Central North Carolina area music lovers are in for a treat when renowned jazz saxophonist >Virginia Mayhew >joins Dr. Gregg Gelb and the Heart of Carolina Jazz Orchestra for a special two-day series of concerts and classes.

The concerts are Friday, Feb. 15, at 8 p.m. at Temple Theatre, 120 Carthage St., in downtown Sanford, and Saturday, Feb. 15, at 7:30 p.m. at the Halle Cultural Arts Center at 237 North Salem St. in Apex.

Tickets are $15 (adults) and $10 (students) for the Temple Theatre show and $12 for the Halle Cultural Center show.

Tickets will be available at the Temple Theatre box office at (919) 774-4155, or Halle Cultural Center at (919) 249-1120.

In addition, on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 16, at the Halle, Virginia Mayhew will offer a free master class (younger players welcome) from 3:30-4:30pm. Lydia Salett's free pre-concert lecture, "Women in Jazz and Mary Lou Williams," will be from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. >

Saxophonist-composer-arranger Virginia Mayhew has been an active participant in the New York jazz scene since 1987, leading her own groups (quartets, quintets and a septet) for more than 25 years. She is also the saxophonist/musical director/assistant arranger of the Duke Ellington Legacy, an eight-piece group founded by Edward Ellington (II) and Gaye Ellington, two of Duke Ellington's grandchildren.

In the course of her career, Mayhew has worked with such renowned artists as Earl "Fatha" Hines, Cab Calloway, Frank Zappa, James Brown, Norman Simmons, Al Grey, Junior Mance, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Doc Cheatham, Joe Williams, Leon Parker, Clark Terry, Kenny Barron, Chico O'Farrill, Ingrid Jensen, Claudio Roditi, Nnenna Freelon and many others.

Mayhew has appeared in most of New York City's major jazz venues, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Town Hall, Jazz Standard, Blue Note, Sweet Basil and Smalls, and performed throughout the United States, Europe, the Newly Independent States, the Caribbean, Bermuda, Australia and Southeast Asia.

She has also been featured as a leader at many jazz festivals, both within the United States and abroad, and has traveled twice as a representative of the United States as a Jazz Ambassador (in the tradition of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington), once to the Newly Independent States and a second time to Southeast Asia.

Early in her career, Mayhew worked with veteran trombonist Al Grey for several years. She is featured on his 1992 release, "FAB," and contributed several arrangements to his 1995 CD, "Centerpiece."

She also worked for several years with Brazilian trumpet and flugelhorn player/composer/arranger Claudio Roditi and was recently part of "Dreamin' the Duke," featuring Nnenna Freelon, Harolyn Blackwell, Mike Garson, and Terell Stafford.

"Dreamin' the Duke" was performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and at Tanglewood, as well as on the road. Mayhew also freelances with many other bands in the New York City area.

In addition to her recordings with others, Mayhew has, as a leader, six releases, all of which have received rave reviews and lots of airplay. Music from her latest recording, featuring the music of Mary Lou Williams, will be performed in small and larger ensemble arrangements for the concerts.