MUSIC | A Concert of Sacred and Secular Vocal Music From Around 1500

See how your modern musical tastes react to popular works from 500 years ago. Dutch-Flemish ensemble Capella Pratensis performs “A Concert of Sacred and Secular Vocal Music From Around 1500.” 8 p.m. Get your free pass at the box office. Paine Hall. (ECMV)

BOOKS | Widener: Biography of a Library

Library expert Mr. Matthew Battles will discuss his hefty and comprehensive

new book Widener: Biography of a Library. Come hear tales of weal, woe and books. Free. 6:30 p.m. Harvard Book Store. (EF)

Thursday, Nov. 18

MUSIC | Boston Philharmonic Orchestra: Ravel, Gershwin, Stravinsky

Come enjoy the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra’s renditions of Ravel’s “La Valse,” Gershwin’s “Concerto in F,” and Stravinsky’s “Petrushka.” Benjamin Zander conducts; Kevin Cole is on the piano. 7:30 p.m. Tickets from $15-$59, with $4 off for students and seniors and a discount for MTA members. For student rush, go 90 minutes early and bring $8 cash. Sanders Theater. (ECMV)

MULTIMEDIA | Pierre Huyghe’s “Huyghe and Corbusier: Harvard Project”

Take your understanding of the Carpenter Center to a whole new level with a multimedia extravaganza involving architecture, film and, of course, “puppet opera.” The Carpenter Center is the only building in North America designed by Le Corbusier. “Huyghe + Corbusier: Harvard Project,” designed by Pierre Huyghe, explores the building’s design history. Custom-crafted marionettes take the stage in the temporary architectural extension; meanwhile, a Huyghe film based on the puppet opera will be screened in the Sert Gallery. Free and open to the public; opening reception with the artist, 6-8 p.m. at the Carpenter Center. (ECMV)

BOOKS | The Woman Who Pretended to Be Who She Was

Expert on Hinduism and mythology Wendy Doniger comments on her new book The Woman Who Pretended to Be Who She Was: Myths of Self-Imitation. Join her for a stimulating discussion on the cross-cultural theme of self-impersonation. Sponsored by the Harvard Book Store. Free. 4:30 p.m. Askwith Lecture Hall in Longfellow Hall. (EF)