9 pm: Pop Music

It’s safe to say that a performer has never gone from the neighborhood rock dive Spaceland to the globally televised stage of the Academy Awards a few weeks later, but that may be the latest distinction for Elliott Smith. The Portland-based “sad-core” singer-songwriter is both a stalwart of the indie-rock scene and an Oscar nominee for his song “Miss Misery” from “Good Will Hunting.”

* Elliott Smith at Spaceland, 1717 Silver Lake Blvd. $7. (213) 413-4442.

7:30 & 9:45 pm: Cabaret

Poetic phrasing. Exquisite pitch and tone. Sincerity. All these words have been used to describe the singing of Weslia Whitfield. Recognized as a leading practitioner of the jazz vocal, Whitfield also is known for her intelligent taste in material and musicians. This three-day run in the Orange County Performing Arts Center’s intimate performance space is sure to please jazz buffs as well as lovers of American popular song.

* Weslia Whitfield, Founders Hall, Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Also Friday-Saturday at 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. $36. (714) 556-2787.

7:30 pm: Opera

Sylvie Valayre, Clifton Forbis and Justino Diaz are the principals in Puccini’s “Tosca,” being produced by Opera Pacific this week. The three singers perform tonight and Saturday night. On Sunday afternoon, Valayre and Diaz will be joined by a new Cavaradossi, Ian Denolfo.

* “Tosca,” Segerstrom Hall, Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Also Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. $28-$93. (800) 34-OPERA.