A concert of works by George Walker, Franz Joseph Haydn, and Antonín Dvorák will be presented by the Asheville Symphony Orchestra continues at 8 P.M. on Saturday, March 12, at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in downtown Asheville. The concert will feature Matthew Allen, from the Cleveland Institute of Music, as guest pianist. He will play Haydn’s ebullient and playful Cello Concerto. No. 2.

The first piece of the evening, Lyric for Strings, was com- posed by Walker in 1941 as a memorial to his grandmother. Already considered an American masterpiece, this brief and haunting work, scored for string orchestra, has earned a prominent place in orchestral concerts and on recordings.

After intermission, the Symphony will perform one of the most beloved symphonies in all music history, Dvorák’s From the New World. Written after the composer’s famous visit to America, his Symphony No. 9 is a captivating fusion of Czech and Austrian symphonic mastery combined with American-inspired visions of Hiawatha and the African- American spirituals. Celebrated since its debut, From the New World mixes broad, loving melodies and vigorous folk dance rhythms.

Tickets for the performance (from $20 to $55 with discounts available for students) are available through the Symphony office or the Asheville Civic Center box office. For more information or to purchase tickets for the remainder of the Symphony’s 50th anniversary season, visit ashevillesymphony.org or call 828.254.7046.