The Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra is heading into 2010 looking forward to a total of six very special musical and fundraising events before its 2009-2010 performance season comes to a close in May.

First up is the very popular Valentine Gala presented by the Friends of the Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra, the major fundraiser of the year to provide major financial support for the LSO. This year, the Friends organization is giving the Gala a decidedly French flavor, including a life-sized Paris street scene with vocalist Marcia Thom accompanied by strolling concertina player Chet Wrosos, a Paris flea market silent auction, a four-course dinner of French cuisine, and dancing to the Bill Carroll Big Rhythm Sound. The event begins at 7 PM on Saturday, February 13, at Boonsboro Country Club.

On March 6, the all-woman Irish group Cherish the Ladies will make a return visit to Lynchburg for a pre-St. Patrick?s Day concert. The orchestra is not onstage for this event, but Cherish the Ladies is the same group of Celtic singers, instrumentalists, and dancers that delighted Lynchburg two years ago and are being brought back by popular demand. This concert, part of the Minds Wide Open statewide celebration of women in the arts, is scheduled for 8 PM on Saturday, March 6, at E.C. Glass Auditorium.

The next Saturday night, March 13, the LSO takes its cues from the famous Boston Pops for its first-ever Lynchburg Pops concert. The orchestra will go to the James River Conference Center in downtown Lynchburg, creating a nightclub atmosphere, with table seating, for favorite orchestral hits such as music from Phantom of the Opera, Cats, and other Broadway hits, and more. The 8 PM event will feature snacks and a cash bar.

The LSO is offering combination adult tickets for the two March events. Purchased separately, adult tickets for both concerts would cost $53. Discount tickets to both concerts are available for $48. In addition, the LSO is offering a three-concert mini-subscription covering the two March events, as well as it?s ?Orchestral Gems? concert on May 2. Adult tickets for the three events would total $73, with the three-concert package selling for $60.

On March 26, 27, and 28, the three-way partnership of the Virginia School for the Arts, the Academy of Fine Arts and the LSO will be staging the second ?Dancing with Strings and Other Things,? the inventive combination of VSA dancers and selected LSO musicians in an all-new fusion of dance and music produced by the Academy. Last year?s premiere event enchanted audiences, and programs partners are right now deep into music selection and choreography for the 2010 version. Show time on Friday and Saturday, March 26 and 27, will be 7:30 PM. Because of the show?s popularity last year, a matinee performance has been added at 2 PM on Sunday, March 28.

On April 25, the LSO and Randolph College will team up with St. John?s Episcopal Church and Court Street United Methodist Church for a performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?s ?Requiem,? the milestone ? and final ? composition by the genius. Singers from the college and the churches and a 22-piece orchestra drawn from the LSO will be under the baton of Dr. Randall Speer for this production at 8 P in Houston Chapel at Randolph College. Admission to this event will be free.

On May 2, the LSO will end its 2009-2010 performance season with Orchestral Gems, a collection of familiar and no-so-familiar concert favorites, including a performance of Haydn?s delightful ?Toy Symphony? with special celebrity guest artists. The concert, at E.C. Glass Auditorium, begins at 3 PM.