Acclaimed pianist Wayne Weng will be the featured soloist when the Cascade Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of maestro Michael Miropolsky, performs its “Holiday Pops with Gershwin” concert on two consecutive evenings – Sunday, Dec. 8, and Monday, Dec. 9.

Both performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be held at the Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 4th Ave. N. A pre-concert lecture at 6:30 p.m. by KING-FM’s Dave Beck will preview the musical highlights for the two evenings.

Weng will perform American composer George Gershwin’s iconic “Rhapsody in Blue.”

“We are thrilled to present our internationally acclaimed soloist – pianist Wayne Weng – who is making his debut with us,” Miropolsky said. The prize winner of the Washington (DC) International Competition for Piano steps in for the previously announced soloist, pianist Sasha Starcevich, who had to cancel due to health-related issues.

The concert’s other offerings will include music from Home Alone by American composer John Williams; selections from My Fair Lady, by Austrian-American composer Frederick Loewe; symphonic dances from Fiddler on the Roof’ by American composer Jerry Bock; and “Brazilian Sleigh Bells” by American composer Percy Faith.

Miropolsky noted that the Cascade Symphony will add a jazz component with “an extravagant arrangement” by legendary musician Duke Ellington of Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker.”

As both a soloist and collaborator, Weng has performed throughout the United States as well as in Canada, England, Italy, France, Holland, Belgium, Austria, Serbia, Egypt, Hong Kong and Taiwan. His performances have been featured on radio stations in Chicago, New York, and in Seattle on KING-FM. He holds a bachelor of music performer’s degree from the Eastman School of Music, a master of music degree from Mannes College of Music, a master of music with distinction degree from Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and an artist diploma from Yale University. Currently he is a doctoral candidate at the City University of New York’s Graduate Center.

During the second half of the Dec. 8 concert, seven outstanding music students from three Edmonds-area high schools — Edmonds-Woodway, Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood — will perform side-by-side with members of the Cascade Symphony Orchestra.

Ticket prices for each concert are $27 for adults, $22 for seniors, $15 for students with an ID, and $10 for youngsters 12 and younger.

Due to the demand for tickets, Cascade Symphony Orchestra encourages patrons to return any tickets to the ECA box office that they will not be able to use. Even though a concert may be “sold out,” returned tickets do become available, including at the door the day of the event. Patrons can call the ECA at 425-275-9595 or come early (around 6:15 p.m.) on concert night.

Additional information about the Cascade Symphony Orchestra and the “Holiday Pops with Gershwin” concerts is available at www.cascadesymphony.org.