring cast is working their collective butts (occasionally naked) off here this week. Two of the three lead performers - Northeast Philadelphia native Blake Bashoff and Yardley's Christy Altomare - have friends and family galore to impress. The third principal, Kyle Riabko, has earned a bit of a local following in his other life as a major-label singer/songwriter.

Academy of Music, Broad and Locust streets, 8 tonight, 2 and 8 p.m. tomorrow, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, $25-$80, 215-893-1999, www.kimmelcenter.org.

- Jonathan Takiff

HIP-HOP, R&B

With over 75 million records sold worldwide, it's probably harder to find someone who hasn't heard Beyoncé than someone who has. The R&B diva got her start in the late '90s in the group Destiny's Child. Her solo debut in 2003, "Dangerously in Love," won the young singer five Grammys and sold over 15 million copies. She's made two more albums and transitioned into film with roles in several hits, including "Dreamgirls." Opener Richgirl is an all-female, R&B/pop quartet put together by hit maker Rich Harrison. They're building buzz with their single, "He Ain't Wit Me Now (Tho)."

Wachovia Center, 3601 S. Broad St., 7:30 tonight, $20.75-$150.75, 800-298-4200, www.comcasttix.com.

- James Johnson

ALTERNATIVE

England Belongs To Twee, the monthly dance party that uniquely pairs brash, working-class oi! anthems with delicate indie pop, has moved to Kung Fu Necktie, where they can now bring excellent live music into the mix. For this installment, they've scored the Stockholm-based Legends, led by Johan Angergård of Acid House Kings and many others. "Always the Same" the first single from the recently released, "Over and Over," is a lively burst of noise-pop with Jesus and Mary Chain machine gun guitars, a Phil Spector wall of sound, and sweet Girl Group vocals. Their sound fits in quite nicely with the likes of the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and others looking to rediscover sweet '80s obscurities.

Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 10 p.m. tomorrow, $2-$5, 267-765-5210, www.myspace.com/kungfunecktiebar.

- Sara Sherr

CLASSICAL

Philadelphia Orchestra violinist Barbara Govatos is the guiding inspiration behind the Delaware Chamber Music Festival, celebrating its 24th season in Govatos' hometown of Wilmington. Tonight's 7:30 p.m. concert is a tribute to the late Hildegard Institute founder, composer, pianist and publisher Sylvia Glickman, and features her Dances and Entertainments for solo piano, played by Charles Abramovic. Govatos, Abramovic and cellist Yumi Kendall also perform Piano Trios by Fanny Mendelssohn and Beethoven, while trumpet Frank Ferraro replaces the piano in the world premiere of Ingrid Arauco's Divertimento.

At 3 p.m. Sunday, violinists Govatos and Hirono Oka, violist Burchard Tang and cellist John Koen perform Turina's L"Oracion del Torero" and Teresa Carreno's String Quartet, with pianist Pablo Zinger joining in Turina's Piano Quartet, Op. 67. Baritone John-Andrew Fernandez, solos in Falla's Six Popular Spanish Songs and more.

Wilmington Music School, 4101 Washington St., Wilmington, Del., $22, 302-442-0572, www.dcmf.org.

- Tom Di Nardo

JAZZ

The ICA's ongoing exhibit, "Pathways to Unknown Worlds: Sun Ra, El Saturn & Chicago's Afro-Futurist Underground, 1954-1968," is a fascinating look at the early days of the interstellar big band leader. But under the baton of saxophonist Marshall Allen, the Arkestra's current incarnation makes the strong case that more than 15 years after its founder "left the planet," the ensemble is no museum piece. Allen and the Arkestra will make the trek from their Germantown home base to the ICA to kick off a monthlong series of performances, film screenings and lectures tied into the exhibit, including a talk by Ra biographer John Szwed, a music/video collage by King Britt, and an Ars Nova Workshop-curated show featuring a pair of Sun Ra's modern-day spiritual kin, Planet Y and Sonic Liberation Front.

Institute of Contemporary Art, 118 S. 36th St., 7 p.m. Wednesday, $10, www.icaphila.org.

- Shaun Brady