THURSDAY FEBRUARY 9

VALENTINE
Want to beat the crowds on the allegedly most romantic evening of the year? Go a few nights early. Pacific Northwest Ballet deftly mixes up classical (Respighi's courtly Ancient Airs and Dances), pop (Nine Sinatra Songs choreographed by Twyla Tharp), and the softer, sometimes ambient side of the avant (Arvo Pärt and Richard Einhorn). Through Sun Feb 12; see www.pnb.org for details. McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St, 441-2424, 7:30 pm, $20–$134.

JAMES BENNINGTON
In this ongoing series, drummer Bennington collaborates with a rotating cast of improvisers. This week, eruptive drummer and vibraphonist Bob Rees (BeeCraft, John Alton Trio), joins this informal yet intense get-together. On the House, 1205 E Pike St, 324-3974, 8 pm, donation requested.

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 12

ORCHESTRA SEATTLE
For some types of music, Town Hall is an acoustic swamp, but Baroque and classical performed by a mid-sized ensemble sounds divine. George Shangrow leads this fine outfit (which includes the Seattle Chamber Singers) in Corelli's Concerto Grosso in B-flat, op. 6, no. 5, the Orchestral Suite No. 4 in D BWV 1069 by J. S. Bach, and a justifiably nicknamed Haydn symphony, no. 31 the "Hornsignal." Also on the program, a rarity: Mass in C Major ("Missa Dei Filii") by Bohemian composer Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679–1745), whose works finally enjoyed enough of a revival in the mid-1980s to receive a catalog designation, ZWV. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, 682-5208, 3 pm, $10–$20.

POLLICK/SOKOLOV
This violin/piano duo premieres compositions by Charles Norman Mason and Dorothy Hindman along with pieces by Peter Blauvelt, Jorge Sosa, and a slew of other new (to me, at any rate) composers. Consolidated Works, 500 Boren Ave N, 800-838-3006, 7 pm, $10/$15.

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 14

EARTHA KITT
Beloved as Catwoman in the original Batman TV series, Kitt has been purring cabaret and show tunes in multiple languages for decades. Her sharp, sometimes snarling, always sassy enunciation marks her as a breed unto herself. Meow! Through Sun Feb 19. Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave, 441-9729, sets at 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm, $32.50 (Valentine's Day show is $45.50).

UW CONTEMPORARY GROUP
Music by aggro-Minimalist Louis Andriessen, Trepidus for piano, Steve Reich's slight but tuneful "Nagoya Marimbas," and George Crumb's classic Vox Balaenae, which calls for masked musicians to play electric flute, electric cello, and amplified piano while submerged in blue light. Keep your ears open for Stravinsky's seldom heard Septet, which discreetly marked his move to serial procedures in the early 1950s. Meany Theater, UW Campus, 543-4880, 7:30 pm, $10.

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 15

SEATTLE COMPOSERS SEMINAR
Nope, it's not the Seattle Composers Salon but a showcase organized by composer Gloria Wilson Swisher: Seven premieres variously scored for organ, choir, guitar, and piano, and other atypical combinations by Swisher, Greg Bartholomew, Nancy Kern, Bernard Super, and John David Gordon. What will it sound like? I'm betting on generally tonal pieces and hoping for some surprises. Bethany Lutheran Church, 7400 Woodlawn Ave N, 523-4454, 7:30 pm, free.