Friday Favorites: Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings

The North Carolina Symphony brings Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings to the Meymandi Concert Hall at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, January 29, 2027. It's a midday concert, starting at 12 PM, and it falls under the symphony's Friday Favorites series for the 2026/27 season.

That series is a set of matinees put together by Music Director Carlos Miguel Prieto, and the whole season is built around pairing masterworks by Gershwin, Tchaikovsky, and Beethoven with the songs of Rodgers & Hammerstein. This particular program focuses on the strings. The first half features Terry Mizesko's Double Bass Concerto, with Leonid Finkelshteyn on double bass, and the second is the Serenade for Strings by Tchaikovsky. Sophie Mok conducts both.

If you're not familiar with the Serenade, it's one of Tchaikovsky's most loved works—written for a string orchestra, so no winds or brass here, just the lush, layered sound of the string section. It's a sweeping, melodic piece that works well in a matinee setting, and pairing it with a double bass concerto gives the lower end of the strings their own moment in the spotlight before the full section takes over.

Tickets start at $45 with all-in pricing. Doors open 90 minutes before the performance, and every patron needs a ticket; children aged 2 and under aren't permitted. The hall is at 2 E. South St. in downtown Raleigh.