STOCTKON — Maestro Peter Jaffe conducts the Stockton Symphony’s third Classics concert of the season, featuring accordionist Peter Soave, recognized worldwide as the foremost master of the bandoneón and concert accordion, on Thursday, Nov. 10, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m.

The concerts will be held at the Warren Atherton Auditorium on the San Joaquin Delta College campus.

Soave has established himself as the leading soloist of his generation through his commanding stage presence and vibrant virtuosity. His playing, says composer and conductor Duilio Dobrin, is the “stunning, majestic, monumental testimony of a man who lives, breathes, and feels every note. The musicianship is beyond words!”

He will perform the world premiere of a new Accordion Concerto with the Symphony, composed by Slovenian-born and Stockton-based Max Simoncic. The idea of penning an accordion concerto was presented to Simoncic by Thomas Chen, who commissioned the piece, and by Music Director and Conductor Peter Jaffe. After vacillating between a concerto using saxophones and one using an accordion, they decided on the accordion concerto because of the uniqueness of the work.

On the U.S. east coast and in Europe, accordions are prominent in the music scene. For those who mistakenly presume that all accordionists are just waiting to break into a version of “Lady of Spain,” Mr. thinks you would know better if you were familiar with Astor Piazzolla. As an Argentine composer and bandoneón player, Piazzolla revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed Nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music.

Simoncic describes the concerto to be performed on Nov. 10 and 12 as “very autobiographical” and hopes the audience visualizes their own lives, feels the various moves, and imagines their own biographies in them. He believes the titles of the movements, Villains, Clowns and Heroes; Reminiscence; and Prologue and Dances really do reflect the piece.

 Call the Symphony office at (209) 951-0196 to order tickets in advance, or purchase tickets online at www.stocktonsymphony.org. Tickets begin at $22; tickets for children and students with an ID are half price.