“Collective marvel”:Acclaimed pianist Peter Serkin, above, is guest soloist in a return concert by the Curtis Symphony Orchestra with Conductor Conner Gray Covington, 7 p.m. May 6, Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown. In homage to a master nurtured at Curtis, Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” will open the memorable evening. Then the Minnesota Orchestra’s charismatic music director, Osmo Vänskä, joins forces with Serkin for the monumental “Piano Concerto No. 1” by Brahms. Continuing the theme of heroic struggle leading to ultimate triumph is “Ein Heldenleben,” Strauss’s autobiographical epic. The Philadelphia Inquirer has called the Curtis Symphony a “collective marvel” of 100 young musicians who embody the sheer joy of music-making and perform with a fresh exuberance that makes each work new. Tickets: Miller Symphony Hall Box Office, 23 N. Sixth St., Allentown; allentownsymphony.org; 610-432-6715

Dino-might:“Dinosaur Zoo Live,” featuring Aimee Louisanne and a Triceratops, above, will be presented at 1 and 4 p.m. May 6, State Theatre Center for the Arts, Easton. Nineteen life-like dinosaurs connect children to paleontology in a fun and informative setting. Erth Visual & Physical, Sydney, Australia, is touring “Dinosaur Zoo Live,” directed by Scott Wright, co-founder of Erth and its artistic director since its inception in 1990. The dinosaurs, other creature puppets, and the flora and fauna of the set are designed by Steve Howarth, a founding and full-time member of Erth. Puppeteers are Kelley Selznick, Hallie Goodman, Anthony Orefice and Miron Gusso. The Sydney Morning Herald raved of the show: “It’s a rare and pleasurable work that manages technical brilliance, cultural insight and enchantment all in one go.” Tickets: State Theatre Box Office, 453 Northampton St., Easton; statetheatre.org, 1-800-999-STATE, 610-252-3132