POTSDAM -- The North Country's only year-round professional symphony orchestra celebrates thirty years of making live music this Saturday, Oct. 21, when it presents “Beethoven And Brahms.” The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in SUNY Potsdam's Hosmer Hall.

Founding music director and conductor Kenneth Andrews will lead the 55-piece orchestra in a program that opens with Mozart's Overture to The Marriage of Figaro followed by Brahms' Variations on a Theme by Haydn. Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 (Eroica) is the second half of the program. This powerful and colossal symphony is one of the most provocative works of its time, a masterpiece for the ages that changed the course of music forever.

The Orchestra of Northern New York is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is "to enrich the quality of life in northern New York and southeastern Ontario through live performances of orchestral music by outstanding musicians and to emphasize the engagement of area youth in the appreciation of music." This year, ONNY's budget is $160,500 for a five-concert series in Potsdam and Watertown, 64% of which is raised through donations from individuals, businesses and foundations.

Tickets are $23 adults, $19 seniors (62+) and military personnel, $10 college students, and free for children, 17 and under.

They are available at Brick & Mortar Music, 15 Market Street in downtown Potsdam, at the CPS box office in the Performing Arts Center on the SUNY Potsdam campus, by calling 315-267-2277, online at onny.org, or at the door.