ORONO – The Bangor Symphony Orchestra will perform its fourth classical concert of the season at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 18, at the Maine Center for the Arts.

Music director and conductor Xiao-Lu Li will lead the orchestra in a concert of romance and mystery with Brahms’ “Symphony no. 3”; Beethoven’s “King Stephen Overture”; and Sibelius’ “Violin concerto in D minor” with guest soloist Chen Xi.

Among the most popular pieces of the afternoon, Brahms’ symphony was described by Malcolm MacDonald as “the most intimate of all Brahms’ symphonic intermezzi; it could almost be titled Romanze.”

Twenty-two-year-old Chen Xi, violinist, is the guest soloist. At 8 years of age, he made his debut performance at the Shenyang Conservatory. In September 1995, he entered China’s leading music academy, the Central Conservatory of Music.

In June 2002, 17-year-old Xi was selected by China as its representative and competed at one of the world’s most prestigious music competitions, the 12th International Tchaikovsky Violin Competition. After winning the competition, he enrolled at the Curtis Institute of Music, studying under Joseph Silverstein, a well-known violinist, teacher and conductor.

As a talented violinist and child protege, Xi has won many competitions, including the first prize in both the Small Genius Cup competition and Broadcasting Cup Youth competition. He took first prize in the children’s category at the Third Violin competition at the Central Conservatory of Music in 1997; and he was the winner of Sixth National Youth Violin competition.

Xi gave his first solo concert in Beijing when he was 12, the youngest student at the Central Conservatory of Music to do so. From the age of 13, he began to perform with many orchestras including the China Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, China National Symphony Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, Moscow Symphony Orchestra, South Bend Symphony Orchestra, China Central Opera Orchestra, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta Orchestra, and the China Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Xi has become one of the most promising and respected young artists of his generation in China. His outstanding talent and brilliant interpretations have made him a beloved figure in the eyes of the public. He is held in the highest esteem by the Chinese press, which has frequently referred to him as “a morning light from the East.”

Concert tickets range in price from $13 to $40 with senior and youth discounts available. Tickets may be reserved online at bangorsymphony.com or by calling the Bangor Symphony Orchestra box office at 942-5555 or (800) 639-3221.