See emerging solo pianist Daria Rabotkina play classical tunes just in time for your lunch break at the Chicago Cultural Center's Preston Bradley Hall on the 3rd floor. (Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E Washington St, 12:15pm. Free)
The 28th annual Creating Change Conference descends on Chicago along with a slew of local organizations, including Equality Illinois, the Center on Halsted, the Howard Brown Health Center and thr Gerber/Hart Library and Archives. The five-day conference hosted by the National LGBTQ Task Force kicks off today and focuses on ways to advance social justice, inviting attendees to take advantage of nearly 300 skill-building workshops. Join in! (Hilton Chicago, 720 S Michigan Ave, 10:30am. $450)
Every week since 2009, Cole's has hosted a stand-up comedy open mic featuring loads of local flavor (nearly 50 comedians each week!) in addition to veterans like Hannibal Buress and Tim Meadows. Even so, there's more than enough room to hop on stage for a joke or two. Sign-ups begin at 5:30pm, but the show starts four hours later. If you want to throw your tight five in the ring, you'd better get there early. (Cole's, 2338 N Milwaukee Ave, 9:30pm. Free)