I'm finding things for the Memphis Scavenger Hunt like crazy this week.

Yesterday afternoon, I met the Memphis Symphony Orchestra's principle oboist, Joey Salvalaggio. He's a Memphis transplant (originally from Canada) who's been playing with the symphony for 10 years.  Joey's a total pedestrian - he lives in Midtown and doesn't drive.

Joey's part of a new symphony initiative called Opus One, which is a pair of informal concerts featuring a large ensemble of musicians without a conductor. Without a conductor, the musicians will have more of a voice and follow each other through the pieces.

The first Opus One show is next Thursday night (March 4) at One Commerce Square downtown. For an hour, the ensemble will be playing Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1. After that, there will be a cocktail party with big band music. It's going to be totally casual (no assigned seats), and there's going to be wine.

Go There:

Opus One

One Commerce Square

March 4, 2010

6:30 p.m.