Among the many enticing concerts vying for your attention this weekend, here are two to consider.
Tomorrow, the Santa Fe Guitar Quartet will bring its collective talents to Baltimore in a program that ranges from J. S. Bach and Bela Bartok to Isaac Albeniz and Astor Piazzolla. Named for the city in Argentina, the ensemble began making a name for itself in 1989 by combining classical repertoire with both classical and folk music of Latin America. There has been a particular emphasis on the tango-based works by the late Piazzolla, whose vibrant scores have helped bring the dance form back to the fore.
The four guitarists - three from Argentina, one from New Mexico - will be presented at the Evergreen Concert Series at 8 p.m., in the cozy environs of Evergreen Carriage House, 4545 N. Charles St. Tickets are $15. Call 410-516-0341.
As part of its 25th- anniversary season, the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio will make a stop at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in College Park to play works by Beethoven and Brahms, as well as the world premiere of The Grand Trio by David Del Tredici, commissioned by the center.
The new, 30-minute score was specifically "written for, and is dedicated to, the grandest trio I know - [pianist] Joseph Kalichstein, [violinist] Jaime Laredo and [cellist] Sharon Robinson," says Del Tredici. He has long been an admirer of the "boldness, virtuosity, and open-heartedness of their playing."
Del Tredici's distinctive, polychromatic, neo-romantic music has made him one of the most successful American composers; he is known for a multitude of works inspired by the Alice in Wonderland stories. This piece, his first piano trio, "unfolds dramatically, demands the utmost virtuosity of its performers, and ultimately glories in largeness of gesture and immediacy of sentiment," the composer says.
The concert takes place at 8 p.m. Saturday. The Clarice Smith Center is at Stadium Drive and University Boulevard, on the campus of the University of Maryland. Tickets are $30; $5 for students. Call 301-405-2787.