The Charlotte Symphony will premiere Deus ex Machina, a 28-minute piano concerto by American composer Michael Daugherty that features pianist Terrence Wilson on March 16 and 17 at 8 p.m. Giancarlo Guerrero will conduct.

The Charlotte Symphony will celebrate its 75th birthday on March 20th with free birthday cake on The Square!

Nine-time All-Ireland Fiddle Champion Eileen Ivers has established herself as the pre-eminent exponent of the Irish fiddle in the world today. She's been called a "sensation" by Billboard magazine and "the Jimi Hendrix of the violin" by The New York Times. Ivers's recording credits include over 80 contemporary and traditional albums and numerous movie scores, including Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York.

The jester truly is the unfortunate fool in Opera Carolina's production of Giuseppe Verdi's tragic opera Rigoletto. Playing March 1, 3 and 4 in the Belk Theater, Rigoletto transports audiences to the 16th century court of the licentious Duke of Mantua. Known for his frivolity with women, the Duke seduces the young daughters and wives while his hunchbacked jester, Rigoletto, jeers at the unfortunate noblemen for their cuckoldry and powerlessness over the Duke's sensual appetite.

Christof Perick leads the Charlotte Symphony in A Transfigured Night for the Charlotte Symphony's 75th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee Season Classics concerts Friday, February 9 and Saturday, February 10, 2007 at 8 PM at the Belk Theater of the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center (130 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28202).

When it comes to verismo operas (works about everyday characters and situations), most opera houses generally pair I Pagliacci of Ruggiero Leoncavallo (1858-1919) and Cavalleria Rusticana of Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945). Record companies have mirrored that packaging. But there are a number of short or one-act operas that merit exposure.

Opera Carolina's infidelity-and-bloodshed double bill, "La Vida Breve" and "Pagliacci," has those in its favor. But where do the singers and players work? A theater. This is opera, not a concert. And it's a pale affair. The sets are skimpy. The staging is limp. For all the electricity the principals try to generate individually, there's a limit to what they can do.

Too bad a script doctor couldn't hook up with Spanish composer Manuel de Falla and Simonize the libretto of La Vida Breve. The music of the score was a rare Spanish treat for Opera Carolina, spiced with proud flamenco rhythms and dancers, prodded by elegant guitar licks and the distinctive clink of castanets. Choruses brought out the dignity and the sufferings of the peasantry.