THURSDAY OCTOBER 6

SEATTLE SYMPHONY
Maestro Schwarz leads the band in some high-calorie Slavonic Dances by Dvorák and two meaty pieces, Bartók's Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta and Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 with soloist John Lill. Benaroya Hall, Third Ave and Union St, 215-4747, 7:30 pm, $15–$87. Also Fri Oct 7 and Sat Oct 8 at 8 pm, Sun Oct 9 at 2 pm.

FRIEZE OF LIFE
Stocked with fine players from the local scene including Greg Sinibaldi, Mark Taylor, Chris Stover, and Geoff Harper, this sextet plays the smartest chamber jazz in town. They integrate improvised passages so tightly with through-composed sections that it's usually hard to tell 'em apart—as it should be. With Ryan Murtfeldt who "shouts and whispers his creative truths through the mediums of saxophone, clarinet, [and] silver and Peruvian flutes" and Dr. Ffej & His Specimens. Rendezvous, 2320 Second Ave, 441-5823, 10:30 pm, $5–$15.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 9

DYNAMIC ACCORD
Two ferociously good pianists, Gust Burns and Julie Ives, team up to premiere duo piano music by local composers Tom Swafford, Sarah Bassingthwaighte, Tara Flandreau, and Adam Diller. I haven't heard the new compositions but I can unhesitatingly recommend the two pieces of old "new music" on the program: György Ligeti's rarely performed Monument and Self Portrait with Reich and Riley (with Chopin in the background). Seattle Art Museum, 100 University St, 985-7003, 7 pm, $10–$15.

MONDAY OCTOBER 10

LADIES MUSICAL CLUB
Pianist Johanna Mastenbrook and mezzo-soprano Emily Lunde present Gustav Mahler's Rückertlieder. Also on the program: a Haydn sonata, some Rachmaninoff preludes, and two Improvisations by Poulenc, numbers XIII and XV. What a bold, baffling venue for a concert: Harborview Medical Center, Main Building Cafeteria, 325 Ninth Ave, 622-6882, 3 pm, free.

TUESDAY OCTOBER 11

BILL MAYS TRIO
Mays proved to be a stunning surprise at last year's Earshot Jazz Festival. At that gig, as well as on his new disc Live at Jazz Standard (Palmetto), this pianist spins out lyrical lines flavored by bop and the blues in equal measure. Mays occasionally detours into the avant; his epic rendition of "Darn that Dream" begins by muting and plucking strings inside the piano, and then slouches into grouchy, clustered chords before easing into the tune. Mays also gives a free noontime master class the next day at Kerry Hall on the Cornish College campus. Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave, 441-9729, 7:30 pm, $20.50. Also Wed Oct 12.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 12

EYES AND EARS EXPLOSION
Northwest noise meisters Noggin head up a bill with Withdrawal Method, improv pranksters Foque Mopus, and others accompanying a slew of shorts by experimental filmmakers. Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, 329-2629, 7 pm, free.

RICHARD KARPEN
Karpen, a Csound guru as well as one of our burg's masters of electronic music (Il Nome, Terra Infirma, Eclipse, several Life Studies, etc.), presents and discusses his work. Jack Straw Productions, 4261 Roosevelt Way NE, 634-0919, 7:30 pm, free.