chris@delaurenti.netTHURSDAY OCTOBER 24



MUSIC OF OUR TIME

In the year and a half that I've been covering contemporary classical music for The Stranger, this is the first time I've encountered a concert where only one composer is familiar to me. This is a good sign. Conductor Christopher Kendall leads the Seattle Symphony in James Primosch's Sacra conversazione, Roger Marsh's Song of Abigail, Scott Lindroth's Stomp, and Jacob Druckman's Lamia with soprano Lucy Shelton. Pre-concert lecture begins one hour prior to the performance. Recital Hall at Benaroya, Third & Union, 215-4747, 7:30 pm, $24.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25



SEATTLE BAROQUE

Along with Handel's Sonata in G Major for strings, this fine outfit performs the cantata Delirio Amoroso. Of course, it's not a baroque concert without an obscure chestnut, so Georg Muffat's Concerto in E Minor (also dubbed Delirium Amoris) and the Seattle premiere of Jean Cassignol's reconstruction of a lost work by Antonio Vivaldi--the Concerto in G Major for Recorder (RV 312)--round out the bill. Also Sat Oct 26 at 8 pm at the Recital Hall at Benaroya. University Christian Church, 4731 15th NE, 322-3118, 8 pm, $18-$25.

KEITH EISENBREY

Eisenbrey, an excellent composer and pianist, plays his own piano music and works by Lockrem Johnson and new music icon Benjamin Boretz. On the program: eight preludes from Johnson's 24 Preludes and Boretz's seminal ("...my chart shines high where the blue milks upset..."). Of his own material, Keith serves up 3 Strathspeys, the recent Toccata, and A Cat's Life, a whimsical micro-opera for solo piano and narrator. United Methodist Church, 1415 NE 43rd, 632-5163, 8 pm, $10.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 26



OPUS 7

This resplendent vocal ensemble kicks off its season with the Missa canonica by Brahms, Fauré's Messe Basse for women's voices, and the German Liturgy of Mendelssohn. Northwest composer Bern Herbolsheimer joins the band for his setting of Let us sing sweet songs for oboe, percussion, and piano. Students and seniors pay as able. St. James Cathedral, 804 Ninth Ave, 782-2899, 8 pm, $17.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 27



CLARINETISSIMO

Former Met Opera clarinetist Sean Osborn teams up with a clutch (or clasp?) of clarinetists for the Grand Quartet by James Waterson, Sean Osborn's Miniature Trio, and the Sonata for Clarinet and Piano by Camille Saint-Saëns. Soundbridge at Benaroya Hall, Second and Union, 215-4747, 3 pm, free.

STUART DEMPSTER/MICHAEL MONHART

Trombonist and garden hose virtuoso Dempster collaborates with Stinkhorn saxophonist Monhart for a rare duet. Expect spiritual exploration, unusual instruments, and a giggle or two. Reservations advised. Brad's Swingside Cafe, 4212 Fremont Ave N, 633-4057, 7:30 pm, $10.

MONDAY OCTOBER 28



KYUNG SUN CHEE

At their best, UW recitals match up classics with out-of-the-way compositions. This one looks dandy. Pianist Laurent Philippe accompanies violinist Chee in Beethoven's Sonata for Piano and Violin in G major, op. 96, Stravinsky's Duo Concertant, the Schoenberg Phantasy, op. 47, and Elgar's Violin Sonata in E minor, op. 82. Brechemin Auditorium, UW campus, 685-8384, 7:30 pm, $8/$10.