Impossible to pick just 10.

Byline: Fred Crafts The Register-Guard

Picking the top 10 do-not-miss attractions of the 2003-04 season was so hard that I picked 12. And it killed me to leave out 15 or 20 other first-rate draws. Such is the quality of music and theater productions headed our way over the next nine months.

Eugene residents have come to expect a rich mix of imported national names and homegrown talent. This season, each month offers so many stellar offerings that they'll be spending most nights on the town. Happily so, I might add.

1. Yo Yo Ma - The season's big buzz is over "the world's greatest cellist." It's hard to name a more electrifying and decorated performer working today. He absolutely turns audiences on. Expect the same swooning when he plays concertos by Camille Saint-Saens and Antonin Dvorak with the Eugene Symphony. (May 13, Hult Center)

2. Juilliard String Quartet - Now more than 50 years old, this New York City quartet stands at the forefront of the world's pre-eminent quartets. Luckily for us, in their rare Eugene appearance they will play Ludwig van Beethoven's Quartet in F Major (Op. 59, No. 1), which was part of the package that won them a Grammy Award. (Chamber Music Series, Feb. 5, Beall Concert Hall)

3. Yuri Rozum - Eugene's favorite Russian virtuoso returns to the Hult Center after a four-year absence, adding his magic to Beethoven's ravishing Piano Concerto No. 33 in C Minor (Op. 37) with the Oregon Mozart Players. With new conductor Glen Cortese making his debut, it should be a night to remember. (Hult Center/Beall Hall, Oct. 4-5)

4. Dance Theatre of Harlem - It's been a while since a big-time East Coast company has performed in Eugene, and few American companies come with more acclaim that this venerable outfit. The program has not yet been picked, but whatever this company does is sure to be stunning. (Feb. 4, Hult Center)

5. Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 - Maestro Giancarlo Guerrero's two-year exploration of Beethoven's symphonies culminates with the granddaddy of them all, the monumental Ninth, which stunned audiences by employing a chorus in a symphony, then won their hearts by having it sing the glorious "Ode to Joy." (Eugene Symphony, May 20, Hult Center)

6. "A Moon for the Misbegotten" - Ever since Willamette Repertory Theatre founder Kirk Boyd returned to Eugene after 17 years with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, he has been itching to do Eugene O'Neill's masterpiece. Finally, the time is right to take a walk on the dark side. (Jan. 28-Feb. 15, Hult Center)

7. "HMS Pinafore" - Who can resist Gilbert and Sullivan's merry melodies and madcap moments as they spoof British life upon the high seas? Certainly, not folks in Eugene, who have flocked to Eugene Opera's previous G&S spectaculars. (March 12 and 14, Hult Center)

8. and 9. "The Big Bands Era" and "Jitterbug, Jive & Jazz" - Those grand old songs of yesteryear will come roaring back in two joyful concerts: "The Big Bands Era," another of Diane Retallack's popular retrospective programs for the Eugene Concert Choir, and "Jitterbug, Jive & Jazz," Toni Pimble's sentimental dance tribute, with the amazing Emerald City Jazz Kings on stage playing catchy hits by the Andrews Sisters. (Eugene Concert Choir, Feb. 28-29; Eugene Ballet, April 17-18, both at Hult Center)

10. Now Hear This - The Oregon Festival of American Music's eclectic music series is revved up for, in essence, a yearlong jazz festival. Right here in River City, we'll hear Jason Moran (Sept. 17), John Zorn (Oct. 3-4), Dianne Reeves (Oct. 28), Joshua Redman (Nov. 5), Gonzalo Rubalcaba (Dec. 6), Wynton Marsalis (March 5), Brad Mehldau (April 13), Wayne Shorter (April 14), Edgar Meyer (April 16 ), Dave Douglas (May 5) and the Emerald City Jazz Kings (Oct. 16 and 19, Feb. 12 and 15, May 13 and 16). Very, very cool. (John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts)

11. Andre-Michel Schub - The late arts patron Dan Pavillard's beloved Steinway D grand piano will be dedicated to the University of Oregon Music School in a concert by Andre-Michel Schub - one of the world's foremost pianists playing a superb musical instrument. (Nov. 17, Beall Hall)

12. "Miss Saigon" - Spirits may soar at the Schub concert, but something more tangible will occur during the national touring company production of "Miss Saigon," when a helicopter will lift off the Silva Concert Hall stage at the climax of a steamy romance between young lovers torn apart by the forces of destiny. Gotta see that. (April 27-May 2, Hult Center)

CAPTION(S):

Left: A national touring production of the musical ``Miss Saigon'' will come to the Hult Center in April and May. The coming performing arts season has many highlights, led by visits from world class musicians In May, conductor Giancarlo Guerrero will lead the Eugene Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven's masterful Symphony No. 9. Right: Pre-eminent cellist Yo Yo Ma will perform with the Eugene Symphony Orchestra in May. New York's Juilliard String Quartet visits Eugene in February to play Beethoven.