Mendelssohn Violin Concerto

The North Carolina Symphony is bringing Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto to the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, October 9, and Saturday, October 10, with both performances starting at 8 PM. Music Director Carlos Miguel Prieto is on the podium, and violinist Justin Bruns takes the soloist's chair for the concerto.

It's a full evening of orchestral music, not just the concerto. The program pairs Mendelssohn with Haydn's Symphony No. 49 'The Passion' and Schumann's Symphony No. 2, so you're getting three distinct works in one sitting. The concerto itself is the centerpiece, with Bruns leading the melodic line and the symphony filling out the sound around him.

If you're the kind of person who likes to know what you're listening for before the first note hits, there's a pre-concert experience called Concert Insights. It runs at 7 PM—an hour before the main event—and it's free. It's a 30-minute session where you can hear from the guest artists and walk through some of the musical highlights with the Music Director. The venue also has a pre-show lounge if you'd rather just settle in early.

Both shows are at the Meymandi Concert Hall, part of the Martin Marietta Center at 2 E. South St. in downtown Raleigh. Doors open 90 minutes before the performance, and every patron needs a ticket; children aged 2 and under aren't permitted. Tickets are $78.30.