Area music lovers have full schedule of concert options

March means lots of music by local and visiting choirs and orchestras, part of the great American amateur classical music scene.

First up is the University of Toledo Symphony Orchestra, which will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday in Doermann Theater of University Hall on the main campus. Listed incorrectly last week, tonight's concert follows the Feb. 28 performance by the UT Symphony Band.

UT music faculty member Robert Ballinger will lead the orchestra in Schubert's Symphony No. 8 ("Unfinished") and Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italienne, as well as perform and conduct from the keyboard Mozart's lyrical Piano Concerto No. 21. Admission is free.

The Wheaton College Women's Chorale will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday in First Presbyterian Church of Defiance, 501 Washington Ave. Mary Hopper leads the 60-voice group. The performance will be free. Information: 419-782-2781.

The Owens Community College Concert Band will present its free Winter Pops Concert at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the Fine and Performing Arts Center theater. William Dais will conduct a program of Broadway show tunes, a patriotic medley, an appearance by flutist Marene Fondessy, and music from Walt Disney's The Lion King. A special appearance by Owens president John Satkowski as guest conductor will be a highlight.

The North Coast Concert and Big Band will present a free winter concert at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Bowling Green City Schools Performing Arts Center, 539 West Poe Rd. On the program will be marches by John Philip Sousa, rags, a James Swearingen arrangement of the Brahms Lullaby, and music by Leroy Anderson and ABBA, plus dance band favorites. Featured performers will be trumpeter Barbara Werner, percussionists Jeff Gray and Tim Rotsing, and the entire clarinet section.

The University of Pittsburgh Men's Glee Club will be in town for a free concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Monroe Street United Methodist Church, 3613 Monroe St. This fine men's chorus has a long and storied tradition and sings a variety of repertoire, from spirituals to complex classical a cappella choral literature. On the program will be music of Tallis, Dowland, Lotti, Rachmaninoff, Mozart, Appalachian folk songs, and Beatles tunes.

Monday Musicale, a local performer's group, will present its next free concert at 1 p.m. Monday in Epworth United Methodist Church, 3077 Valleyview Dr. Performers include organist Anne Doerfler, soprano Meg Keller Klopp, and pianists Norma Kelling and Michael Lenahan.

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Flutist William Bennett comes to the University of Toledo for a residency March 12-13.

William Bennett, one of the most influential flutists in the world, will hold a residency on the UT campus March 12-13. Presented by the UT department of music and the Southeast Michigan Flute Association (SEMFA), this event will include a recital at 7 p.m. March 12 and a master class from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 13, both in the Center for Performing Arts Recital Hall.

On the March 12 program will be pieces by Mozart, Saint-Saens, Bonis, Tchaikovsky, Poulenc, and Villa-Lobos.

Flutists wishing to participate in the master class need to submit an application, a recording, and a $20 deposit to SEMFA at www.semfa.org. If accepted, flutists' deposits will be applied to the $100 master class fee.

Recital tickets are $20.

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The Toledo Symphony will present a concert at 7:30 p.m. March 8 in Founders Hall of Sauder Farm and Craft Village in Archbold. Resident conductor Jeffrey Pollock will lead a program of selections by Weber, Nelson, Anderson, Dragon, and others. Violinist Thomas Stuart will solo in the finale of the Sibelius Violin Concerto. Robert Clemens will narrate a performance of "John Brown's Body," by Puts. Tickets are $15, with students admitted free.

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The Adrian Symphony Orchestra will present a concert titled "Of Things Remembered" at 8 p.m. March 10 in the Croswell Opera House, 129 East Maumee St., Adrian. John Thomas Dodson will lead a program of music by Mozart and Beethoven.

Japanese pianist Rieko Aizawa will be guest soloist in Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2. The title for the program derives from a new work for string orchestra by Robert Jager to be premiered during the concert. Jager has worked with Dodson for years.

Preceding the concert will be a gallery viewing at the Croswell Visual Arts Gallery, with a pre-concert talk by Dodson to begin at 7 p.m. A reception will be held following the concert.

Tickets are $10-$25 at 517-264-3121 or www.adriansymphony.org or at the Croswell box office.

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Toledo Opera launches its 2012 version of Opera on Wheels with a touring production of Wagner's four-opera cycle, The Ring of the Nibelung.

With more than 60 scheduled performances from Findlay to Ann Arbor, the traveling company will introduce thousands of students in kindergarten through eighth grade to one of the most famous operas in the world.

Artistic director Jennifer Cresswell created the reduction. Featured players include a menacing elf, a fire-breathing dragon, a noble prince, and a slumbering princess in peril. For more information, contact Loviah Aldinger at 419-255-7464 ext. 3.

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The Toledo Ballet has received a $6,000 grant from the Gretchen Gotthart Skeldon Fund to advance its adaptive dance program for special-needs students. Participants in small classes receive personalized attention and instruction in the basics of dance. For more information, call 419-471-0049.

Items for News of Music should be sent to svallongo@theblade.com at least two weeks ahead of the event.