John Patitucci to perform at SLSO Guitar Festival in November

John Patitucci, known for his virtuoso work on electric and acoustic bass with Chick Corea, Dave Weckl and many other jazz artists, will be one of the guest stars at the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra's Guitar Festival, which will be held November 13 though November 15 at venues including the Pageant and Powell Symphony Hall.

The Pageant show on Thursday, November 13 will feature music written by Frank Zappa and Edgard Varese as well as Glenn Branca's symphony for 100 electric guitars as performed by Pattiucci, Steven Mackey and 98 local St. Louis guitarists yet to be named. Composer/guitarist Mackey then will team with guitarist Jason Vieaux for a chamber music concert at a venue to be named later, and the festival will conclude with orchestra concerts Friday, November 14 and Saturday, November 15 at Powell Hall featuring Patitucci as guest soloist.

Post-Dispatch classical music critic Sarah Bryan Miller has written an overview of the SLSO's 2008-09 season that's available online here. The Post's package also has a schedule of all the events in the SLSO's various series, and a list of works to be performed next year, ordered by name of the composer.

Although Miller's article says the SLSO next year will lean a bit more on some of the classical warhorses, the orchestra also will be performing music from living composers such as John Adams, Thomas Ades and Kaija Saariaho. The schedule also features works from 20th century composers such as Bartok, Debussy, and Stravinsky, who have been cited as important influences by jazz musicians ranging from Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker to Dave Brubeck and Cecil Taylor. In addition, the SLSO's series of concerts at the Touhill Performing Arts Center will include a Percussion Festival on Sunday, November 23, that seems likely to incorporate some more adventurous and/or contemporary works.