Boston events

CERAMICS IN BOSTON The national conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramics Arts is being held in Boston this week, and the area is all fired up. About 1, 500 clay artists are expected to take part, and more than 30 galleries and museums will be holding juried ceramic exhibitions. Some of them include:

Boston: The Museum of Fine Arts, Gardner Museum, the Boston Visual Artists Union, Creiger & Sesen Associates.

Newbury Street: Pucker Safrai Gallery, Westminster Gallery, the Society of Arts and Crafts, Lopoukhine Gallery, Thomas Segal Gallery, Signature Gallery, Helen Shlien Gallery, Stux Galleries.

Cambridge: Fogg Art Museum, Busch-Reisinger Museum, Ten Arrow, Baak Gallery. Lincoln: DeCordova Museum, Clark Gallery.

Brockton: Brockton Art Museum.

MUSIC

Friday

* BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Symphony Hall, 301 Mass. Ave. - World premiere of ''The Mask of Time,'' by Sir Michael Tippett. 2 p.m. Also Sat., 8.

Sunday

* MASTERWORKS CHORALE & ORCHESTRA

Sanders Theatre, Harvard University, Cambridge. - Haydn's ''The Creation.'' 4 p.m.

* DINOSAUR ANNEX

MUSIC FESTIVAL

First and Second Church, 66 Marlborough St. - Works by Ralph Shapey, David Stock, Eric Chasalow, Frank Martin, Stefan Wolpe. 8 p.m. Contemporary music. Preconcert talk by Ralph Shapey at 7:30.

Monday

SACRED HARP SINGING

Norumbega Harmony and Old Cambridge Baptist Church, 1151 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. - Early American folk hymns and spiritual songs. 7:30 p.m.

Thursday

* OPERA THEATER OF THE BOSTON AND NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORIES

Boston Conservatory Auditorium, 31 Hemenway St. - Mozart's ''Cosi Fan Tutte.'' 8 p.m. Also Fri., Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3.

THEATER

Dates in italics indicate original publication of reviews.

* AMADEUS

Trinity Square Repertory Company, 201 Washington St., Providence, R.I. - Tues.-Sun. 8 p.m.; mats., Sat., Sun., 2. Through April 29.

* AMERICAN BUFFALO

(Review to come.) Wilbur Theatre, 252 Tremont St. - Opens Thurs., 7 p.m. Through May 5.

* ARTICHOKE

(See review on preceding page.) Boston Theater Club at the Nucleo Eclettico, 216 Hanover St. - Wed.-Sat., 8 p.m. Through May 5.

* A.R.T./ NEW STAGES

(Reviews to come.) American Repertory Theatre at the Hasty Pudding Theatre, 12 Holyoke St., Cambridge. - In repertory: ''Angel City,'' Fri., 8 p.m. ''Strokes,'' Sat., Sun., Wed., 8 p.m. ''Holy Wars,'' Thurs., 8 p.m.

* CATS

(Possibly overrated English musical, but a legend in the making. 12/29.) Shubert Theatre, 265 Tremont St. - Mon.-Sat., 8 p.m.; mats., Wed. & Sat., 2. Through May 5.

* LOOT

Lyric Stage, 45 Charles St.- Wed.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 5 & 8:30; Sun., 3. Through April 22.

* THE PLOUGH AND THE STARS

Charlestown Working Theater, 442 Bunker Hill St., Charlestown. - Fri., Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m. Through April 15.

* THE RUNNER STUMBLES

(Tale of murder of a nun asks probing questions about church. 3/22.) Alley Theatre, 1253 Cambridge St., Cambridge. Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3. Through April 14.

* THE SINGULAR LIFE

OF ALBERT NOBBS

(The empty play about a Victorian ''Yentl.'' 3/22.) New Ehrlich Theatre, 539 Tremont St. Wed.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3. Through April 21.

DANCE

* ALVIN AILEY

AMERICAN DANCE THEATER

(Review to come.) Wang Center, 268 Tremont St. - Four Boston premieres; Ailey's ''Revelations''; music by Otis Redding, George Winston, Pat Metheny. Tues.-Thurs., 8 p.m. Through April 15.

* BOSTON BALLET

Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston St. ''Gala Week.'' - Features the company's most popular classical, contemporary, and modern one-acts. Fri., Sat., 8 p.m.; mats., Sat., Sun., 2.

* CONCERT DANCE COMPANY OF BOSTON

The Dinosaur Space, 10 West St. - ''Passing Sentence,'' other works. Fri.-Sun. 8 p.m.

ART

* FOGG ART MUSEUM

32 Quincy St., Cambridge - ''Kashmir and Rajasthan: Photographs by Raghubir Singh,'' color photographs of Kashmir and northwestern India. Through April 20.

* MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

465 Huntington Ave. - ''Jean-Francois Millet: Seeds of Impressionism.'' Through July 1. ''Directions in Contemporary American Ceramics. Through June 3.

OTHER EVENTS

* A LIGHT UNTO MY PATH

101 Belvidere St., Christian Science Center, Boston - Free nondenominational exhibit exploring the Bible in sight and sound. Mon-Sat., 10-5; Sun. 12-5; closed Tues.