Itβs far from a slow classical music week when you consider that Arizona Friends of Chamber Music is hosting its 25th annual Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival, and Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra is performing Tucson guitar whiz Pete Fineβs Second Electric Guitar Concerto.
But weβve found a trio of events that you might also want to consider when mapping out your weekend plans:
Some Canadian love: Montrealβs Ensemble Caprice, which prefers its music on the baroque side, brings its distinctive five-part melodies β playing period instruments that include cello, guitar, percussion and recorders β to Tanque Verde Lutheran Church on Sunday, March 11. The βiLove Baroqueβ concert surveys two centuries of music from five countries. Ensemble Caprice has a pretty solid reputation for pulling off this music in grand fashion that includes appearances at prestigious European festivals. Add that to a discography of 25 CDs including the 2009 Juno Award-winning βGloria! Vivaldiβs Angels.β Admission to the 3 p.m. concert at Tanque Verde Lutheran Church, 8625 E. Tanque Verde Road, is a $10 suggested donation.
It’s our civic duty, isn’t it? When the Civic Orchestra of Tucson performs its series of free concerts, it kinda feels like our civic duty to attend. More than that, though, this group of 65 veteran, volunteer musicians, now in its 42nd season, has a deep appreciation for the music and an even deeper love of performing it for us, so it seems only right to reciprocate. The orchestra is performing a pair of free concerts this weekend, starting at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 10, at Oro Valley’s Church of the Apostles, 12111 N. La Cholla Blvd. The program, led by guest conductor Charles Bontrager, who recently retired from the University of Arizona Fred Fox School of Music, includes Tchaikovsky’s “Sleeping Beauty” ballet and Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2. The concert repeats at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, March 11, at Crowder Hall, North Park Avenue at East Speedway at the School of Music. The concerts are dry runs of sorts for the orchestra, which on April 8 will back up Dancing in the Streets’ production of “The Sleeping Beauty Ballet” at the Temple of Music and Art. Details: cotmusic.org or call 730-3371.
Song, dance and silliness: Reveille Men’s Chorus is feting its own on Saturday, March 10, with its fourth annual “Rev-It-Up” fundraiser at Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress St. The evening is centered on the one-man “Leslie Jordan Exposed” show featuring the star of “Will & Grace” (Beverley Leslie), but it’s also a chance for the choir to present some attaboys to its cheerleaders and game changers. Honorees include: Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, the Joel Meister Community Impact Award; Michael Rogers, Reveille Volunteer Award; former director Shawn Cullen, Reveille Leadership Award. General admission tickets are $18 to $60 through foxtucsontheatre.ticketforce.com VIP tickets are $125 through reveillemenschorus.org
