The Master Players Concert Series begins its 2017-18 “Unity in Variety” season with The Stars of Baltimore: Season Opening Gala, scheduled at 3 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 1, in the Gore Recital Hall of the Roselle Center for the Arts on the University of Delaware campus in Newark.

Coming into its 14th season, Master Players brings the best and brightest stars of the musical world to the campus. Located in one of the country’s most historic cities, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is internationally recognized as having achieved a preeminent place among the world’s most important orchestras. In this season-opening gala concert, leading BSO musicians and superstars of the Baltimore classical music scene will perform solo and chamber works for woodwinds, brass and piano by master composers from the Romantic period to the 21st century.

Performers will include Yao Guang Zhai, principal clarinet; Fei Xie, principal bassoon; Andrew Balio, principal trumpet; and Philip Munds, principal horn, among others. Sharing the stage is Howard Watkins, renowned collaborative pianist, vocal coach and assistant conductor of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

More information on the “Unity in Variety” season is available online.

Five- and six-show subscriptions for the 2017-18 Master Players season, as well as single tickets for all concerts, are now on sale. Gore Recital Hall has limited seating, so advance ticket purchase is recommended. Prices for single tickets are $25 for adults; $20 for seniors, UD faculty, staff and alumni; $10 for students; and $5 for children ages 5 to 14 for the Holiday concert only. Prices are discounted for subscriptions.

Tickets can be purchased online (single tickets only), by phone at 302-831-2204, from noon-5 p.m., Monday through Friday (subscriptions and single tickets), by order form (mail or fax), or in person at the REP box office in the Roselle Center for the Arts.

Master Players Concert Series serves as the cultural ambassador for the University of Delaware. Producing Artistic Director Xiang Gao, international artist and University of Delaware Trustees Distinguished Professor of Music, brings a rich and wide array of world-class musicians to the UD campus and to underserved local communities. The series’ hallmarks are its high artistic standards, the Delaware debuts of remarkable artists and its diverse and distinctive programming. Master Players, in addition to professional theatre company the UD Resident Ensemble Players, is proud to offer a large variety of public performances in numerous University venues and throughout the region. Master Players is cosponsored by the UD Department of Music.