For artistic director and conductor Raffaele Ponti, the Paducah Symphony Orchestra is about more than the music. The PSO’s goal is to reach out to the community and treat guests to an all-around arts experience.

“This is about a concert event. That concert center lobby is the greatest networking, the greatest party every Saturday the symphony plays,” Ponti said.

Attendees at Saturday evening’s concert should expect a big night in the lobby of the Carson Center, Ponti said. The PSO will unveil its “P is for Paducah” book, which uses letters from the alphabet and submissions from local artists to showcase aspects of Paducah. There will be a silent auction of the artwork submitted for the book, with half the proceeds benefiting the PSO.

The symphony will also take the opportunity to announce another literary project: a children’s book about J.S. Bach, due in the spring.

“It ties literacy and music together, which is a great thing for us. We put a high priority on that,” said PSO executive director Daniel Sene.

Ponti said the books serve as an example of how the symphony is broadening its reach beyond the realm of music.

“Art is art,” Ponti said. “Our big effort is toward education for the kids. Music is the gratifying, beautiful thing, but we’re doing so much more for the community,” he said.

But music still forms the heart of the PSO. Saturday’s performance, which features guest violin soloist Pip Clarke, will continue the symphony’s track record of bringing world-class musicians to perform in Paducah.

“Pip (Clarke) is an incredible violinist,” Ponti said. “She has such a maturity of person and sound. She is passionate, full of color and very, very exciting. I always say you only play who you are, and that comes through in her music.”

British-born Clarke has toured throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia, earning respect for her interpretations of romantic works such as Max Bruch’s “Scottish Fantasy,” which she will play with the PSO on Saturday.

“I completely love it,” Clarke said of the piece. “It just works beautifully, and it’s from my part of the world. ... My great-grandfather was very Scottish.”

Clarke said that even audiences unfamiliar with the piece will find it appealing.

“I can guarantee this will be one of their favorite pieces, because it’s so lyrical,” she said.

Along with Clarke’s performance, the PSO will open the evening with a Rossini overture and conclude with Edward Elgar’s “Enigma Variations.”

“It’s a powerhouse program,” Sene said.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Carson Center. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit paducahsymphony.org or call 270-444-0065.

Call Laurel Black, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8641.

What: Paducah Symphony Orchestra concert, featuring violinist Pip Clarke

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3.

Where: The Carson Center, 100 Kentucky Ave.

Tickets and information available at paducahsymphony.org or 270-444-0065.