Las Vegas - October 17, 2008 - The UNLV Performing Arts Center welcomes the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, performing with Grammy-nominated violinist Robert McDuffie, as part of the Charles Vanda Master Series at 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 30. Led by music director Leon Botstein, this premier orchestra of the Israeli capitol is scheduled to perform Copland's Symphony No. 3 and Leonard Bernstein's Serenade.

The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, IBA was founded in the 1940s as the national radio orchestra and was known as the "Kol Israel Orchestra." In the 1970s, the orchestra expanded and became the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Israel Broadcasting Authority. Since its inception, the orchestra has often toured Europe and the U.S., and has played in some of the most prestigious venues, among them in Vienna, D?sseldorf, Frankfurt and Luzerne and New York. The Orchestra also records regularly. Its next major recording project is a CD for the Milken Archive of Jewish Music.

McDuffie is a Grammy nominated artist whose acclaimed recordings for Telarc include the violin concertos of Mendelssohn, Bruch, Adams, Glass, Barber, and Rozsa, as well as Viennese favorites. He plays a 1735 Guarneri del Gesu violin, known as the "Ladenburg."

Tickets to the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra are $45, $60, and $90 and can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center Box Office at 895-ARTS (2787) or by visiting pac.unlv.edu. Student rush tickets are $13 each and available one hour prior to each event, based on availability and with valid student I.D. UNLV faculty and staff discounts also are available. A $1 facilities fee, in addition to the ticket price, is charged on all Performing Arts Center tickets. The box office is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Information about all of the season's performances can be found on the Performing Arts Center website, located at pac.unlv.edu.

Founded in 1976, the Performing Arts Center at UNLV continues to be Southern Nevada's premier performing arts venue. Located on the north end of the UNLV campus, the PAC hosts a variety of performances each year in three distinct series - the Charles Vanda Master Series, New York Stage & Beyond Series, and the Classical Guitar Series. UNLV and Vegas PBS are graciously sponsoring the season.