CEDAR FALLS - Sports teams play pre-season games to show their chops and excite fans about the season. A musical version of the pre-season opener is taking place today when the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra presents the chamber music concert, "Quint-essential."

Music Director Jason Weinberger will trade his baton for a clarinet and join members of the University of Northern Iowa String Quartet performing music by Mozart. The event will take place at 2 p.m. in Bengtson Hall in UNI's newly-remodeled Russell Hall.

The concert is meant to whet the musical appetites of concertgoers for "a whole season's worth of amazing collaborations," said Weinberger. "We have some terrific concerts planned, and one of our strengths is programming. There are few orchestras more innovative than we are in what we're doing. This is our 80th anniversary season and our artistic focus is on presenting wonderful music, local artists and community partnerships."

It also is the 10th year for the WCFSO at the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center.

Weinberger is intent on dispelling the myth that "classical music is the same old thing … people wearing tuxes and evening gowns, sitting quietly and reverentially listening to the great masters of the past. I'm informed by the idea that there's nothing wrong with the orchestra being open and communicative and approachable and filled with people you know, your neighbors and friends."

Zuill Bailey, the acclaimed cellist, headlines the first classical concert Oct. 3. The theme is "Passion & Prokofiev," and Bailey will perform Elgar's passionate Concerto for Cello in E, op. 85. The concert also includes Prokofiev's Fifth Symphony and Iowa composer Philip Wharton's "Fanfare for Open Spaces."

"It will be a surprise for audiences when the 'Fanfare' unfolds, because it shows that new music being written today is just as approachable as any other music. We've also commissioned Philip to write a world-premiere symphony for next spring, our first full-length commission, which we will preview at the family concert in October."

"A Boy, a Wolf and a Giant Jam Sandwich" will be presented Oct. 18 at 2 p.m. The concert features Prokofiev's classic story of Peter and the Wolf, along with Philip Wharton's composition based on the popular children's book, "The Giant Jam Sandwich."

The symphony's instrument petting zoo will be in the lobby before the concert. Artwork for "The Giant Jam Sandwich" will be created by children at the Hearst Center for the Arts.

Weinberger's passion for Gustav Mahler will be on display Nov. 14, as the symphony presents "Not Your Mother's Mahler." The concert showcases Mahler's Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp in an educationally engaging, participatory way. "We've done the first, second and fourth Mahler symphonies and it seemed logical for us to move on to the fifth. It's the biggest challenge of the year and extremely virtuosic music. Mahler used the orchestra quite unlike any other composer and was able to portray a whole world inside the symphony. When you ask musicians to do that, it's a tall order. There's a philosophical underpinning to every single note," the conductor said.

Questions will be encouraged from the audience for the conductor and musicians during the concert. The audience will hear from the musicians about what makes Mahler such a rewarding challenge to play.

The annual Holiday Pops concert Dec. 12 will be a community celebration which will bring together members of area church choirs to form a "mega-choir." Weinberger said there will be two sing-alongs for the audience. University of Northern Iowa School of Music faculty member Jeff Brich (tenor) also will be featured.

After the new year, a chamber orchestra concert is planned Jan. 23 at First Congregational Church in Waterloo, followed by "Kelley's Blues" Feb. 6, a collaboration with Gary Kelley and featuring UNI School of Music faculty member Genadi Zagor, pianist.

Alfredo Rolando Ortiz will be the guest for the March 6 "Music of the Americas," and on April 10, the premiere of the work commissioned from Wharton will take place. The Symphony's 2010 Spring Pops on April 24 is "And the Oscar Goes To …" featuring movie music.

All concerts, unless otherwise noted, will be performed at the GBPAC. For tickets, call 273-3373, visit www.wcfsym

phony.org or e-mail info@

wcfsymphony.org.