Ars Viva Symphony: Israeli cellist Amit Peled performs Elgar’s eloquent Cello Concerto on an all-English program that also holds Britten’s “Simple Symphony” and Vaughan Williams’ Symphony No. 5. Alan Heatherington conducts. 3 p.m. Sunday at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie; $36-$70, $30-$70 for seniors; 847-673-6300, arsviva.org
Avalon String Quartet: The youthful ensemble, based at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, embarks on a seasonlong cycle of the complete Beethoven string quartets, the segments to be given in Chicago and Rockford. 7 p.m. Friday at Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center, 415 N. Church St., Rockford; $10; 815-964-9713; and 2 p.m. Sunday at Fullerton Hall, Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Ave.; free with museum admission; artic.edu
Borodin Quartet: Continuing the citywide “Soviet Arts Experience” theme, the venerable Russian ensemble performs two string quartets of Shostakovich, along with works by Borodin and Stravinsky. 7:30 p.m. Friday at Mandel Hall, University of Chicago, 1131 E. 57th St.; $15-$40; 773-702-8068, chicagopresents.uchicago.edu
Chicago Chamber Choir: Audience members are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes to the ensemble’s season opener, which features ghostly music by Bach, Britten, Andrew Lloyd Webber and others. Timm Adams directs. 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Unity Lutheran Church, 1212 W. Balmoral Ave.; and 7 p.m. Sunday at Anderson Chapel, North Park University, 3225 W. Foster Ave.; $18; 312-409-6890, chicagochamberchoir.org
Chicago Chamber Musicians: The group’s “Sounds and Spaces” series opens with works of Mozart and Britten performed to complement the architectural space of one of the city’s landmark churches. 3 p.m. Sunday at Second Presbyterian Church of Chicago, 1936 S. Michigan Ave.; $60; 312-225-5226, chicagochambermusic.org
Chicago Symphony Orchestra: Bernard Haitink, the CSO’s esteemed former principal conductor, begins a two-week guest engagement with Schubert’s Symphony No. 5 (replacing Berg’s Violin Concerto) and Mahler’s Fourth Symphony; his soloist is soprano Klara Ek; 1:30 p.m. Friday and 8 p.m. Saturday; $29-$209. Haitink will direct the CSO and Chorus’ first performance since 1993 of Haydn’s oratorio, “The Creation,” beginning at 8 p.m. Thursday (repeated Oct. 28-29); $29-$235. Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave.; 312-294-3000, cso.org
Evanston Symphony Orchestra: Opening the season under Lawrence Eckerling’s baton will be Schubert’s “Unfinished” and Dvorak’s Eighth symphonies, along with Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Colton Peltier is the piano soloist. 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, Northwestern University, 50 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston; $27, $22 for seniors; 847-864-8804, evanstonsymphony.org
Fifth House Ensemble: The avant-chamber ensemble is back to present a seasonlong series, “In Transit,” about characters trying to connect in the age of digital social media. The first show, “In Transit: #undercoverhero,” includes music by Mozart, Villa-Lobos, John Cage and John Elmquist. 7 p.m. Monday at Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St.; free; fifth-house.com
Hilary Hahn: The compelling young violinist is joined by pianist Valentina Lisitsa for a most unusual recital. Interspersed with sonatas by Bach and Beethoven will be newly commissioned encore pieces by such composers as Lera Auerbach, Avner Dorman, Jennifer Higdon, Nico Muhly and Paul Moravec. 3 p.m. Sunday at Orchestra Hall, 220 S. Michigan Ave.; $28-$103; 312-294-3000, cso.org
Highland Park Strings: Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for violin and viola, and Bach’s “Brandenburg” Concerto No. 6 are featured in the season opener, with Francesco Milioto conducting. 3 p.m. Sunday at Highland Park High School, 433 Vine Ave., Highland Park; free; 847-831-3622, hpstrings.org
Lyric Opera of Chicago — Donizetti’s ‘Lucia di Lammermoor’: The Lyric directing debut of soprano Catherine Malfitano unites Ryan Center alumna Susanna Phillips in the title role and Italian tenor Giuseppe Filianoti as Edgardo, with baritones Brian Mulligan and Quinn Kelsey sharing the role of Enrico. Massimo Zanetti conducts. Through Nov. 5 at Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive; $34-$224; 312-332-2244, lyricopera.org
Lyric Opera of Chicago — Offenbach’s ‘The Tales of Hoffmann’: This touchstone French opera returns to the Lyric repertory in a stylish production starring tenor Matthew Polenzani, with Anna Christy, Erin Wall and Alyson Cambridge as the poet’s amours, and James Morris as his nemeses. Emmanuel Villaume conducts. Through Oct. 29 at Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive; $34-$224; 312-332-2244, lyricopera.org
Midori: The celebrated violinist will play sonatas by Mozart, Schubert, Schumann and Shostakovich in a recital to benefit the Merit School scholarship fund. Ozgur Aydin is her pianist. 7 p.m. Monday at Gottlieb Hall, Merit School of Music, 38 S. Peoria St.; $100; 312-676-3692, meritmusic.org
Music in the Loft: Pianist Inna Faliks plays music by Chopin, Liszt, Schubert and others. 8 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Sunday at 1017 W. Washington Blvd.; $25; 312-919-5030, musicintheloft.org
Schola Antiqua of Chicago: Michael Alan Anderson directs sacred choral works by the late medieval-early Renaissance master, Josquin des Prez. 8 p.m. Friday at St. James Chapel, 835 N. Rush St.; 8 p.m. Saturday at Rockefeller Chapel, 5850 S. Woodlawn Ave.; and 4 p.m. Sunday at St. Francis Xavier Church, 524 Ninth St., Wilmette; $20, $10 for seniors; 773-955-5887
Jeffrey Swann: The American pianist headlines the PianoForte Foundation’s annual benefit concert and reception, a bow to the Liszt bicentenary. 6:30 p.m. Friday at Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan Ave., 10th floor; $125; 312-291-0291, pianofortefoundation.org
Tokyo String Quartet: One of the world’s leading string quartets is joined by pianist Alon Goldstein for Brahms’ masterful Piano Quintet in F minor. The program also holds quartets by Mozart and Szymanowski. 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, Northwestern University, 50 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston; $22; 847-467-4000, pickstaiger.org
Vox 3: Singers from the Chicago vocal ensemble perform American song cycles by Ricky Ian Gordon, Libby Larsen, Frank Ferko and others. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 1218 W. Addison (repeated Oct. 29 in Oak Park); free; vox3.org
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