Chamberosity, a dynamic chamber music ensemble, opens  the spring 2012 season of The University of Akron's Kulas Concert Series with a  3 p.m. concert Feb. 26 , in Guzzetta Recital Hall, 157 University Ave. The program includes a commissioned work by Cleveland native Eric Ewazen, a faculty member at Juilliard.

Chamberosity features Linda Sinanian, violin; Jeffrey Forden, horn; and Christine Doré, piano. The Feb. 26 program also includes Debussy's "Sonate pour violon et piano," Brahms' "Trio for Piano, Horn and Violin," "Opus 40 in E-flat," and Tartini's "Dido Abbandonata Sonata in G minor, Opus I No.10."

Chamberosity has been the ensemble-in-residence at the Stony Brook Summer Music Festival, the Music At Greenlawn concert series and the Siena Spirituality Center in the Hamptons.

Jerry Seinfeld will make a stop in Akron for an upcoming tour that finds the TV star reaching back to his roots as a stand-up comedian. He'll appear at the Akron Civic Theatre April 20 at 7 p.m.

Hailed as “the master stand-up comic of his generation” and “the best comedian of our time” in a Washington Post article by Tom Shales, Seinfeld has an uncanny ability to joke about the little things in life that relate to audiences everywhere.

Tickets go on sale Feb. 24 at 10 a.m., and prices are $77, $62, and $47. Tickets are available at the Akron Civic Theatre Box Office, by calling (330) 253-2488, online at www.akroncivic.com, or by calling TicketMaster at (800) 745-3000.

The University of Akron's theatre department will tackle Shakespeare as the "The Merchant of Venice" opens Feb. 23 at Sandefur Theatre in Guzzetta Hall.

Presented by the university's Theatre Program and directed by part-time faculty member Aubrey Caldwell, performances are Feb. 23 through 25 and March 1 through 3 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. Talk-backs will follow the performances on Feb. 23 and March 1. Sandefur Theatre in Guzzetta Hall is at 157 University Ave., across from E.J. Thomas Hall on the university's campus.

One of Shakespeare’s tragi-comedies, "The Merchant of Venice" shares the tale of the merchant Antonio, who funds the quest of his friend Bassanio to win the heart of Portia by taking a loan from his longtime enemy, Shylock. Should Antonio fail to pay, Shylock will take a pound of his flesh. The tale features the Bard’s classic themes of romance and mistaken identities while also painting a picture of the politics, gender roles and anti-Semitism of the Elizabethan era.

Community members will have increased access to free digital media training and equipment, thanks to a new partnership between Akron Community Foundation and the Akron-Summit County Public Library.

The Akron Digital Media Center, funded by Akron Community Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, reopened today in a newly created space on the first floor of the downtown Main Library, offering another resource for library patrons and increased community visibility for the media project that has trained more than 500 residents.

The media center was launched in 2010 to help cultivate local storytelling and community news gathering. It offers free multimedia workshops in blogging, news writing, photography, videography and video editing, as well as one-on-one mentorships that train community members to serve as journalists and neighborhood storytellers in the digital age.

A five-year secret will be revealed Feb. 13 when The University of Akron Symphonic Band premieres "Nights in Tobago," a new piece by composer David Gillingham that features a unique steel drum solo.

Free and open to the public, the concert begins at 7 p.m. in the ballroom of the UA Student Union, 303 E. Carroll St. Conducted by UA Professor Robert Jorgensen, the band will also perform the work in Columbus at 9:15 a.m. on Feb. 17 in the Convention Center Ballroom during the Ohio Music Education Associations annual state conference.

Mark and Sandy Auburn are sure to be in the audience for both concerts. The Fairlawn couple commissioned the work in 2006 in honor of Larry Snider, professor of percussion at UA and founder of the UA Steel Drum Band.

The Akron Racers professional softball team will get third pick each round of the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) College Draft March 7 at 6 p.m.

The 2012 Draft which is presented by Miken, will take place at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tenn. The Memphis Sports Council will host the event in conjunction with the Peabody Hotel. All four teams of the NPF will take part in the draft, which consists of 20 overall athlete selections that are divided into five rounds. Each round consists of four picks.

After finishing in second place during the 2011 regular season, the Akron Racers are scheduled to select third in each round of the draft. The first overall pick in the 2012 NPF College Draft belongs to the USSSA Florida Pride, a position that resulted from a mid-season trade in 2011 with the NPF Diamonds.

Info Line, Inc. seems self-explanatory. The agency is, by all accounts, a source of information, but the organization does more than just give out information to the public. And Sue Pierson, vice president of Info Line, Inc., is proud of this fact.

The nonprofit is the place to call in Summit County if you need info or referred to just about anything.

“We receive about 95,000 calls in our program a year,” Pierson said. “If more funds were available we could answer even more calls. If you need to find shoes for a job interview or new winter clothes for your kids, call us. You name it.”

The Akron Art Museum offers a series of Kids Art Classes, which are ideal weekend activities for the remaining winter months. Children will get a chance to experience the museum's renowned art collection and create masterpieces of their own.

The classes are designed for children ages 6 to 12 years old, and adults are welcome but not required to attend with children. The cost for each class is $10 for each member child, and $15 for each non-member child. Pre-registration is required and space is limited, according to the museum.

Sculpture: Cast Away is Feb. 11 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Participants will add a third dimension to their art skills by viewing the newly installed sculpture "Seer (Alice I)" by artist Kiki Smith then creating their own sculptures with magically messy (and fast-drying) plaster casting cloth.

University of Akron graduate Amelia Nemeth and her husband Alan Demaske were recently awarded ownership of the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league’s Carolina Diamonds franchise.

“I am thrilled to be bringing professional softball to the Carolinas,” said Nemeth, a 1982 graduate of the university. “The excitement we hope to generate in the Carolinas is something both avid fans and the casual softball or baseball fans have been looking for. These ladies are fabulous athletes playing at the pinnacle of the game. It’s an honor to associate with the NPF, and have the opportunity to support women’s athletics.”

Nemeth graduated from The University of Akron with a bachelor's degree in science in accounting in 1982.

The news site MSN Real Estate recently cited Akron, Ohio, as one of the five “most promising” real estate markets in the nation, defined by those markets expected to suffer the smallest slides. The forecasting firm Local Market Monitor made the picks.

The MSN report notes that Akron’s average home price of $148,508 fell by 4 percent in the last year, and that the local market should hit bottom this year followed by a modest 2 percent gain in 2013. “Jobs — especially manufacturing jobs — are coming back to Akron,’’ the report said. “Like many Midwest cities, there was no housing boom here to speak of. Values are down just 13 percent from the peak, about a third of the hit the U.S. as a whole suffered.”

On its face, the fact that Akron’s real estate market is to drop less than most others across the country may seem nothing to feel good about. A city doesn’t grow with a soft real estate market. But if you look beneath the surface, there is reason for those of us in Akron to see opportunity ahead. The ranking also is affirmation of our economic recovery as we separate ourselves from the pack of traditional manufacturing cities stuck in the doldrums.