The Fresno Philharmonic this weekend was as sturdy and muscular as a body-builder. The challenging program showed off the orchestra's strong musicality. I went to Sunday's matinee, and I walked away with an added bounce to my step, as if I'd just been supercharged with brassy ions. At the point that conductor Theodore Kuchar closed his score and started romping through the final movement of Tchaikvosky's 3rd Orchestral Suite from memory, I knew I was in for a brisk, confident ride.

Cellist Zuill Bailey elicited an enthusiastic response from the audience, and part of me suspects that it wasn't 100% because of his superior musicianship. I could swear there was some mild swooning going on in the Saroyan. Bailey says sometimes when he's walking through airports carrying his instrument case he's mistaken for a rock star, and it's easy to see why: He's got the charisma, not to mention the hair. (Kuchar jokes that when he first invited Bailey back to play again by popular demand for his orchestra in Reno, some women patrons changed their seats closer to the front so they could see better.)

My faithful classical-music-in-schools-zealot correspondent, Robert Bullwinkel, dropped me a note today about cellist Zuill Bailey, the guest soloist for this weekend's Fresno Philharmonic concerts -- I have a story in this morning's 7 section about the program -- and his visit this morning to Kingsburg:

I just saw Zuill Bailey perform for students at Rafer Johnson Junior High in Kingsburg as a part of the Fresno Philharmonic's Concertos for Kids program. Mr. Bailey wowed the students with his performance of Bach's Cello Suites, but really connected with them when he spoke of the misconceptions about classical music. Bailey said that when he walks through the airport wearing shades and a black leather jacket with his black cello case strapped to his back, he is often asked what rock band he plays for. People are disappointed when he says that he is a classical musician, but when he played musical examples from popular movies, the students quickly realized that they did have a strong connection with orchestral music.

The students all came from classes taught by teachers in the Keeping Score Education program, a project of the Fresno County Office of Education and the San Francisco Symphony. This week, they studied Bach and listened to his music performed by today's special guest. I also heard the Phil rehearsing the Tchaikovsky Suite last night. It's going to be a GREAT concert!