5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Nov. 4-6

Pittsburgh and its people will be celebrated this weekend through music, running and the unveiling of a musical dedicated to a hero of the Depression era.

Jazz week wrap-up

Saxophonist and composer Tia Fuller, a member of Beyonce’s all-female tour band, will perform during concerts at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the University of Pittsburgh’s Bellefield Hall auditorium, 315 S. Bellefield Ave., Oakland.

The concerts are the closing performances of the 52nd annual Pitt Jazz Seminar and Concert.

On Friday, Fuller will play with Pittsburgh musicians Roger Humphries on drums, Alton Merrell on piano and Jeff Grubbs on bass. On Saturday, she will join in the annual Pitt Faculty Jazz Concert for a program including music by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.

Admission to the concerts is free. For information, visit jazz.pitt.edu.

Fiddlesticks for families

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will present “Everyday Heroes,” a Fiddlesticks Family Concert, at 11:15 a.m. Saturday in Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Ave.

The program will celebrate people who help make Pittsburgh great, such as teachers, nurses, veterans, service workers, parents and others, through music including Valerie Coleman’s “Seven O’Clock Shout,” Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever,” Dvořák’s “Songs My Mother Taught Me” and John William’s theme from “Superman.”

Concert-goers can come early for Discovery Time activities at 10 a.m, including singing the Fiddlesticks theme song, exploring orchestra instruments, a dance and movement session and a music-inspired craft to take home.

Tickets are $16-$28. To reserve, visit pittsburghsymphony.org.

Figaro’s follies

Pittsburgh Opera will present four performances of Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro,” one of the most popular comic operas of all time, beginning this weekend in the Benedum Center, 237 7th St.

Performances will be 8 p.m. Saturday,1 7 p.m. Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 11 and 2 p.m. Nov. 13. A student matinee, suggested for grades 3-12, is planned for 10:15 a.m. Nov. 10.

A sequel to “The Barber of Seville,” the opera features mistaken identity and romantic subterfuge among a Count and Countess and two of their servants, including the title character.

For information and tickets, call 412-456-6666 or visit pittsburghopera.org.

‘Most Pittsburgh race ever’

The EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler celebrates its 10th anniversary Sunday, with more than 4,000 participants expected from 28 states and six countries. Winners share an $11,000 “Best in the ‘Burgh” prize purse.

Dubbed “the most Pittsburgh race ever,” this year’s event features five Pittsburgh-themed miles, including Mister Rogers, City of Champyinz Mile and Pittsburgh Foods. A 10K option is available for the first time.

The 10-mile start line is on West Carson Street near Highmark Stadium in Station Square. The 10K start line is on West General Robinson Street near PNC Park.

Start times are staggered, beginning at 7:25 a.m. for handcycle participants. All racers finish at Sixth Street and Liberty Avenue downtown.

For information and registration, visit p3r.org.

Pastor of the poor

A staged reading of “SHANTYTOWN: The Ballad of Fr. James Cox,” a new musical centered in Pittsburgh’s Strip District during the Depression, is planned for 5-7 p.m. Sunday in the Senator John Heinz History Center, 1212 Smallman St.

The musical tells the story of the Strip District’s “Pastor of the Poor,” from his rise to near-sainthood and survival of a federal trial for a lottery scam to his death in 1951.

As pastor of Old St. Patrick’s Church, Cox printed the first food stamps, led 25,000 jobless people in a march on the national’s capital and was even nominated for president. He was one of the first preachers on national radio and went head-to-head against anti-Semites.

After the reading, there will be a brief talk-back session with playwright Ray Werner and others involved in creating the musical, which will premiere in the Cultural District in February.

General admission is $10, or free for History Center members, and valid for exhibition access beginning at 3 p.m. Advance registration is requested at heinzhistorycenter.org.