The Arts Council of Moore County's ARTours is taking a group to the Meymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh to hear Yo-Yo Ma perform with the North Carolina Symphony.

"Classical music lovers will not want miss this special event as the world renowned cellist takes center stage with the symphony and music director, Grant Llewellyn, on Thursday, Sept. 18," says a spokesman.

Ma will perform Sir Edward Elgar's dramatic "Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85," the cornerstone of the cello repertoire. Ma is an exclusive Sony Classical artist, and his discography of over 75 albums, including more than 15 Grammy Award-winners, reflects his wide-ranging interests. He has made several successful recordings that defy categorization, among them "Hush" with Bobby McFerrin, "Appalachia Waltz" and "Appalachian Journey" with Mark O'Connor and Edgar Meyer, and two Grammy-winning tributes to the music of Brazil, "Obrigado Brazil" and "Obrigado Brazil Live in Concert." Across his full range of releases, Ma remains one of the best-selling recording artists in the classical field, often with as many as four recordings simultaneously on the Billboard's Top 15.

The bus will depart from the Campbell House parking lot at 4 p.m. and arrive at the Bloomsbury Bistro in Raleigh at 5:15 p.m. for a cash bar and dinner. The group will then be transported to Meymandi Hall for the 8 p.m. concert. The bus will return to the Campbell House at approximately 11:30 p.m.

The cost of the Yo-Yo Ma ARTour is $258 for Arts Council members and $298 for nonmembers. The cost includes bus transportation, concert ticket, dinner, gratuity, and administrative costs.

For more information, call the Arts Council's ARTour Director, Katherine MacRae, at (910) 692-4356.