A pair of the music world's fastest rising stars joins the North Carolina Symphony next month for a colorful concert program, "Firebird."

Led by guest conductor Joana Carneiro and featuring soloist Johannes Moser on cello, the orchestra performs the 1945 version of Stravinsky's legendary "Firebird Suite," alongside stirring wartime music by English composers Benjamin Britten and Edward Elgar.

The performances take place at Lee Auditorium at Southern Pines' Pinecrest High School on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m.

Noted for her vibrant performances in a wide variety of musical styles, Portuguese conductor Joana Carneiro has attracted considerable attention as one of music's outstanding young conductors. She succeeded Kent Nagano as music director of the Berkeley Symphony and has since worked with the world's finest orchestras and opera companies.

She is joined at center stage by German-Canadian cellist Johannes Moser. Hailed by Gramophone magazine as "one of the finest among the astonishing gallery of young virtuoso cellists," he performs Elgar's haunting "Cello Concerto," a reaction to World War I that remains a deeply moving contemplation on the forces that drive nations to war.

Powerful emotions underscore the entire evening, as the symphony's program opens with Britten's "Four Sea Interludes" from the opera 'Peter Grimes.' Inspired by the composer's opposition to World War II, "Peter Grimes' premiered to great success in 1945, a symbol of England's wartime resilience.

"The Four Sea Interludes" connect the opera's four acts with evocative depictions of the North Sea and a fishing community at work.

Closing the concert is music from Stravinsky's legendary ballet "The Firebird," the work that skyrocketed the Russian composer into international prominence. Stravinsky wrote three orchestral suites based on the ballet. The symphony will perform the third and longest of these remarkable efforts, offering North Carolina concertgoers a rare immersion into one of the groundbreaking scores of the 20th century.

"We normally hear the 1919 version [of the Firebird Suite]," says symphony Music Director Grant Llewellyn. "This version is a little bit more substantial. There will be a few surprises for the audience: much larger orchestrations and really spectacular music that we don't often get to hear."

Regular tickets range from $27 to $42. Student tickets are $10.

Pre-concert talks and "Meet the Artist" events are held before symphony concerts across the state. These engaging conversations offer a unique perspective on the evening's featured composers, and the chance to ask questions and hear the inside story on what to listen for.

For "Firebird," Josiah Stevenson will host "Meet the Artists" in the Pinecrest High School band room on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 6:45 p.m.

Lee Auditorium is located at Pinecrest High School, 100 Pinecrest School Road, in Southern Pines.

For tickets, visit the North Carolina Symphony website, www.ncsymphony.org, or call North Carolina Symphony Audience Services at (919) 733-2750 or toll free (877) 627-6724.