In putting together the 2010-11 season for Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, music director and conductor Stephen Gunzenhauser took a hard look at the organization's signature catchphrase: "Only in Lancaster."

"Saying 'Only in Lancaster' isn't about us performing unknown or obscure pieces," Gunzenhauser said. "It's saying that what we have here is just a little bit different than what you'd find in other places.

"So whatever we do must be done in an intriguing way, with our orchestra's signature energy, intensity and high standards of performance."

These days, the program must also be presented at a reasonable price, which is why the symphony will continue to hold to the 2008-09 ticket prices next season.

Following is a summary of the symphony's offerings for the 2010-11 season. All concerts will be held at Fulton Opera House, 12 N. Prince St., in downtown Lancaster unless otherwise noted.

• The symphony opens its Classic Concert Series Oct. 8-10 with "Shaham Celebrates Sibelius." Headlining the weekend is Israeli violin virtuoso Hagai Shaham, who has performed alongside Isaac Stern at Carnegie Hall and currently teaches at universities in California and Israel.

Shaham will perform the challenging Violin Concerto of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Also slated for the concert are Antonin Dvorák's "Golden Spinning Wheel" and the Pennsylvania premiere of Alexander Borodin's Symphony No. 3.

• The symphony's much-anticipated choral concert weekend, Nov. 12-14, will feature Giuseppe Verdi's dynamic Requiem, overseen by one of the foremost Verdi experts, Italian conductor Francesco La Vecchia, maestro of the Sinfonica di Roma.

"I'd love to conduct the Verdi piece," Gunzenhauser said, "but having Maestro La Vecchia here is the chance of a lifetime. He's truly one of the world's top scholars when it comes to Verdi, and he knows about the kind of quality work that our symphony does here in Lancaster. ... That's how we were able to get him."

The concert will feature Lancaster Symphony Chorus under the direction of chorusmaster William Wright with guest soloists Julie-Ann Whitely Green, soprano; Maren Montalbano, mezzo-soprano; Jeffrey Halili, tenor; and Zachary Nelson, bass-baritone.

• To ring in the holidays, the orchestra and chorus will again combine for the annual "Sounds of the Season" concerts Dec. 17 and 19 in Barshinger Center for Musical Arts at Franklin & Marshall College.

Continuing in the holiday vein, the orchestra will help ring in 2011 with its annual New Year's Eve performance at American Music Theatre on Lincoln Highway East.

• The first concert weekend of the new year, Jan. 14-16, will feature the talents of Russian pianist Yuliya Gorenman in a performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4. Also on the bill are the Symphony No. 1 of Brahms and Rossini's "Italian in Algiers" Overture.

• The orchestra's "Roots and Rivalry" concert, March 4-6, presents a unique opportunity to hear the work of Mozart alongside that of his more affluent contemporary, Antonio Salieri.

"I thought it would be interesting to put works by both composers on stage and let audiences hear the differences," Gunzenhauser said. "Salieri was a good workman and the music he wrote was solid ... but he was no Mozart. Mozart was like a volcano, but because Salieri was better at the politics of his day, he wound up living a wealthier and more fulfilling life, even though Mozart is the genius we remember most today."

The orchestra will perform Mozart's Concerto for Basset Clarinet, with guest soloist Doris Hall-Gulati playing the authentic instrument, next to Salieri's "School of Jealousy," which pits flute against oboe. The concert will also shine a spotlight on principal flutist David DiGiacobbe in Benjamin Yusupov's "Tanovor."

• Hector Berlioz's best-known work, "Symphonie Fantastique," will be the focus of the symphony April 15-17. The orchestra's full complement will be on hand for the massive work, the performance of which will include period instruments from the early 19th century.

• The symphony concludes its season May 20-22 with a concert titled "Tchaikovsky & Taneyev: Mentor and Protégé." Russian pianist Ivan Rudin will make his American debut in a performance of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1. The symphony also will perform a work of Tchaikovsky's student, Sergio Taneyev's Symphony No. 4.

For more information about Lancaster Symphony Orchestra's 2010-11 season or to purchase subscriptions, call 291-4420.