Alisa Weilerstein, cello and Inon Barnatan, piano December 11, 2008

Just 26, cellist Alisa Weilerstein has already been mentioned as a successor to Yo-Yo Ma. Audiences can judge for themselves when this dynamic artist performs in concert with pianist Inon Barnatan, presented by San Francisco Performances.

Pairing rock-star charisma with virtuosic talent, Weilerstein will make debuts this season with the Boston Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, also the National Symphony under Itzhak Perlman, and the New York Philharmonic under Lorin Maazel. Barnatan debuted with the San Francisco Symphony in 2008 and has curated a Schubert Project that will be performed at the Library of Congress this fall.

For the Herbst concert, the pair will perform works by Beethoven, Chopin, Zoltan Kodaly, and a piece by Osvaldo Golijov entitled "Omaramor."

Weilerstein's relationship with Golijov has been a pivotal part of her career. The young cellist premiered Golijov's "Azul" in 2006 at the Mostly Mozart Festival, inspiring the New York Times to declare her playing "staggering."

In addition to her musical career, Weilerstein has just assumed a second role, as celebrity advocate for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Diagnosed with diabetes when she was nine years old, the young artist maintains a busy schedule while managing her condition.

Weilerstein began playing the cello at age four, making her Cleveland Orchestra debut in 1995, at 13. Her Carnegie Hall debut was two years later. She often plays with her parents -- Donald and Vivian Hornik Weilerstein -- as the Weilerstein Trio, which is Trio-in-Residence at Boston's New England Conservatory.

Born in Tel Aviv in 1979, Barnatan began playing piano at age four, making his orchestral debut at 11. He recently made his recital debut at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as performing at Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw and at the Music@Menlo festival.

$42/$32.

Official Website: http://www.performances.org