Civic Orchestra of Tucson is taking us on a trip around Europe and deep into our imagination to open its 2019-20 season this weekend.

The musical journey through France, Scotland and Italy also is part of a bigger mission for the volunteer orchestra and orchestras throughout the world that are participating in the annual Daniel Pearl World Music Days: To celebrate diversity, tolerance and humanity through music.

The international Daniel Pearl World Music Days, featuring nearly 14,000 performances around the globe throughout the month of October, was launched after Daniel Pearl, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was kidnapped and murdered by extremists in Pakistan in 2002. In addition to being a reporter, Pearl was an enthusiastic musician who performed in nearly every place he lived.

The Civic Orchestra, with guest violinist Timothy Kantor, will perform four works that represent France, Scotland and Italy.

A fourth work, Frederick Delius’s β€œThe Walk to the Paradise Garden,” can represent any place your imagination takes you.

The orchestra will perform the concert twice this weekend: at the Sahuarita School District Auditorium on Saturday, Oct. 19, and at Crowder Hall at the University of Arizona on Sunday, Oct. 20. Young musicians from Sahuarita will join the orchestra for Saturday’s concert.


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Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com or 573-4642. On Twitter @Starburch