The fall brings with it a heady mix of classical music, from Chinese opera and a new work by Providence composer Paul Nelson to an evening of original music for hurdy-gurdy and world premieres by A Clockwork Orange author Anthony Burgess.

The Burgess turns up in a two-part program by the innovative ensemble Aurea, part of the FirstWorksProv festival. Premieres of a couple of quartets and music for harmonica and guitar can be heard Oct. 13 and 14 at Beneficent Church on Weybosset Street, along with music that influenced Burgess.

Talks and film screenings will be held at Brown the weekend before.

Also from FirstWorks come two evenings of hurdy-gurdy music from Pawtucket composer Steve Jobe. That’s on Oct. 5 and 6.

Jobe has crafted hurdy-gurdies (that’s the medieval string instrument that uses keys and a wheel instead of a bow) of increasing size and complexity. Those will be played by Daniel Thonon of Montreal, who will be joined by a 15-member ensemble of dancers, singers and instrumentalists playing glass bells, gongs and bagpipes.

Meanwhile, Rhode Island Philharmonic conductor Larry Rachleff tackles Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony for the first time in more than a decade Oct. 13. Noted violinist Corey Cerovsek will join the orchestra for the occasion, soloing in the second Prokofiev concerto.

Rachleff will be back on the podium at Veterans Memorial Auditorium Nov. 17 with world-renowned percussionist Evelyn Glennie.

Up the road in Boston, conductor James Levine kicks off another Boston Symphony season Oct. 4 with an all-Ravel program.

The classical season gets underway Sept. 30 with two afternoon events: pianist James Tocco will be at Rhode Island College, and acclaimed baritone James Lalli teams up with local fortepianist Michael Bahmann for Shubert’s touching song cycle Die Schone Mullerin — or The Beautiful Miller Maid — at St. Martin’s Church near Wayland Square.

Fans of vocal music won’t want to miss the Grammy-winning male group Chanticleer when it comes to Westerly’s George Kent Performance Hall Oct. 9. The San Francisco-based chorus has made a slew of recordings and is one of the best a cappella groups around. They’ll be singing music of Byrd, Palestrina and Mahler, along with folk tunes and spirituals.

Another a cappella group, Schola Cantorum, performs music of Monteverdi, de Wert and Lauridson at St. Joseph’s Church, Hope and Arnold streets, Providence.

More vocal music comes from the Providence Singers when it kicks off its season Oct. 26 with music of Bach, Brahms and Bruckner. Performances will be held in Cranston, Providence and Bristol.

Foundling, the all-female period-instrument orchestra departs from its usual format of Bach and Vivaldi Oct. 28, offering a program of music from England and New England that includes a work by 20th-century composer Charles Ives and a new score from Providence composer Paul Nelson. That’s at St. Martin’s Church on Orchard Avenue.

Two concerts of music from China are being presented as part of an honors colloquium at the University of Rhode Island. The Ningbo Yue Opera Company stages Butterfly Lovers at Veterans Memorial Auditorium Oct. 27. More music from China will be at URI’s Fine Arts Center Nov. 2.

And finally, well known violinist and composer Mark O’Conner makes an afternoon appearance at Rhode Island College Oct. 31 as part of the college’s Wednesday afternoon chamber series at Sapinsley Hall.