Calendar highlights Nov. 29-Dec. 3, 1994

Ticket sales will benefit Shiloh Refuge Center, a shelter for homeless women and children; Clara's House, which serves homeless and battered women and their children; and Community Supportive Living Systems, which assists young men and adolescents. Since the cost of the concert is underwritten by corporate and individual sponsors, all proceeds from ticket sales will go directly to the homeless shelters. Last year's concert raised $6,000.

The audience will sing the choruses for a Christmas rendition of Handel's "Messiah," accompanied by an orchestral ensemble conducted by Stephen Alltop and featuring trumpeter Channing Philbrick. Professional soloists for the performance will be soprano Andrea Holliday, mezzo-soprano Janet Mensen Reynolds, tenor Mark Nienow and baritone William Diana.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students, seniors and children under 12. For more information, call 363-6063. Free concerts, carriage rides at Hyde Park Shopping Center Shoppers will be serenaded by area vocal groups and treated to free horse-drawn-carriage rides on December weekends before Christmas at Hyde Park Shopping Center, 55th Street and Lake Park Avenue.

The concerts, scheduled for Saturdays and Sundays from Dec. 3 through Dec. 18, will be held at 2:30 p.m. in the shopping-center courtyard. Horse-drawn-carriage rides will be offered from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the parking lot on the weekends of Dec. 10-11 and Dec. 17-18.

Two U of C student a cappella groups will perform on the first weekend in December. Unaccompanied Women will perform on Saturday, Dec. 3, and the men of MaJ'N will perform on Sunday, Dec. 4.

On Saturday, Dec. 10, the Chicago Housing Authority Choir will sing. Present to introduce the choir will be Alderman Toni Preckwinkle. Also scheduled to attend are Alderman Larry Bloom and Vincent Lane, Chairman of the Chicago Housing Authority. On Sunday, Dec. 11, the Holy Vessel Church Choir will perform songs for Hanukkah and Christmas.

The Kenwood Academy Choir will sing on Saturday, Dec. 17, and the final concert, on Sunday, Dec. 18, will be performed by the Acafellas, a Hyde Park-based a cappella group.

The events are free and open to the public.

The Hyde Park Shopping Center includes Euro Kids European fashions for children, Spauldings fine apparel for women, Cohn & Stern men's clothing, Joyce's Hallmark card and gift shop, Wesley's Shoe Corral, Fannie May Candies and Caffe Tutti espresso bar, which is expected to open its new, adjoining Italian restaurant and deli this week. The shopping center also includes the Hyde Park Cooperative supermarket, Walgreens Drug Store and Woolworth's. 'Medieval Musical Journey' Dec. 2 Ensemble Project Ars Nova -- noted for its innovative programming and described by the Boston Globe as "a first-class, state-of-the-art early music group" -- will perform music from the pilgrimage routes of the Middle Ages at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, in Mandel Hall. The concert is part of the Howard Mayer Brown International Early Music Series.

The program, "Pilgrimage to Jerusalem: A Medieval Musical Journey," will feature works by Hildegarde von Bingen, Magister Leonin, Nicholas Grenon and Guillaume Dufay.

Tickets are $22, $19 and $17 ($8 for students) and are available by calling 702-8068. The concert is sponsored in part by Arts Midwest and the Illinois Arts Council. Caption: 'Recent Work' at Midway Studios

This untitled photo by Erik Lieber is among the paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures and mixed-media works presented by 16 University graduate students in "Recent Work," on display at Midway Studios. The exhibition continues through Thursday, Dec. 1. For gallery hours, see Continuing.