Love is in the air at the Hult Center, where the Eugene Symphony will be performing Love + Fate: Romeo & Juliet and Porgy & Bess on Nov. 23, 2013 at 7:30 p.m.

As part of the second Counterpoint Festival, a month-long series of arts events centered around the theme “Love & Fate,” these two stories of fate conquering love will be performed.

“These pieces deal with the interaction of love and fate and wanting to be loved in return, but it not always working out that way. The human heart can try, but sometimes there is a bigger picture,” said Eugene Symphony CEO Scott Freck, who has been involved in planning the show for two years.

This performance is not your typical symphony show. It’s a blend of drama, opera and music to create a moving new art form.

First, three actors from the Tony Award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival will perform scenes from “Romeo & Juliet,” accompanied by the Eugene Symphony as they perform the 1936 “Romeo & Juliet” ballet score. Then, five soloists and a chorus with the Eugene Symphony, will perform songs from George Gershwin’s 1935 opera, “Porgy & Bess.”

“Porgy & Bess” is considered the greatest of American operas. It takes place in the late 1930s on Catfish Row, a fictional black tenement in Charleston, S.C. The folk-opera tells the story of Porgy, a disabled beggar and Bess, trapped by the clutches of her abusive lover.

“By comparing and contrasting, we hope to learn more about both stories and take a further step back and discover something within ourselves,” Freck said. “Students will find this show fun and meaningful.”

“Love + Fate: Romeo & Juliet and Porgy & Bess,” will be Saturday, Nov. 23 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the EMU or the Hult Center Box Office. Admission is $10 for students, courtesy of Eugene Symphony.