The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra’s Pop Series (CSO) once again brings great talent and new collaborative performances to Charlotte. On Friday, March 23, Natalie Merchant will perform with the Symphony at 8 p.m. in the Belk Theater. Merchant is well known for her alternative sound through her solo career with early albums like “Tigerlily,” and her music with the popular group 10,000 Maniacs. But Merchant is embarking on a new project; one that expands her sound to include full symphony orchestras.

Since Merchant’s symphonic debut with the Boston Pops Orchestra in 2008, she has composed with an orchestra in mind, releasing “Leave Your Sleep” in 2010, which features children’s nursery rhymes, folk tales, poems and lullabies written for an expanded musical ensemble.  The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra (a Knight Arts grantee) will perform several numbers from this album, including “The Land of Nod” and “Maggie and Millie and Molly and May.” Fans of her classic alternative style will not be disappointed, however, since the CSO will also feature “Verdi Cries” from “In My Tribe” (1993) and “Life is Sweet” from “Ophelia” (1995).

Tickets start at $44.50 and can be purchased at charlottesymphony.org or by calling the Charlotte Symphony Ticket Office at 704-972-2000.

Natalie Merchant. Photography by Mark Seliger