The Philharmonia of Greater Kansas City will open its 2008-09 season Sunday, Oct. 19, at Park University with a program featuring music inspired by the Spanish culture.

"Spanish Fire" will include Bizet's Carmen Suites, de Falla's The Three Cornered Hat Suite and Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio Espagnol. The performance is set for 3 p.m. at Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel on the University’s Parkville Campus. General admission is $10 and $5 for students and seniors.

The Philharmonia of Greater Kansas City is a not-for-profit community orchestra sponsored in part by Park University and comprised of students, adult volunteers, music instructors and professional musicians from the Kansas City metropolitan area.

"The Philharmonia is delighted to confirm that Andrés Franco, the gifted young conductor and music director, will return to the podium this season," said Philharmonia President Gene Jacobs. "His year as assistant conductor of the Fort Worth (Texas) Symphony Orchestra has been completed, but he has arranged his new duties at Texas Christian University so that he will be able to commute to Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel for rehearsals and all five concerts slated for the new season."

The Philharmonia's Christmas on the River concert, "The Nutcracker in a Nutshell," is set for Saturday, Dec. 6, and will feature dancers from the MidWest Youth Ballet and narration of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas by Surae Chinn, anchor/reporter for KCTV-5. The rest of the 2008-09 season includes the Park University Concerto Concert on Sunday, Feb. 15; the Free Family Concert, "Spring Break in South America," on Sunday, March 29; and the season finale on Sunday, May 3, featuring a performance by the annual concerto contest winner.

All five concerts will be performed at 3 p.m. at the Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel, located on Park University's Parkville Campus. For more information about The Philharmonia and its 2008-09 season, visit www.kcphilharmonia.org. Jacobs can be reached at (816) 588-8033 or gjacobs11@kc.rr.com.