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Classical music lovers wanting to attend live performances don't have to empty their gas tanks or their wallets and pocketbooks. Local community arts organizations have stepped up to offer them an alternative to driving to Boston or Providence, not to mention modest prices and free parking.

New on the block

New on the scene this year is the Neponset Valley Philharmonic Orchestra, which has managed to snag the brand new Showcase Live theater at Patriot Place in Foxboro as their home. The orchestra will kick off their first season on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 5 with music from Beethoven, Mozart and Mendelssohn. National Amusements, which owns the theater, is donating the theater and lunch to the orchestra on performance days.

"The venue itself is enough to come. It's a perfect way to experience classical music," said Nicki Meade Draves, executive director of the orchestra. "The audience will be a part of the music, they will feel the music," said Meade Draves, emphasizing the close proximity that audience members will have to the stage and the musicians.

So far, the orchestra has sold 200 tickets for its first concert. The seating capacity for classical concerts is 500 to 800 people, according to Mead Draves. The idea for the new orchestra originated with conductor Lawrence Isaacson, who "wanted to develop an orchestra for emerging artists," she said.

There are only two others in the country that provide this kind of early career professional development for orchestral musicians: The Civic Orchestra of Chicago and New World Symphony in Miami, said Mead Draves.

A key aspect of NPVO's mission is "making great music accessible to the community," she said. "We're reaching out to everybody: adults seniors, students." Students have responded well to the low $5 student ticket pricing, she said.

In keeping with the orchestra's educational mission, Mead Draves plans to reach out to communities and partner with local cultural councils and public schools. She reeled off several possible ideas for educational programming, including having orchestra members teach master classes to high school students. Mead Draves is receptive to ideas from others as well. "It will be the communities, schools, students who will tell us what they want from us," she said.

'Village' concerts

In Rehoboth, the Arts in the Village concert series run by the Rehoboth Antiquarian Society will open its eighth season Saturday evening, Oct. 4, at Goff Memorial Hall. Shawn Kendrick, project coordinator for the music series, touts the intimate venue, low ticket prices, nearby location, and high-quality musicians as a draw. Goff has "great acoustics," she noted.

"We kept ticket prices the same as last year because of the economy," Kendrick said. "We are consciously making an effort to keep our concerts affordable."

"Many patrons from Rehoboth and nearby towns have told us that they enjoy being able to go to quality performances here without having to drive out of state or go up to Boston," she said.

The programs feature musicians mainly from Boston, but also from Providence, New Bedford and other places, she added.

Average attendance has almost doubled over the past four years, said Kendrick. Last year, it was 90. A recent audience survey showed that piano music and string ensemble music are the most popular forms of classical music, she said. The audience also favors broader musical offerings, so the concert series will expand to include other genres. A Broadway musical, planned as a fundraiser, is scheduled for the spring. "We're hoping an affordable series within close driving distance that features top-notch performers will continue to attract an ever-increasing audience base," Kendrick added.

LiveArts series

Laura Clayton, the artistic director for the LiveArts Sunday concert series held at the First Universalist Society meetinghouse in Franklin, credits "Boston-caliber" musicianship in an intimate setting for her program's success.

"It's a wonderful venue, perfectly suited to chamber music and solo performances," she said. "People who come get a front-row experience. Can't beat that."

Last year the program featured a performance by flutist Fenwick Smith, former longtime member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

"I really enjoyed the afternoon, very good audience, very appreciative," he said.

Smith told fellow musician, Haldan Martinson, principal second violin of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, about his experience and Martinson is now scheduled to play LiveArts in November.

The LiveArts series will debut Sunday, Sept. 28 with a concert by Triple Helix, a trio comprised of violinist Bayla Keyes, cellist Rhonda Rider, and pianist Lois Shapiro. All are artists in residence at Wellesley College.

"We are beside ourselves with excitement. That was big coup to get them," said Clayton.

Despite the state of the economy, she looks forward to a bright sixth season. "We're encouraged. I'm looking at it as a great artistic opportunity in these economic hard times, an alternative to downtown."

The audience has grown in the past few years, according to Clayton, with each performance averaging about 75 to 80 people.

"When you attend one of our concerts, it's a very moving experience," she said. "The arts provide a real refuge, a real source of inspiration and solace, a way to uplift the human spirit."

"Audiences also love our intermission dessert buffets," she added.

Franklin resident Brett Burgess has been attending LiveArts concerts for three years. "My wife and I love classical music" he said.

Burgess, who has attended performances by the Boston Symphony and Rhode Island Philharmonic orchestras, said driving to Providence or Boston, 45 minutes to an hour away, can be tough. The Franklin concerts are only five minutes from his home, he said, yet "the quality of the performances are similar" to those in the large cities.

Burgess also noted, "The price is attractive to families."

Alex Speredelozzi is a Sun Chronicle intern pursuing a master's degree at Harvard University Extension School. You can contact him at asperedelozzi@hotmail.com.