CLASSICAL
by Chris DeLaurenti


THURSDAY 6/7

SEATTLE SYMPHONY--An assortment of soloists and the fine Seattle Symphony Chorale join forces with the Symphony for Janacek's Glagolitic Mass and Howard Hanson's overlooked Lament for Beowulf. Schwarz and company excel with Hanson's symphonies so the Lament should be a marvelous surprise for those who don't know the piece. Dvorak's nifty Violin Concerto will be somewhere in there too. Benaroya Hall, 200 University St, 215-4747, 7:30 pm, $10-$69. Also Sat June 9, 8 pm, and Sun June 10, 2 pm.


FRIDAY 6/8

LISA HEEWON LEE--St. James has such marvelous acoustics for organ music that even an inveterate atheist like me doesn't mind the religious decor. For her doctoral recital, organist Lisa Heewon Lee plays the music of Bach, Vierne, Reubke, and Clerambault. St. James Cathedral, 804 Ninth Ave, 622-3559, 8 pm, free.

SEATTLE SYMPHONY--Summer, it seems, is the time for benefit concerts. This gig benefits a slew of Seattle nonprofits including the Children's Therapy Center, the Refugee Women's Alliance, and the Seattle Lesbian Cancer Project. Alastair Willis conducts the Symphony in Glinka's Overture to Russlan and Ludmyla, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, a bunch of Sousa marches, and other surefire fare. Benaroya Hall, 200 University St, 215-4747, 8 pm, $15.


SUNDAY 6/10

LADIES MUSICAL CLUB--For the Finals of the 2001 Artist Awards Tour Solo Competition, sixteen young musicians play before a panel of distinguished judges. Four winners will be chosen for awards of $2,000 each and a tour of Washington cities in the fall. Lurking somewhere will be a PBS Programming Exec trying to concoct an arts-laden clone of Survivor. Seattle Pacific University, Crawford Hall, Room 211, 3224 Third Ave W, 622-6882, 10 am, free.


TUESDAY 6/12

SEATTLE CHAMBER PLAYERS--With a flair for willfully eclectic concerts, the SCP serves up the music of Sofia Gubaidulina (Dots, Lines and Zigzags for bass clarinet and piano) and John Tavener (Ahkmatova Songs with guest soprano Cyndia Sieden), along with some songs by Kurt Weill and the Shostakovich Piano Quintet. Earlier in the season, the Chamber Players devoted half a concert to the entrancing music of Franghiz Ali-Zadeh, so keep your ears perked up for her lone piece on the program, Three Watercolors for soprano, flute, and prepared piano. Pre-concert talk is at 6:30 pm. Recital Hall at Benaroya, 200 University St, 286-5052, 7:30 pm, $15-$20.

COMPOSER SPOTLIGHT--Choreographers often discover promising composers before anyone else, so I'm always interested how the two collaborate without stepping on each other's toes. For this month's Composer Spotlight, composer Bob Barrazza and Seattle choreographer KT Niehoff discuss the aesthetic and work procedures behind their piece Dysfunction. Jack Straw Productions, 4261 Roosevelt Way NE, 634-0919, 7:30 pm, free.


OUT OF TOWN

MOGWAI, BARDO POND: Thurs June 7, Crystal Ballroom, Portland

RED HOUSE PAINTERS: Thurs June 7, Roseland Theater, Portland

FANTASTIC PLASTIC MACHINE, TIM "LOVE" LEE: Thurs June 7, Sonar, Vancouver, BC

THE SWORDS PROJECT, THE STANDARD, MAGIC MAGICIANS: Fri June 8, Cobalt Lounge, Portland

OZOMATLI: Fri June 8, Roseland Theater, Portland

TONY DANZA: Fri June 8, Harrah's, Atlantic City, NJ

JUNO: Fri June 8, Meow Meow Lounge, Portland

OTIS DAY & THE KNIGHTS: Sat June 9, Emerald Queen Casino, Tacoma

PAUL SIMON, BRIAN WILSON: Sat June 9, Gorge Amphitheatre

RAY CHARLES: Sat-Sun June 9-10, Arlene Schnitzer Hall, Portland

HOWE GELB: Sun June 10, Berbati's Pan, Portland

JON AUER, SUSHI ROBO: Sun June 10, John Henry's, Portland

DOVES: Mon June 11, Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, BC

Stay out of Portland! Visit www.portlandmercury.com instead.