An exciting debut

American violinist Benjamin Beilman has yet to turn 30, but has already built a gleaming reputation as a player of immense talent and potential. He makes his Minnesota Orchestra debut with music director Osmo Vänskä in Saint-Saëns' Violin Concerto No. 3, a flamboyantly virtuosic piece with ample scope for Beilman to show his paces. Vaughan Williams' ethereal Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis is also featured along with Shostakovich's swan song Symphony No. 15, with its famous Rossini and Wagner quotations. (8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun.; Orchestra Hall, Mpls.; $12-$125, 612-371-5656 or ­minnesotaorchestra.org)

The stuff of dreams

"Lucid dreaming" is when you are aware of your own dreams as they happen, and can sometimes even control them. It forms the basis of a mini-festival curated by the St. Paul-based contemporary music group Zeitgeist. At its heart is "The Gates of Horn and Ivory" (a reference to Homer's Odyssey), a new work by American composer Janika Vandervelde. The live percussion of the Zeitgeist ensemble is interwoven with electronic soundscapes in a performance spread over two evenings, with introductory talks by lucid dreaming expert Robert Waggoner. (7 p.m. Fri.-Sat., Studio Z, St. Paul; $30, zeitgeistnewmusic.org)

Guitar couple

The Minnesota Guitar Society opens its season with a visit from the husband and wife team of Aleksandra Ivanovic and Vojislav Ivanovic, otherwise known as the Levante Guitar Duo. Their Minnesota debut will include pieces by Vojislav, whose music combines elements of jazz with traditional and contemporary classical. (7.30 p.m. Fri., Sundin Music Hall, Hamline University, St. Paul; $10-$25, mnguitar.org)

Talking music

Pianist Jeffrey Siegel has made a specialty of lecture recitals where he talks to audiences about the music on the program before playing it. His latest "Keyboard Conversation" at Sundin Music Hall features a mix of piano works by two titans of the classical period, Haydn and Mozart. (7:30 p.m. Tue.; Sundin Music Hall, Hamline University, St. Paul; $13-$28, 651-523-2459 or hamline.edu/sundin.)

SPCO hits the road

The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra's season-opening road trip round the metro area continues this week with four concerts in three venues. SPCO violinist Eunice Kim plays Saint-Saëns' Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and conductorless performances of music by Haydn, Mozart and Fauré are also on the menu. (7.30 p.m. Tue., Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Apple Valley; 11 a.m. Fri. and 8 p.m. Sat., Ordway Concert Hall, St. Paul; 2 p.m. Sun., Ted Mann Concert Hall, Mpls.; $11-$50, 651-291-1144 or thespco.org)

TERRY BLAIN