Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle, Durham

From its home in North Carolina, the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle takes listeners on a sonic journey around the world. The company's seasons mix beloved classics with rarely performed works and contemporary pieces, transporting audiences to Tchaikovsky's wildly wooded Russia or Verdi's baritone-filled Italy. And the orchestra's artistic director, Lorenzo Muti, is fittingly international himself—born in Spoleto, Italy, he has studied at Juilliard and conducted acclaimed ensembles such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, and the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra.