The Arlington Symphony is celebrating its 60th anniversary during the 2004-2005 season the theme of this Diamond Jubilee is, "Celebrating 60 years of Brilliance." Ruben Vartanyan is the symphony's music director. The symphony's events for the season are listed below:
<cal1>Saturday/Sept. 18
<cal1>Subscription Concert 1: "Fire & Ice." Featuring pianist Awadagin Pratt performing the Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor. Other works on the program are Academic Festival Overture by Brahms and Symphony No. 2 by Rachmaninoff. 8 p.m. at the Schlesinger Center, Alexandria Campus, Northern Virginia Community College, 3001 N. Beauregard St., Alexandria.
<cal1>Friday/Oct. 29
<cal2>Nosferatu: Symphony Meets Vampire. 1922 "Dracula" silent film with original live-music score and Halloween activities. 7:30 p.m.at the Schlesinger Center, Alexandria Campus, Northern Virginia Community College, 3001 N. Beauregard St., Alexandria. $20 general admission.
<cal1>Saturday/Oct. 30
<cal2>Subscription Concert 2: "A Cut Above." Elmar Oliveira performs the Barber Violin Concerto, with the ASO also presenting Sinfonietta by Poulenc and the Adagietto from Mahler's Symphony No. 5. 8 p.m. at the Schlesinger Center, Alexandria Campus, Northern Virginia Community College, 3001 N. Beauregard St., Alexandria.
<cal1>Sunday/Oct. 31
<cal2>Nosferatu: Symphony Meets Vampire. 1922 "Dracula" silent film with original live-music score and Halloween activities. 3 p.m. at the Schlesinger Center, Alexandria Campus, Northern Virginia Community College, 3001 N. Beauregard St., Alexandria. $20 general admission.
<cal1>Sunday/Dec. 12
<cal2>Dessert with Dickens. 3 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom, Arlington Hilton. $80 reserved seat. This holiday fund-raiser includes tea, champagne, dessert, music and a performance by Gerald Charles Dickens of all 26 characters from his great, great grandfather's classic, "A Christmas Carol."
<cal1>Saturday/Feb. 26, 2005
<cal2>"Celebrate the Animals." A family concert at 2 and 3:30 p.m. at Kenmore Middle School, Arlington.
<cal1>Saturday/March 5, 2005
<cal2>Subscription Concert 3: "Sparkling Colors."
Nathaniel Rosen, cello, joins other ASO soloists, Osman Kivrak, viola, and Irina Garkavi, violin, for a performance of Strauss's Don Quixote. "Pictures at an Exhibition" by Mussorgsky completes the program. Edith Grossman, the respected translator of the most recent version of Cervantes' literary classic Don Quixote, will be participate in the pre-concert chat and book signing. 8 p.m. at the Schlesinger Center, Alexandria Campus, Northern Virginia Community College, 3001 N. Beauregard St., Alexandria.
<cal1>Friday/April 8
<cal2>Subscription Concert 4: "Flawless Inspiration." The ASO is joined by the Baltimore Choral Arts Society for a presentation of the Requiem by Verdi. 8 p.m. at the Schlesinger Center, Alexandria Campus, Northern Virginia Community College, 3001 N. Beauregard St., Alexandria.
<cal1>Saturday/May 14
<cal2>Subscription Concert 5: "Brilliant Gems." The all-orchestral program of audience favorites includes William Tell Overture by Rossini, The Moldau by Smetana, Bolero by Ravel, Khachaturian's Spartacus Variation of Aegina and Bacchanalia, and Porgy & Bess by Gershwin. A surprise encore is planned. 8 p.m. at the Schlesinger Center, Alexandria Campus, Northern Virginia Community College, 3001 N. Beauregard St., Alexandria.
<bt>In addition, the symphony will offer a chance for children to meet the instrument sections of the orchestra at the Arlington Symphony office in Ballston Common Mall, called "A Feast for Young Ears." Orchestra members will be available at 10 a.m. for four Saturdays, Jan. 22 and 29 and Feb. 5 and 12.
Subscriptions for the five-concert series range from $145 to $335. Subscriptions for children and full-time students under age 25 are $60. Individual tickets start at $30 a concert; children and full-time students under age 25 are $12. For tickets and information, call the Arlington Symphony at 703/528-1817.