The Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra will present "The Music of Dance and Romance" in Owens Auditorium at Sandhills Community College at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22.

Tickets are $20 each and will be available for pre-sale in the Boyd Library on the SCC campus and will be available at the door while supplies last.

Maestro Fouad Fakhouri will premiere his new work, "Tito," inspired by Tito Puente, the "King of Latin Music." The symphony will also perform the "Hungarian Dances," composed by Johannes Brahms, and "Polovtsian Dances," from Prince Igor, composed by Alexander Borodin. The concert will conclude with Rachmaninov's brilliant "Symphonic Dances."

The performance will be preceded by a pre-concert lecture given by Professor Tim Haley, professor of music and chairman of the Department of Fine Arts at Sandhills Community College.

Haley will discuss the works to be played, their history and their significance in the world of classical music. The lecture will begin at 2 p.m. in Wellard Hall, Room 125, immediately across the courtyard from the entrance to Owens Auditorium. The lecture is free and requires no reservations.

In describing his original composition, "Tito," Fakhouri said, "I wanted to capture the energy and rhythmic excitement of Tito Puente's performances. The piece is written very much in the style of his dance compositions and highlights the virtuosity and skill of the entire ensemble while specifically focusing on the role of the percussionists."

The rhythmic construction of the piece's main theme is based on the syllabic division of Tito's name (Ti-to, Ti-toTi-to Puente!).

The work uses many motifs (so-called "jazz licks") that one would expect to hear on any number of Puente's pieces. Among the percussionists, the piece features a soloist performing Tito's signature instrument -- the timbales.

Fakhouri has held the position of music director and conductor of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra of North Carolina since 2004. He has been lauded for his ability to elicit the best from his musicians and to elevate the artistic performance level of orchestras he conducts.

A guest conductor who enjoys popular demand, Fakhouri's music has been heard in the United States, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Israel, Jordan and Egypt.

He has written many orchestral pieces, in addition to chamber, chorale, and solo music. His orchestral works have been premiered and performed by the English Chamber Orchestra, Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra, Mediterranean Orchestra, Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, Cairo Symphony Orchestra and the Amman Symphony Orchestra of Jordan, among many others.

For more information about this performance of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, contact Sandhills Community College at (910) 695-3716 or view the college's Web site at www.sandhills.edu.