Listen to mental health advocate and vlogger Jonny Benjamin speak about how we can bring to bear the latest science on the problems faced by people with serious mental illness, in an effort to render their experiences more understandable and their suffering more manageable. Free. Cohen Auditorium, Child Study Center, 230 South Frontage Rd. Noon.
View screenings of visionary films by African directors. Films scheduled include “Mma Moeketsi,” “Kasala,” “Bigger than Africa,” and “Ephasini Lamabhudango.” Festival continues through Saturday. Limited free tickets at yaff.eventbrite.com. Burke Auditorium, Kroon Hall, 195 Prospect St. Various times.
Enjoy Berlioz’s “Symphonie fantastique” and works by Saint-Saëns and Debussy performed by the orchestra, led by guest conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni. Tickets: $5-$12. Woolsey Hall, 500 College St. 7:30 p.m.
Visit artists from across Connecticut, and see some commissioned site-specific works, as the West Campus provides a unique backdrop to showcase their talents. Event continues through Sunday. Free. Building 410, 137-141 Frontage Road, Orange. Noon-6 p.m.
Explore the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History when the lights go out and it comes alive with spooky science demos, creepy crawly creatures, slithering snakes, a scavenger hunt, and scary snacks. Costumes encouraged. Tickets: $13.50-$15. Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, 170 Whitney Ave. 6-9 p.m.
Experience the first of two concerts commemorating renowned pianist/composer Vladimir Drozdoff. This performance, titled “Reflections on the Music of the Russian Exodus,” will feature George Borisov, piano and narrator; Hanna Golodinskii, soprano; Vyacheslav Gryaznov, piano; and Natasha Cherny, producer. Free. Sudler Hall, 100 Wall St. 7:30 p.m.
Join a docent-led tour of the exhibition that focuses on the experience of prisoners in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the structures that confined them. Free. Yale Center for British Art, 1080 Chapel St. 1 p.m.
Savor the sounds of Trinidadian soprano Jeanine De Bique as she performs Mozart’s “Exsultate, jubilate” and Strauss’ “Drei Lieder der Ophelia,” as well as folk songs from Trinidad and Tobago, among other compositions. Free. Marquand Chapel, Sterling Divinity Quadrangle, 409 Prospect St. 4 p.m.
Explore the exhibit that highlights research done in Yale University Library collections by four students, each of whom has curated one section of the exhibit. Free. Sterling Memorial Library, 120 High St. Noon-11:45 p.m.
