When was the last time you attended a Charlotte Symphony performance? How about the last time you ate dinner out? If you have not experienced a live orchestral show, was it because you thought it wasn’t for you?

Actually most of us have listened to classical music for years. Are you a moviegoer or vintage Warner Bros. cartoon buff? Many times these are underscored by symphonic music.

But to experience a symphony — live — is truly unlike anything else. It is a powerful and transformative experience. The audience is transported through the many complex sounds that create the whole work of art. Music stirs our emotions and classical orchestral performances are rich, complex and adrenaline producing.

This weekend, Jan. 13 and 14, the Charlotte Symphony (a Knight arts grantee) will perform Rachmaninoff’s Paganini Rhapsody as well as two Liszt works at the Belk Theater in the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. The passionate Grant Llewellyn will be conducting, and the young brilliant pianist Joyce Yang will be its guest artist. You will have two opportunities to catch this rising star, whose performances are intense and electrifying.

I was fortunate enough to sit in on a rehearsal for this upcoming show and can only imagine what a powerhouse performance this will be. Charlotte has a world-class symphony made up of dedicated and highly skilled musicians.

If you are not a big symphony-goer, following are a few thoughts to ponder. Although these musicians are playing the same written score, each time it’s performed — like all live music — it is a slightly different version.

The audience is listening to the same symphonic sounds (produced by the same instruments) as originally performed — often centuries before. Orchestras use no microphones, yet the acoustics in the Belk Theater are so clear, a single instrument can be heard throughout the space.

It is also noteworthy and exciting that the Charlotte Symphony represents the diversity of our city with musicians of different ages and skin color. When hearing them perform, it’s no surprise that these artists are fulltime musicians, but, like so many art forms, this is not a lucrative profession either.

What if you were to take that dining-out budget and invest in something that’s more meaningful and long-lasting? The arts have transformative power. Experiencing the Charlotte Symphony and Yang this weekend will have a memorable and lasting impact.

The Charlotte Symphony Classics Concert Series Presents: LISZT Mazeppa RACHMANINOFF Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini LISZT Mephisto Waltz RACHMANINOFF Symphonic Dances Llewellyn, conductor Yang, piano Belk Theater at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center 130 N. Tryon St., Charlotte Jan. 13 & 14, 2012 at 8 p.m. Tickets: $21.50 to $80.50 ($13 tickets for all students — with ID — and 25 years and younger.)