Baltimore on DW

So I thought I'd kick this comm off by making some suggestions for concerts at the BSO. If you've never been to the BSO, you really should try to get a chance. The conductor, Marin Alsop, is amazing. She's the only female conductor of a major US symphony, not to mention an out lesbian. She's very dynamic and fun to watch, too, if you make it to one of the concerts she's conducting. Most concerts, if not heavily sold, will have last-minute deals where you can attend for $20 or $25, and college students can get $10 rush tickets. Some concerts I would recommend are:

• Beethoven & Mozart with a Twist, Feb. 25-26: A really cool pianist, Robert Levin, is coming in to do Beethoven's 1st Piano Concerto, as well as improvisations in the style of Beethoven. Though improvisations are normally more of a jazz thing, they used to be the norm in classical music. The familiar "Overture to the Marriage of Figaro" by Mozart is also on the program.
  
• Cirque de la Symphonie, Mar. 11-14: If you're not sure how you feel about classical music, this might be a good program. There are some pops concerts on the season, but I think this is cooler: it's a full Cirque du Soleil style performance with 20th century classical pieces as accompaniment. It's also pretty heavily sold, but look for tickets on the Friday night
  
• Hearts, Cards, and Carnival, Mar. 25 & 28: Marin's conducting this one too, but it'll be easier to get tickets to than Cirque, and it's a pretty cool program. There's a full ballet, plus two really fun, short operas by Barber and Gershwin.
  
• Russian Perfection, Apr. 30: This program features the amazing violinist Gil Shaham, and it's got two of my favorite pieces, Stravinsky's Violin Concerto in D Major and Rachmaninoff's 2nd Symphony. My favorite program on the season.
  
• Underground Railroad: An Evening with Kathleen Battle, May 29: Battle is an opera diva, but she'll be performing spirituals and hymns to celebrate the roots of African-American music. Another good program if you're not quite sure about classical.