Tattoos and body art have been a part of various cultures for thousands of years. The concept came to the States in the late 19th century, when ink could be found on soldiers and people living on the fringe of society. Today, the medium’s popularity makes it more difficult to find people without any tattoos. While we’ve all witnessed unfortunate ink, the real pros exhibit amazing talent. Ink is now a celebrated art form (and, oddly, the basis of several TV shows) and tonight, fans of both visual art and tattoos have a chance to meet legendary tattoo artist and historian Lyle Tuttle. Beelistic Tattoo on Short Vine welcomes Tuttle for an art show of his iconic work. Tuttle began tattooing at age 18 in 1949 and has inked the likes of Janis Joplin, The Allman Brothers, Paul Stanley and countless others. Meet the artist, peruse his work, enjoy free drinks and plan your next tat from 5-10 p.m. This past summer’s World Choir Games brought a whirlwind of music and visitors from across the globe to our back yard. Cincinnati’s own MUSE women’s choir was awarded a gold medal at the Games and tonight the group makes its first public appearance since that award-winning performance. “Keep Yo’ Lamps Burnin” features African-American traditional songs and spirituals to be performed at various venues Friday-Sunday. Go here for the full schedule and ticket information. This weekend, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra welcomes Louis Langrée for his first concert as Music Director Designate. The French conductor is also Chief Conductor of the Camerata Salzburg and the music director of the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York. The concert (11 a.m. Friday and 8 p.m. Saturday) is, fittingly, an all-French program featuring César Franck’s Symphony in D minor, Olivier Messiaen’s Les Offrandes Oubliées and Camille Saint-Saëns’s Piano Concerto No. 2. For tickets and more information, go here. The Heights Music Festival brings more than 40 area acts to the UC area Friday and Saturday. The Frankl Project, The Guitars, Oui Si Yes and lots more local talent will fill Rohs Street Café (all ages), Baba Budan’s, Mac’s Pizza Pub and Christy’s Biergarten. Single-night tickets are $5 in advance/$8 at the door; full weekend passes are $10/$12. If you’ve been looking for an excuse to break out your Goodwill’ed tweed suit, you’re in luck! Sounding like something straight out of Portlandia, The City of Cincinnati Bike Program is organizing an old-school Tweed Ride Saturday. Grab your wool skirts, wax your handlebar mustache and dust off your newsboy cap for a dapper ride about town. Riders should meet at O’Bryonville’s Owls Next Park at 2 p.m. for the 8-mile, slow-paced flat ride. The Moerlein Lager House is ready to kick off the holiday season Saturday with a Beer and Breweriana Extravaganza noon-4 p.m. In what they’re calling “one part holiday beer tasting and one part Antiques Roadshow,” guests can sip seasonal brews while getting free appraisals on beer memorabilia and steins. Authors Mike Morgan and Don Tolzmann will be on hand to sign their Cincinnati brewing books and Jim Effler will sell his beer label artwork and posters. Stick around for lunch and dinner to enjoy a full Cincy-centric day. Check out our calendar for a full list of theater shows, art exhibits, events, concerts and more to do this weekend and beyond.

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) launched its new seven-week initiative, “One City, One Symphony” earlier this month. The goal of the program is to get the CSO engaged with people of all walks of life through nine listening parties across the region. “One City, One Symphony” concludes with three concerts Nov. 15, 17 and 18 at Music Hall featuring A Survivor From Warsaw by Arnold Shoenburg and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.  The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati and The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation host the free listening parties across Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. These parties are a chance for the public to interact with CSO musicians and conductors while listening and discussing the music from Schoenburg and Beethoven. “I already feel a strong connection with our audiences, the supportive community and of course the incredible musicians of the CSO, and I am looking forward to deepening this relationship in the coming months and years," Music Director Louis Langrée said in a press release. If you haven’t attended a listening party yet, there are still several more chances to meet the players and discuss the music around town. Tonight, Anderson High School welcomes CSO timpanist Patrick Schleker to host a listening party from 7-8:30 p.m. To attend one of these performances or learn more about the CSO and One City, One Symphony, click here. The rest of the listening parties are as scheduled: Thursday, Nov. 1, 7-8:30 p.m. at the Xavier University’s Bellarmine Chapel. This performance is hosted by CSO violinist Sylvia Samis and XU Director of Interfaith Community Engagement Abie Ingber. Thursday, Nov. 8, 6-7:30 p.m. at Coffee Emporium. Associate Conductor Robert Treviño hosts. Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2-3:30 p.m. at Mayerson Jewish Community Center. Again hosted by Sylvia Samis and Abie Ingber.