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BLACKSBURG – Having established itself as one of the world’s leading chamber orchestras, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields will bring its eight-musician touring chamber ensemble to the Lyric Theatre on Oct. 22, at 8 p.m.

This performance, which is one of only 10 concerts being performed by the ensemble in the U.S. this season, is presented by the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech in partnership with Virginia Tech’s Department of Music and the School of Performing Arts and Cinema.

Known for its polished and refined sound and flawless technique, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble performance will include Johannes Brahms’ “Sextet in G-Major,” Op. 36; Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Prelude and Scherzo for String Octet,” Op. 11; and Felix Mendelssohn’s “Octet for Strings in Eb-Major,” Op. 20.

The chamber ensemble was created in 1967 to perform the larger chamber works — from quintets to octets — with players who customarily work together, instead of the usual string quartet with additional guests. The group members are drawn from the principal players of the orchestra, which was formed in 1958 by a group of leading London musicians who worked without a conductor. The academy orchestra now performs approximately 100 concerts around the world each year and boasts more than 500 recordings, making it the most recorded chamber orchestra worldwide.

Tickets

Tickets are $40 for general public, $32 for seniors and Virginia Tech faculty and staff, and $16 for students and youth 18 years old and under. They can be purchased online; at the Lyric Theatre box office, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; or by calling 540-951-4771.

Through a comprehensive arts initiative, Virginia Tech has made a strong commitment to the arts on campus and in the surrounding communities. The cornerstone of the initiative is the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech. Opening in late 2013, the Center for the Arts will include a 1,260-seat, state-of-the-art performance hall for music, theatre, and dance performance and visual arts galleries for traditional, digital, and new media exhibitions. Center programs will bring national and international artists to campus and celebrate the region’s culture through performances, exhibitions, outreach, and learning opportunities. The center a is uniquely partnered with the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology, an applied research environment housed in the center wherein researchers from multiple disciplines partner to prepare students in kindergarten through 12th grade and higher education environments to succeed in a world that demands teamwork and collaboration, and to promote new research domains that transcend institutionalized boundaries.