“A live symphony orchestra concert is a stirring, visceral sensation that cannot be experienced or duplicated by simply turning up the volume on the home stereo.”

So says symphony conductor Alan Futterman, who will conduct the season opening Bainbridge Orchestra concerts Nov. 19 and 20 at The Playhouse.

Kitsap residents will have two opportunities this weekend to be stirred by live classical music. In addition to the Bainbridge Orchestra, the newly formed Bremerton Symphony Youth Orchestra will perform its debut concert Nov. 20 at the Bremerton Performing Arts Center, under the baton of John Falskow.

The Bainbridge Orchestra concert marks the first local appearance for Seattle-based guest conductor Futterman, who is a Juilliard graduate.

The program opens with Mozart’s “Third Horn Concerto, K447,” which features Bainbridge High School senior Alexander Jay Fermanis on French Horn.

The orchestra then switches to Eastern Europe to perform Futterman’s “Traditional Romanian Dance Medley,” with the tempo and flavor of gypsy music. The fast-paced number gives several of the orchestra’s members a chance to demonstrate their solo abilities.

The program concludes with Dvorak’s “Symphony No. 4, Opus 13,” the composers first work in this genre. The piece carries on the Eastern European theme, with a rousing Czech folk tune combined with the “heroic spirit of Beethoven and the religious fervor of Wagner.”

Futterman said he hopes, with this concert, to carry on the excellent legacy of conductor Sandi Schwarz, who stepped down at the end of last season, and to show audiences why “live music is best.”

Beginning a youth symphony under the auspices of the Bremerton Symphony Association was one of the goals of Music Director Elizabeth Stoyanovich, and that goal has been reached.

Approximately 50 student musicians have been practicing for this night, under the direction of John Falskow.

“This is a very exciting time for the students and myself,” Falskow said. “I think we have a varied program that has been challenging and rewarding to prepare. The students are great people, and I know that many of them have learned a lot.”

The program features works by Duro, Presser, Purcell, Diemer and Ippolitov-lvanov.

Falskow said he is hoping to see the orchestra continue to grow, and that they are still auditioning for new members. Any student musician interested in joining can contact the Bremerton Symphony Association office at (360) 373-1722.

Concert times

The Bainbridge Orchestra season opener concerts are 7:30 p.m. Nov. 19 and 4 p.m. Nov. 20 at The Playhouse, 200 Madison Ave. N, Bainbridge Island.

Tickets are $15 adults, $9 seniors and students, available at the box office 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and one hour prior to each performance, by phone at (206) 842-8569 or online at www.theplayhouse.org.

The Bremerton Youth Symphony season opener concert is 4 p.m. Nov. 20 at the Bremerton Performing Arts Center at Bremerton High School, 1500 13th St.

Tickets are $5 all seats, available by phone at (360) 373-1722 or at the box office one hour prior to the concert.