Master pianist Hans Boepple will be treating audiences to an evening of powerful music with a solo piano recital on Oct. 11 at Santa Clara University. The chairman of the music department at SCU, Boepple has also been a professor of music at the university for 25 years. He made his mark as a soloist in the music world early, debuting with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 9. His performance career has included guest solos with renowned orchestras throughout the country, as well as more than 35 years as a recitalist--one who has been listed on the Steinway International Artist Roster since 1982.

Boepple's prowess will be demonstrated by a trio of demanding piano works: Mozart's dark and dramatic Rondo in A Minor, K. 511; the expressive, colorful Four Impromptus, Op. 90 by Franz Schubert; and Brahms' passionate and moodily poetic Sonata in F Minor, Op. 5.

Also on Oct. 11, Symphony Silicon Valley opens a new season with the return of guest conductor Paul Polivnick (who conducted last season's spring program of works by Jon Magnussen, Ravel, Rossini and others). Polivnick, who has appeared and recorded with symphonies throughout the United States and Europe, is founder and conductor of the Los Angeles Radio Orchestra.

He will lead the symphony in a program that includes Rimsky-Korsakov's popular Russian Easter Overture and Saint-Saëns' Symphony No. 3, Organ Symphony. Also featured on the program will be Haydn's Cello Concerto in C, which should nicely showcase the talents of guest soloist William De Rosa, a cellist who studied at Juilliard and trained with Eleanor Schoenfeld and Gregor Piatigorksy. De Rosa was invited by Isaac Stern to collaborate with him on a Carnegie Hall concert celebrating Stern's 60th birthday. He performs on a rare 18th-century cello made by Domenicus Montagnana.

The San Jose Chamber Music Society also opens its new season on a high note with an appearance by the Amati String Quartet on Oct. 12 at Le Petit Trianon in downtown San Jose. The adventurous Swiss ensemble has a penchant for 20th-century music, although they prove equally talented with classical and romantic selections. The quartet is also known for blending rarely heard pieces with more traditional fare in its repertoire--although whatever the composition, more than anything, the group has become renowned for its energized, and yet sensitive, performances.

Within a year of the group's founding in 1981, the Amati String Quartet garnered the Premiere Grand Prix du Concours in Evian, followed in 1983 by the Kunstpreis of the City of Zurich. More recently, the Amati String Quartet garnered the prestigious Choc de la Musique prize for their recording of works by Haydn.

On the quartet's program for the San Jose Chamber Music Society will be selections that show off their versatility: Beethoven's Quartet in A Major, Op. 18; Bartók's Quartet No. 5; and Schubert's Quartet in A Minor, Op. 29, No. 1, D.804.

Hans Boepple performs Oct. 11, 8 p.m., at Santa Clara University. Tickets are $5­$10. 408.554.4015.

Symphony Silicon Valley performs Oct. 11, 8 p.m. at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $28­$68. 408.286.2600 or www.symphonysiliconvalley.org.

Amati String Quartet performs Oct. 12, 7.p.m, at San Jose's Le Petit Trianon. $20­$30. 408.286.5111.