A weekend of fanciful dreams and fantastical escapades awaits when the musical narration of Richard Strauss' Don Quixote takes the stage with BPO principal Roman Mekinulov portraying the role of the knight errant. The intoxicating romance of Spain continues with Ravel's lush Rapsodie espagnole.

Internationally-acclaimed violinist and Sphinx Competition laureate Melissa White was recently appointed Professor of Music at UB. She performs the sweeping Violin Concerto No. 2 of Florence Price in a program also featuring two rarely performed works; Reger's Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Beethoven and Mendelssohn's "Reformation."

Copland's popular Billy the Kid Suite complements Schubert's sublime and familiar "Unfinished" Symphony No. 8. and Wagner's glorious operatic prelude to Die Meistersinger. Conductor Gerard Schwarz welcomes his son, Julian, who takes on the tremendous Cello Concerto by Arthur Foote.

The highly anticipated total solar eclipse on Buffalo's horizon illuminates the program selection of two contemporary composers to complement Holst's dazzling interpretation of the cosmos, The Planets. Nina Shekhar's haunting Lumina explores the concept of lightness and dark, while The Universe in Ecstatic Motion by Christopher Theofanidis is a showcase for pre-eminent flutist, Marina Piccinini.

Cross-border collaboration comes to Kleinhans when Canadian pianist Stewart Goodyear returns to perform Beethoven's heroic "Emperor" Piano Concerto No. 5 under the baton of conductor David Lockington, while Prayer by JUNO Award-winner Vivian Fung is an affirmation of faith. The Second Symphony of Sibelius is fierce and triumphant, itself a source of Finnish pride.