First up is tonight's program at the Festival Pier at Penn's Landing (Columbus Boulevard and Spring Garden Street), which will also include "Romeo and Juliet" settings by Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev.
Tomorrow evening the music moves to Camden's Whitman Park (Davis and Copewood streets). This program's additional works are Duke Ellington's "Black, Brown and Beige," plus the spirituals "Total Praise" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing" (both 7 p.m., free, www.philorch.org).
Milanov, the orchestra's assistant conductor since 2000, has been promoted to associate conductor. This brilliant, highly respected musician also functions as music director of the Haddonfield Symphony and two orchestras in his home city of Sofia, Bulgaria.
Added to the orchestra roster as a conducting fellow is Shizuo Kuwahara, who will conduct family and student concerts.
The orchestra hits the ground running for its first two Mann Center for the Performing Arts programs, presenting one of our most beloved artists and a highly acclaimed trio with local roots.
Every visit from our own violinist Sarah Chang is a special event, especially on Wednesday's opening night. She'll play two gorgeous morsels: Massenet's classic "Meditation" from the rarely performed opera "Thais," and Ravel's tribute to gypsy music, the sizzling "Tzigane." Andrew Litton, the American conductor who has distinguished himself here and in Europe, will be on the podium, also leading Glinka's Overture to "Ruslan and Lyudmila" and the scorching Shostakovich Fifth Symphony.
Thursday evening brings back Time For Three, the trio of violinists Zachary De Pue (an orchestra member) and Nicolas Kendall, plus bassist Ranaan Meyer. Mann fans may remember the Beethoven evening two seasons ago when a power outage plunged the venue into darkness and De Pue and Meyer (who was subbing that night) entertained the crowd for more than 30 minutes with their bluegrass repertoire.
The trio are back as full-fledged soloists this time, with Milanov also leading Bernstein's "West Side Story" and Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" Symphonic Picture, as well as Copland's "Hoedown" and the traditional "Shenandoah." (Mann Center for the Performing Arts, 52nd and Parkside avenues, both at 8 p.m., $20-$68, lawn seats $10, 215-893-1999, www.philorch.org). *
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