FOR its season-opener, the Mission Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Emily Ray, proves that it knows a lot more about Spain than John McCain does. In a program titled "Iberia!" the orchestra will perform works by Spanish (and, of course, Portuguese) composers Rodrigo, deFalla and others. The familiar (the first suite from deFalla's Three-Cornered Hat) will bump up against the unexpected (young Portuguese composer Sergio Azevedo's Symphony for Nine Winds). The guest artists are guitarists Michael Bautista and Marc Teicholz.

MISSION CHAMBER ORCHESTRA performs Saturday (Oct. 11) at 7:30pm at Le Petit Trianon, 72 N. Fifth St., San Jose. Tickets are $7–$22. (408.236.3350)

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