Accessible Contemporary Music: The city’s architectural legacy is celebrated in “Songs About Buildings and Moods,” combining guided tours of five landmark buildings in the Loop with live performances of newly commissioned works by Chicago composers inspired by those sites. Tours depart every 20 minutes and are led by members of the Chicago Architecture Foundation. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday from the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St.; $20, advance purchase required; 773-334-3650, acmusic.org
Avalon String Quartet: The splendid ensemble, based at Northern Illinois University, kicks off its 2010-11 Chicago concert series with a program of instrumental works by celebrated operatic composers. Violist Roger Chase is guest artist for a concert of Mozart, Verdi, Puccini and Britten. 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Gottlieb Hall, Merit School of Music, 38 S. Peoria St.; $25; 800-838-3006, brownpapertickets.com
Chicago Chamber Musicians: For the opening of its subscription season, the ensemble continues its salute to the Robert Schumann bicentenary with his Piano Quartet in E flat, Opus 47. The program also holds Dohnanyi’s Sextet in C major and Bartok’s String Quartet No. 2. 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, Northwestern University, 50 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston; and 7:30 p.m. Monday at Gottlieb Hall, Merit School of Music, 38 S. Peoria St.; $20-$40; 312-225-5226, chicagochambermusic.org
Chicago Chinese Cultural Institute: Beauty and Melody Performing Troupe, an all-female traditional instrument ensemble from Sichuan, China, plays folk and contemporary music. 7:30 p.m. Friday at Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph Drive; $25-$35, $75 (includes 5:30 p.m. VIP reception and preferred seating); 312-334-7777, chicagocci.com
Chicago Symphony Orchestra: The opening concerts of the CSO’s 120th season mark Riccardo Muti’s inaugural subscription concerts as music director. His all-Berlioz program pairs the popular “Symphonie Fantastique” with its seldom-performed sequel, “Lelio,” a quasi-theatrical piece that combines music and narration. French actor Gerard Depardieu is the narrator, with vocal soloists Mario Zeffiri, tenor, and Kyle Ketelsen, bass-baritone. 8 p.m. Thursday (repeated Sept. 24, 25 and 28) at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave.; $23-$249; 312-294-3000, cso.org
Civic Orchestra of Chicago: Principal conductor Cliff Colnot leads the Chicago Symphony’s remarkable youth training orchestra in the first program of its season — Ravel’s Second “Daphnis et Chloe” Suite and Sibelius’ darkly brooding Symphony No. 4. 8 p.m. Monday at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave.; free, but tickets required; 312-294-3000, cso.org
Fulcrum Point New Music Project: The 12th anniversary benefit concert adds jazz, rock, blues and dance to the contemporary mix. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday (cocktail reception 6 p.m.) at Thorne Auditorium, Northwestern University School of Law, 375 E. Chicago Ave.; $30-$50 concert only, $75-$100 concert and reception; 312-726-3846, fulcrumpoint.org
Krystian Tkaczewski, piano: 12:15 p.m. Wednesday in Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert, Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St.; free; 312-744-6630
Latino Music Festival 2010: The 17-concert series (running through Dec. 8) gets under way with a concert of Mexican chamber works for cello and piano, played by cellist Ignacio Mariscal and pianist Mauricio Nader. 6:30 p.m. Friday at Fullerton Hall, Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Ave.; free with museum admission; 773-316-2600, latinoculturalcenter.org
Anne Akiko Meyers: The gifted American violinist is joined by pianist Reiko Uchida for an “album tour” recital to promote her new eOne Music release, “Seasons … dreams.” 8 p.m. Tuesday at SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave., Evanston; $20-$35; 847-492-8860, evanstonspace.com
Orion Ensemble: In works by Beethoven, Schumann, Piazzolla/Bragato. 7 p.m. Sunday at Fox Valley Presbyterian Church, 227 East Side Drive, Geneva; and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Ganz Hall, Roosevelt University, 430 S. Michigan Ave.; $10-$26; 630-628-9591
Rockford Symphony Orchestra: Steven Larsen, celebrating his 20th anniversary as music director, opens the season with works by Brahms and Smetana, along with Chopin’s “Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise” and the Piano Concerto of Keith Emerson (of Emerson, Lake and Palmer fame). Jeffrey Biegel is the piano soloist. 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Coronado Performing Arts Center, 314 N. Main St., Rockford; $18-$56; 815-965-0049, rockfordsymphony.com
Third Coast Percussion: The dynamic ensemble opens its Chicago season with a program of works by John Cage and Philippe Manoury. 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Gottlieb Hall, Merit School of Music, 38 S. Peoria St.; $15; 312-786-9428, thirdcoastpercussion.com
jvonrhein@tribune.com
