Previews

Traditional December choral concerts, with their well-worn carols and holiday themes, can be great for lifting the spirits. But for concertgoers who want more than just another sing-along, San Francisco Choral Artists’ upcoming program, “Old Chestnuts, New Fire!,” offers a tantalizing alternative.

The award-winning, Princeton-based Brentano String Quartet has a proven ability to create unusual programs.This year, the quartet brings to Cal Performances a program of two lyrical masters of the quartet form, in which Franz Schubert's Quartettsatz, D. 703, and Quartet in G Major, D.

It might just be worth an hour or two to check out the new Picasso String Quartet at Noe Valley Chamber Music this weekend.

The upcoming New Century Chamber Orchestra concerts will introduce the music of this year’s “featured composer,” William Bolcom. A major name in American music, Bolcom is one of the old guard whose compositions, from the rags like Graceful Ghost and Galloping Ghost to the Songs of Innocence and Experience, have become staples in the American music repertory.

American pianist Eric Himy has carved out a niche in an intriguing way.

Despite the name, there’s nothing old school about Old First Concerts.

Sergei Prokofiev was a Russian composer who lived through tumultuous historical events.

There isn't much of a scare factor in the Redwood Symphony's annual Halloween concert. It's a family-friendly event that features a “tour of the orchestra,” with all the instruments demonstrated.