Joshua Bell

Former child prodigy and current violin supernova, Joshua Bell has performed at stately symphony halls and busked a DC Metro station. He’s won awards, recorded almost 40 albums, and played so skillfully that audience members valiantly battle to squelch their coughing as he wields his famous 18th-Century bow. Playing Glazunov’s Violin Concerto and one of only two symphonies completed by the overlooked genius Elgar, Bell’s emotion and profound abilities infuse life into whatever venue he's chosen. 

October 5-9. Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Avenue. Tickets are $15-140 at 415-864-6000.

Verdi’s Requiem

Catholicism has never sounded as good as it does in Verdi’s grand and operatic requiem. But religion avoiders need not fret, this powerful choral work requires no Jesus affiliation. Sung by the Grammy-winning San Francisco Symphony Chorus, the sweep and passion of four soloists and a double choir make the Requiem a classical music titan.

October 19-21. Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Avenue. Tickets are $15-140 at 415-864-6000.

Guitarist Xuefei Yang

Pioneering musician Xuefei Yang was the first guitarist in her native China to enter music school. She became the first guitarist from China to study music in the West (at London’s Royal Academy of Music) and was the first from her homeland to launch an international professional career.

Now a star of the classical guitar world, Yang tours internationally as a soloist and chamber musician, playing with leading orchestras. Expressive on the strings, she plays with an explosive sensitivity that fuels her growing fame. She’ll be performing works by Bach, Chopin, and Regnodi at Herbst Theatre at the end of the month. 

October 29. Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Avenue. Tickets $30-45 at 415-392-2545 or sfperformances.org.