This weekend’s arts offerings in Olympia are new and classical

Symphony to play 2 concerts to welcome new conductor

Music director Alexandra Arrieche’s first subscription concert with the Olympia Symphony Orchestra at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts will actually be two concerts, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5. Called “Mosaic for Heaven’s Floor,” the concert’s title references Jean Sibelius description of writing his Symphony No. 5 in E-flat Major, which is on the program. Also on the program: a 2019 piece called Eve’s Lament “Oh Flowers, That Never Will Grow” by Lera Auerback, who wrote it for Arrieche’s mentor, Marin Alsop; and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18, which will be performed by Arrieche’s longtime friend and colleague, pianist Michael Sheppard. Tickets are $15 to $65. The center is at 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia.

No word on whether the plus-size lady will sing

A new opera company, Olympia Opera Theatre, has formed, and will offer its first performance at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5, at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, 1601 North St. SE, Olympia. The concert will feature opera’s most beloved tunes. The new troupe’s mission is to provide immersive and non-traditional opera experiences for a modern audience. There is no admission fee for Sunday’s concert, but donations are encouraged.