“I am quite surprised and honored that my former students decided they wanted to honor my time at Lehigh, as a teacher and as a composer,” says Paul Salerni, Lehigh University Music Department Chair.

The Lehigh University “First Biannual Salerni Art Song Recital” will be presented, 3 p.m. Feb. 9, Zoellner Arts Center, Bethlehem.

“Instead of simply honoring my name, they decided to present works by my musical family, namely music by my teacher Earl Kim, his teacher Arnold Schoenberg, my former student Heather Gilligan, as well as my own works.”

The concert opens with the five-movement song cycle, “Now and Then” by Earl Kim (1920-1998), based on texts by Russian playwright and short-story writer Anton Chekhov (1860-1904), Irish novelist and poet Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) and Irish poet and dramatist William Butler Yeats (1865-1939).

Heather Gilligan’s three movement work of cabaret songs, “Mixed Metaphors,” is based upon poems by Lisa DeSiro, American poet and pianist.

Salerni, a graduate of Amherst College, features the works of three Amherst poets, David Ferry, Richard Wilbur and Robert Frost, in his song cycle “Reunion,” followed by Earl Kim’s “Dear Linda” with narration accompanied by flute, cello, piano and percussion.

The concert continues with Salerni’s light-hearted works, “Two Cat Songs,” based on poems by Dana Gioia (b. 1950), and “Two Food Songs,” one Korean and one Italian.

The final selection is Arnold Schoenberg’s (1874-1951) “Nachtwandler,” a cabaret song based on a poem by German poet and novelist Gustav Falke (1853-1916).

Accompanists for the concert are Sarah Chalfy, soprano; Laura Jordan Cocks, flute, piccolo; Colin Brookes, viola; Mitchell Roth, trumpet; Liv Castor, harp; Steven Beck, pianoforte, and Sae Hashimoto, percussion.

Lehigh University “First Biannual Salerni Art Song Recital,” 3 p.m. Feb. 9, Zoellner Arts Center, 420 E. Packer Avenue, Bethlehem; Tickets: box office; 610-758-2787 ext. 0; https://zoellner.cas.lehigh.edu/

“This concert is in honor of William J. Fenza and the music he loved, including Gustav Mahler and Richard Wagner and features vocalist Mei Gui Zhang,” says Diane Wittry, Allentown Symphony Orchestra Music Director and Conductor, adding, “I personally love the music of Mahler and program it anytime I have the opportunity to do so.”

Allentown Symphony Orchestra presents the “William J. Fenza Memorial Concert: Mahler and Wagner,” 7:30 p.m. Feb. 8; 2 p.m. Feb. 9, Miller Symphony Hall, Allentown.

The concert opens with “Symphony No. 4 in G major for Soprano and Orchestra” by German composer Gustav Mahler (1860-1911). Mei Gui Zhang sings the Mahler Symphony. Comprising four movements, the work reveals a more intimate and personal side of Mahler.

Says Wittry, “His use of sleigh bells in the first movement and throughout the piece was quite unique for the time period.”

The second movement has the concertmaster utilizing two violins, one of which is pitched higher to emulate the sound of a fiddle.

“To me, the third movement is the most beautiful and serene movement that Mahler ever wrote and the final movement depicts a child’s view of heaven,” adds Wittry.

The concert closes with “Overture to Tannhäuser” by Richard Wagner (1813-1883). Says Wittry, “I like the voicing and colors of Wagner and Mahler and Wagner’s “Tannhäuser” gives a retrospective feeling similar to the end of Mahler’s 4th Symphony.”

The work by Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz (1909-1969) is a short string orchestra piece which Wittry describes as “a palate cleanser or spice in the middle combining the folk elements of Béla Bartók with the early Baroque of Johann Sebastian Bach, The second movement is reminiscent of the Olde English sound of Ralph Vaughn Williams.”

Soprano Mei Gui Zhang made her Metropolitan Opera debut during the 2019-2020 season and her Carnegie Hall debut in 2023. Highly regarded for her interpretations of Mozart’s works, she has appeared as Zerlina in “Don Giovanni,” Despina in “Cosi fan tutte” and Pamina in “Die Zauberflöte.”

She has performed with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Real Orquesta Sinfonica de Seville, Fort Worth Opera and the National Centre for Performing Arts, Beijing, China.

“William J. Fenza Memorial Concert: Mahler and Wagner,” 7:30 p.m. Feb. 8; 2 p.m. Feb. 9, Miller Symphony Hall, 23 N. Sixth St., Allentown. Free tickets for those age 21 and under. Tickets: box office; 610-432-6715; https://www.millersymphonyhall.org

“Classical View” is a column about classical music concerts, conductors and performers. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com