Synthesizers and dance

Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Co., the world's first synthesizer ensemble, will perform a free 40th anniversary concert, July 26 at 2 p.m. at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art.

The program features two David Borden compositions with live video by Noni Korf Vidal and Franck Vidal -- a tribute to modern dance pioneers Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn (collaborators from 1918 to 1931), and "Viola Farber in 7 Movements," covering three decades (1960s-1990s) of the choreographer-dancer's work. Borden taught at Cornell for 37 years and founded both the Digital Music Program (now the Cornell Electroacoustic Music Center) and Mother Mallard, showcasing an invention by his friend Robert Moog, Ph.D. '64. The ensemble debuted in Barnes Hall in 1969.

The current ensemble is Borden, David Yearsley, Blaise Bryski and Josh Oxford. Jumay Chu, a Cornell senior lecturer in dance and former Viola Farber company member, will give opening remarks.

Reel entertainment

Irish traditional band Traonach performs a free outdoor concert Friday, July 24 at 7:30 p.m. on the Arts Quad, as part of Cornell's summer events series.

Traonach features six seasoned musicians on fiddle, concertina, accordion, guitar, bouzouki, flute, whistle and bodhran, playing authentic Irish reels, jigs and ballads. Rain location for the concert is Uris Auditorium. For more events, visit http://www.summer.cornell.edu/events.

Summer bird walks

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology hosts free guided bird walks in Sapsucker Woods, July 25 and 26. Meet at 7:30 a.m. in front of the Visitor Center for a leisurely 60- to 90-minute walk through the sanctuary. Dress for the weather and bring a pair of binoculars and a field guide if you have them. Information: 800-843-BIRD, http://www.birds.cornell.edu.

Southland tale

Cornell Cinema will screen the acclaimed new film "Sin Nombre" July 25, 28 and Aug. 1 in Willard Straight Theatre, presented in 35mm Cinemascope. The film is the story of a young Honduran woman who hopes to reach relatives in the United States and meets a teenage Mexican gang member on a trans-Central American train journey.

Filmmaker Cary Joji Fukunaga shot the film on location with Mexican and Central American actors; the script is based on her firsthand research into the experiences of immigrants and gang members living in Chiapas, southern Mexico. "Sin Nombre" won the top directing and cinematography awards at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

In the dark

Cornell Plantations offers "Flowers After Hours" evening tours on two Wednesdays, July 29 and Aug. 19, at 7 p.m. Visitors should dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes; tours will meet on the patio by the Garden Gift Shop.

The one-hour tour, a relaxing stroll through the botanical garden guided by Kevin Moss, is an opportunity to see night-blooming flowers and nocturnal pollinators, and learn which flowers are at their best after daylight hours and why their color, foliage or fragrance is suitable to the evening garden. Co-sponsored by the Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes. Information: 607-255-2400, 254-7430 or http://www.plantations.cornell.edu/event.

Managing leadership

Management expert Marjorie M. Blanchard will discuss "Leading Others and Yourself at a Higher Level" on July 29 at 7:30 p.m. in Statler Auditorium. The free lecture is sponsored by the School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions as part of Cornell's summer events series.

Blanchard is a business consultant and author who heads the Office of the Future -- a think tank anticipating client needs and development of new products and services -- for the management consulting firm Ken Blanchard Companies. For more information, visit http://www.summer.cornell.edu/events.