Your age and musical predisposition may also play a factor. If you prefer programs heavy on the traditional powerhouses like Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Mozart and Bach, then you'll be pleased with this year's season. Despite the resource limitations that keep a lot of major acts from stopping in Columbia and the conservative tendencies in programming, there are definitely some excellent concerts coming up, no matter what your outlook. Elliott Carter was a student of Nadia Boulanger in Paris, taught at Peabody and Yale and won Pulitzer Prizes for two of his string quartets. The Verdehr Trio focuses on modern compositions and will be joined at this concert by Peter Sculthorpe, whose work has been recorded by the Kronos Quartet.
Tickets are likely to move fast.
Salerno-Sonnenberg is among the top violinists currently performing, has recorded a strong body of classical works for the Angel label and received the Avery Fisher Prize in 1999. She also has a reputation for colorful and inspired performances. This concert finds her stepping outside the realm of the classics, making exhilarating music rooted in gypsy, East European and Middle Eastern traditions with Brazilian guitarists Sergio and Odair Assad. While Fugo is often seen as a member of the American Arts Trio or in other small chamber settings, this time he will take center stage as the soloist on Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 17 in G Major, K. 453. Guest conductor Carlos Cuesta, who led the Symphony last year with a vibrant performance, returns to lead the Mozart and Bartok's Divertimento for Strings.