Volti
The always adventurous and polished chorus spotlights composers Wayne Peterson, Alan Fletcher, and Stacy Gorrup in a concert titled "Commitment." The set features the world premiere of No More to Hide by Fletcher, sung by the sterling soprano Christine Brandes, about the recent same-sex marriages performed in San Francisco's City Hall. Nov. 16, 12 p.m., City Hall Rotunda, San Francisco; Nov. 20, 4 p.m., St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Berkeley; Nov. 21, 8 p.m., St. Francis Lutheran, San Francisco, $8-$20, (415) 771-3352, www.voltisf.org. (M.B.)

RIAS Kammerchor
The 35 voices of Berlin's RIAS Chamber Choir come to Herbst Theatre as part of its debut American tour. The choir, which has won praise from Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic, performs works from the German Romantic repertory. Brahms, Schubert, Mahler, Schumann, and Ligeti are on the program. Nov. 16, 8 p.m., Herbst Theatre, San Francisco, $29-$47, (415) 398-6449, www.performances.org. (C.G.)

Haydn Singers and Chora Nova
The newest chorus on the scene is Chora Nova, formed from the East Bay contingent of the former East Bay-South Bay-commuting Cantible Choral Guild. They join the Haydn Singers(see the review of their 2006 debut), both now under the direction of busy Paul Flight, for a concert that includes Michael Haydn's Missa Sancti Heironymi, Timete Dominum, and Ave Regina Caelorum. Nov. 18, 8 p.m., First Congregational Church, Berkeley, $10-$15,, www.choranova.org/. (M.B.)

Every Man Jack
Composer Libby Larsen and librettist Philip Littell have teamed up in a new opera about Jack London. Every Man Jack is having its world premiere at the Sonoma City Opera as part of the Green Music Festival (see review). It stars baritone Rod Gilfry in the title role. Nov. 15, 18, 19; times vary, Person Theatre, Sonoma State University, $58-$99, (877) 778-3378, www.sonomacityopera.org. (M.V.C.)

The Magic Flute
San Francisco Lyric Opera's latest production, Mozart's Magic Flute, opens at the intimate Florence Gould Theater in the Legion of Honor on November 17, the first of four performances. Sung in German with English supertitles, Barnaby Palmer will conduct and Heather Carolo directs a cast that includes Svetlana Nikitenko (Queen of the Night), Heidi Moss (Pamina), Merolini Brian Thorsett (Tamino), and Michael Mendelsohn (Monostatos). Nov. 17, 18, 24, 25, 7:30 p.m., Florence Gould Theater, San Francisco, $18-$32, (415) 392-4400, www.sflyricopera.org. (C.G.)

The Barber of Seville
Rossini's evergreen comedy returns to the San Francisco Opera in a modern-dress production that features an onstage motorcycle and a giant revolving house (see review). Barber is, among other things, the dramatic predecessor of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, and tells the story of how Count Almaviva won his Rosina. (The love between the couple here is what the Countess is so wistful about in Mozart's masterpiece.) Nathan Gunn stars as the clever barber Figaro, John Osborn debuts in the bravura role of Count Almaviva, and Merola alumna Allyson McHardy is back as the charming and strong-minded Rosina. Nov. 17, 26, and 30, times vary, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, $25-$245, (415) 864-3330, www.sfopera.com (L.H.)

Manon Lescaut
The incandescent soprano Karita Mattila returns to the San Francisco Opera in Puccini's Manon Lescaut, which hasn't been staged there since 1988. Mattila, silver-toned and stunning in Strauss, Wagner, and Janácek, isn't an obvious choice for Puccini. Yet, she is never anything less than musically imaginative and theatrically riveting, in whatever she sings. Misha Didyk, last year's Gherman in Queen of Spades, is Des Grieux, and Donald Runnicles is at the helm of a new production directed by Olivier Tambosi. Nov. 19, 22, 25, 28; Dec. 1, 7, 10; times vary, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, $25-$245, (415) 864-3330, www.sfopera.com. (L.H.)

Volans and Shostakovich
Kevin Volans' Piano Concerto, the first of two world premieres at San Francisco Symphony this season, will be followed on the program by the symphony formerly considered Shostakovich's greatest, the Fifth. Fashion has shifted accolades to the Eighth nowadays, but there is no better combination of classic construction and power than in the Fifth's first movement. All ears will be on how MTT interprets the coda of the last movement — will it sound genuinely rejoicing, or like forced hosannas to Stalin? As for the Volans, fashion mavens should listen carefully to see if his brand of semipopular postminimalism, sparked by the S.F. Symphony commission, has moved into new territory. Balakirev's Russia begins the concert; Marc-André Hamelin is the pianist. Nov. 15, 17-18, 8 p.m.; Nov. 16, 2 p.m.; Davies Hall, San Francisco, $25-$110, (415) 864-6000, www.sfsymphony.org. (J.D.)

SFS Youth Orchestra
The talented San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra marks its 25th anniversary with a program of Wagner, Lalo, Liadov, and Shostakovich. Nov. 19, 2 p.m., Davies Hall, San Francisco, $10-$25, (415) 864-6000, www.sfsymphony.org. (M.B.)

City Lights in the City
For film buffs, there's a full screening of Charlie Chaplin's classic City Lights, with David Robinson conducting the San Francisco Symphony in Chaplin's original score. Nov. 22, 24, 25, 8 p.m., Davies Hall, San Francisco, $31-$114, (415) 864-6000, www.sfsymphony.org. (H.T.)