Nicole Cabell: The lyric soprano, one of the Ryan Opera Center’s shining alumni, presents a recital of Barber and Britten works. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Northeastern Illinois University Recital Hall and Auditorium, 3701 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.; $10-$25; 773-442-4636, boxoffice.neiu.edu
Chicago Humanities Festival: George Crumb’s classic “Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale)” is performed by flutist and MacArthur Fellow Claire Chase, CSO cellist Katinka Kleijn and pianist Jacob Greenberg. 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St.; $15; 312-494-9509, chicagohumanities.org
Chicago Symphony Orchestra: Finnish conductor Susanna Malkki leads a program of Debussy, Stravinsky and Thomas Ades, with Leila Josefowicz as soloist; 8 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday; $27-$214. Semyon Bychkov takes the podium for works by Prokofiev and Walton, with Kirill Gerstein as pianist; 8 p.m. Thursday (repeated Oct. 25-26); $28-$214. Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave.; 312-294-3000, cso.org
Da Corneto Opera: Philip Bauman conducts orchestra, chorus and vocal soloists in a concert version of Verdi’s “Nabucco.” 7:30 p.m. Friday, North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie; and 4 p.m. Sunday, Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St.; $15-$45; 847-662-2694, dacorneto.org
Igudesman & Joo: The musical comedy duo return to present their signature show, “Big Nightmare Music.” 8 p.m. Friday, Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave.; $30-$120; 312-294-3000, cso.org
Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra: Music director David Danzmayr opens the season with Rimsky-Korsakov’s colorful Scheherazade” and the area premiere of Michael Daugherty’s “Deus ex Machina,” with pianist Terrence Wilson. 8 p.m. Saturday, Lincoln-Way North Performing Arts Center, 19900 Harlem Ave., Frankfort; $35-$55; 708-481-7774, ipomusic.org
Lyric Opera of Chicago: A revival of Verdi’s “Otello” stars Johan Botha, Ana Maria Martinez and Falk Struckmann, with Bertrand de Billy conducting; through Nov. 2. “Madama Butterfly” receives a new-to-Chicago production with newcomers Amanda Echalaz, James Valenti and Christopher Purves singing autumn performances of the Puccini staple. Marco Armiliato, also a Lyric debutant, conducts; through Oct. 30. Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive; $34-$244; 312-332-2244, lyricopera.org
MusicNOW: The CSO’s cutting-edge new music series, curated by resident composers Mason Bates and Anna Clyne, gets underway for the season with a program that includes electro-acoustic and multimedia works by Anders Hillborg, Donnacha Dennehy and Benedict Mason. 7 p.m. Monday, Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St.; $25; 312-294-3000, cso.org
New Philharmonic: Kirk Muspratt directs the orchestra’s season opener, an all-Mozart program that holds the Piano Concerto No. 27 (Nadia Azzi, pianist) and the “Jupiter” Symphony. 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, Gary United Methodist Church, 224 N. Main St., Wheaton; $40-$42; 630-942-4000, atthemac.org
New World Symphony: A Harris Theater-commissioned video installation by artist Netia Jones makes for an intriguing collaboration with conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, his Florida-based orchestral academy and music by Nicolo Castiglioni. Their program also includes works by Stravinsky and Luciano Berio featuring young Chicago musicians. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St.; $30-$90; 312-334-7777, harristheaterchicago.org
Nicholas Phan: The splendid American tenor presents a Britten-Schubert song recital, assisted by pianist Myra Huang, harpist Sivan Magen and hornist Gail Williams. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Mandel Hall, 1131 E. 57th St.; $35; 773-702-2787, chicagopresents.uchicago.edu
South Shore Opera Company: The troupe celebrates its fifth anniversary with the Chicago premiere of African-American composer William Grant Still’s rarely-heard opera, “Troubled Island,” with libretto by Langston Hughes. Leslie Dunner conducts. 6 p.m. Saturday, South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 South Shore Drive; $35-$100; 773-723-4627, southshoreopera.org
