The oldest symphonic ensemble in the former Soviet Union, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic began when a group of Russian aristocrats founded Europe's first Philharmonic Society in 1802. In 1917, during the Bolshevik Revolution, it was changed by decree to a state orchestra, becoming the first major musical organization in the USSR and, following World War II, the first Soviet orchestra to tour abroad. With Yuri Temirkanov as music director and principal conductor since 1988, the orchestra has completed major international tours and recordings and achieved an unparalled reputation. At the Lied Center, the orchestra will perform Mozart's "Overture to The Marriage of Figaro," Beethoven's "Concerto for Violin," and Prokofiev's "Symphony No. 5."

Additional Public Info: 472-4747 www.liedcenter.org