Previews

The Bay Area's longstanding professional men's choir is still the gold standard for many devotees of choral singing.

There are lots of good things happening at San Francisco State University this year, beginning with the superb Eroica Trio.

"I wish we had thought to add a third tenor," jokes David Tayler about the upcoming Voices of Music concert featuring 17th-century virtuoso duets for two tenors. But though we're used to tenors baying "Torna a Sorriento" or "Nessun dorma" at every media opportunity, it's a voice type we're not as used to in early music.

An evening of quality classical music might be closer to home than you realized. The Bay Area is blessed with a lively regional music scene. Two stellar orchestras that are part of this scene are opening their 2009-2010 seasons this month.

The first musical loves of Dominique Pelletey, the visionary behind Chamber Music Day, were folk, punk, and experimental pop. His current love, classical chamber music, offers him the same intimacy, approachability, and focus, but has given him more through its complexity and beauty.

Year after year, San Francisco’s early music aficionados can rely on Bay Area ensembles to offer a steady diet of Handel’s music — everything from operas, oratorios, and instrumental works to the inevitable holiday Messiah. In 2009, marking the 250th anniversary of the composer’s death, many of these performances take on special significance.

This October, don’t miss a chance to hear what a bright new generation of piano trios is bringing to the stage. Two young yet established groups come to the Bay Area to open two favorite chamber music series with a flourish. The Trio Con Brio Copenhagen kicks off the season for Music at Kohl Mansion on Oct.