11 am: Art

“Sam Francis: Paintings 1947-1990,” a major retrospective dedicated to L.A.’s great Abstract Expressionist, opens at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA. Francis--known for his delight in regard to color and its relationship to light--will be represented by 60 paintings and 30 drawings from the 1940s to his last works, completed in 1990.

* “Sam Francis: Paintings 1947-1990,” the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, 152 N. Central Ave., Little Tokyo. Museum hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission: adults, $6; students and seniors, $4; children under 12, free. (213) 626-6222. Show ends July 25.

7 pm: Music

The American Youth Symphony celebrates its conductor laureate Mehli Mehta’s 90th birthday for its 34th annual gala--a fund-raising extravaganza that this year includes not just Mehli Mehta on the podium, but also his son Zubin as well as the symphony’s current music director, Alexander Treger. And that’s not all: Midori, one of the most famous “youth” players in recent history, will play the Beethoven Violin Concerto.

* American Youth Symphony Benefit Gala, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., 7 p.m. $10 to $60 concert only; $250 (includes dinner). (310) 472-2933.

4 pm: Music

Billed as the world’s most recorded chamber orchestra, the 40-year-old Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, led by co-artistic director Kenneth Sillito (filling in for his co-director Iona Brown, who is ill), makes a tour stop in Orange County with music by Mozart, Purcell and Britten, and as a centerpiece, Bartok’s Divertimento.

* Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, 4 p.m. $15 to $60. (714) 740-7878.

1:30 pm: Fund-Raiser

An eclectic lineup of arts performances at the American Film Institute campus will raise money for the new Los Feliz Community Police Center. The event, sponsored by the Los Feliz Improvement Assn., will feature films, dance, jazz, puppets and an auction. Food will be provided by Los Feliz restaurants.

* Fund-raiser for the Los Feliz Community Police Center, American Film Institute, 2021 Western Ave. (323) 660-1914. 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., $45 for adults, $15 for children.

2 pm: Movies

Ostensibly, the UCLA Film and Television Archive is screening two great silent comedies--Buster Keaton’s “Sherlock Jr.” and Charlie Chaplin’s “City Lights”--as part of its Kids’ Flicks Sunday series, but we’re willing to wager that many kids at heart, regardless of age, will want to take advantage of this delightful program.

* Kids’ Flicks, James Bridges Theater, northeast corner of UCLA, near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Hilgard Avenue, West Los Angeles. 2 p.m. $4 to $6. (310) 206-FILM.

4 pm: Jazz

Trumpeter Bobby Bryant Jr., a standout in the bands of Charles Mingus, Oliver Nelson and Gerald Wilson, used his 21-piece Next Wave big band to showcase emerging talent and his own vibrant jazz compositions. Though Bryant died in 1998, his legacy continues in the music of the boisterous Next Wave band, now under the direction of popular trumpeter-educator Bobby Rodriguez.

* Next Wave 21-piece big band, the Jazz Bakery, 3233 Helms Ave., Culver City. $13 (310) 271-9039.

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FREEBIES: “The Fourth Annual Clay Day and Music Festival,” 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Scripps College campus, 1030 Columbia Ave., Claremont, (909) 607-3397.

Alhambra’s Sunday Market Funfest includes produce, baked goods, flowers, children’s games and a folk rock band, South Monterey and Main streets, 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. (626) 282-5767.