St. Louis classical calendar for the week of February 29, 2016

The Spektral Quartet

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New Music Circle and the Wasington University Music Department present The Spektral Quartet in concert on Saturday, March 5, at 7:30 PM. "Founded in 2010, the Spektral Quartet is widely regarded as one of Chicago's most charismatic and forward-thinking chamber ensembles. The group's creative approach to concert format, often shifting the role of audience member from spectator to participant, has earned it a loyal following within and beyond Chicago's city limits." The event takes place at the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity in University City. For more information: www.newmusiccircle.org.

Gilbert Varga conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and piano soloist Denis Kozhukhin in music by Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich Saturday at 8 p.m.and Sunday at 3 p.m. March 5 and 6. The program is part of the Symphony's four-week Shakespeare Festival. "Prokofiev's most recognized and haunting score from one of the greatest love stories of our time, Romeo and Juliet is full of radiant textures and heart-breaking tenderness. Denis Kozhukhin makes his STL Symphony debut performing Shostakovich's light-hearted and energetic Piano Concerto No. 2, written as a birthday gift for the composer's son." The program also includes Tchaikovsky's tone poem Hamlet. Performances take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand.For more information: stlsymphony.org.

The Arianna String Quartet

The Touhill Performing Arts Center presents The Arianna String Quartet in Octet! on Friday, March 4, at 8 PM. "The Arianna Quartet welcomes the internationally acclaimed St. Petersburg String Quartet to St. Louis for a special evening of great music among friends. The Arianna Quartet kicks off the concert with a performance of Beethoven's robust Quartet in E-flat Major, Op.74, the "Harp", with the St. Petersburg Quartet following in a performance of Shostakovich Quartet No.9, a deeply personal and reflective work of immense scope. To cap the evening, the Arianna and St. Petersburg Quartets take the stage together for a performance of Felix Mendelssohn's jubilant String Octet, the ultimate party piece among friends!" The Touhill Performing Arts Center in on the University of Missouri at St. Louis campus. For more information: touhill.org.

The University City Symphony Orchestra presents The Seeds Continue to Flower on Sunday, March 6, at 3 p.m. "The UCSO proudly presents the 2015-2016 Season: Black Art Matters. The third concert of the season, "The Seeds Continue to Flower," expands on our in-depth look at symphonic music's African roots. We present George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," followed by James P. Johnson's "Yamekraw—Negro Rhapsody," featuring pianist Richard C. Alston. The finale will be "The Score," "a soundtrack in search of a movie," by contemporary composer Clovice A. Lewis. The performance of the piece will feature the composer as cello soloist, and projections of artwork by local elementary students, created in response to listening to Lewis' piece in their classrooms. Join Maestro Leon Burke III before the concert for a pre-concert talk in the auditorium at 2:15pm." The performance takes place at the Performing Arts Center in Haertter Hall at John Burroughs School, 755 S Price Rd. For more information: ucso.org.