Spring is here, bringing with it peace, jazz and flowers.

First it was Takacs Quartet, who played the third quartet by renowned English composer (and committed pacifist) Benjamin Britten last month. This Friday, Chamber Music Monterey Bay presents Enso String Quartet, who perform Britten’s “String Quartet No. 2 in C Major,” and this Saturday, Ensemble Monterey Chamber Orchestra, Cantiamo, Cabrillo Chorus and the Children’s Chorus combine forces on Britten’s War Requiem, both at Sunset Center. May 4 and 5, I Cantori performs poetry and music by… you guessed it… and listen for Britten at this summer’s Carmel Bach Festival. Why all the attention? This year would have been Britten’s 100th birthday. 


York School’s annual Think Forward and Fine Arts Weekend begins with a screening of documentary Design & Thinking (7:15pm Thursday), stylishly shot musings about how design may or may not offer “creative solutions to 21st century problems.” It’s free, in their Gatanaga Theater (9501 York Road, Monterey). RSVP at www.york.org.


Count the County’s bird population in the Monterey Audubon Society’s 24-hour Birdathon, 4pm Friday to 4pm Saturday, ending with dinner ($30/person; $50/couple) 5:30pm at Wild Bird Haven at Del Monte Center. Call 241-1422 or email scollancooper@yahoo.com or tapaculo@mac.com. Funds support student eco-scholars. 


Carl Cherry Center’s 2013 Monterey County High School Poetry Awards culminates in readings and a ceremony for student poets 2pm Saturday at Monterey Public Library (625 Pacific St.). Poet Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts emcees the event, which spawns an anthology of 30 student works. 


The news release begins: “UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz and the Republic of Turkey are pleased to announce… ” That can only be from International Jazz Day, April 30. It was established in 2011 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to recognize jazz music’s diplomatic properties. Events are going down in more than 100 countries, from Albania to Zimbabwe, but ‘round here Kuumbwa Jazz in Santa Cruz (427-2227), founded by Monterey Jazz Festival Artistic Director Tim Jackson, hosts the return of the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour – Dee Dee Bridgewater, Christian McBride, Benny Green, Lewis Nash, Chris Potter and Ambrose Akinmusire. 


Last month the Monterey Peninsula College Foundation established the Robert K. Bullock Journalism Scholarship, named after the former Herald sports and news editor, for degrees in journalism, communication or mass media. The scholarships are for high school students attending MPC this fall, currently enrolled MPC students and MPC students transferring to a four-year college or university. Call 655-5507 to apply, see http://mpcfoundation.org for info. 


Next week is the 33rd Annual Steinbeck Festival. Go to www.steinbeck.org for more.